Page 157 - 87-BOOK1

LOT 180
Extraordinary
Cased Colt
Model
1862 Police
Percussion
Revolver - Serial
no. 19829, 36
cal., 4 1/2 inch
round bbl., blue/
casehardened/
silver finish,
walnut grips. The
Model 1862 was
one of the last
Colt revolvers
released during
Samuel Colt’s life
and is arguably
the most
advanced and
attractive of all
Colt percussion
revolvers. It was an excellent compact sidearm for a law enforcement officer, military officer, common soldier, or civilian during the Civil War but comparably few of them were manufactured; around 20,000 compared to over 300,000 of the Model 1849 Pocket. This incredible example was manufactured in 1863 during the middle of the war. The matching serial number is stamped on the wedge, arbor pin, cylinder, barrel, frame, trigger guard, and back strap. The barrel has a brass cone front sight and is stamped with “-ADDRESS COL. SAML COLT NEW-YORK U.S. AMERICA-.” The frame has the standard “COLTS/PATENT” marking on the left. “6” and “36 CAL” are marked on the left side of the trigger guard. The cylinder has the patent marking in one flute. The case contains an Eley Bros. cap tin, blued Colt’s patent dual cavity ball/bullet mold, small eagle powder flask, a cartridge pack, extra hand assembly, key, and L-shaped combination tool.
CONDITION: Excellent. The barrel and cylinder retain 95% plus bright original high polish blue finish with some minor edge wear, drag lines, and light scratches and marks along with solid safety pins on the rear of the cylinder. The loading lever, frame, and hammer retain 97% plus of the vivid original case colors. The trigger guard retains 95% plus original silver plating and exhibits an attractive dark aged patina. The back strap has strong original silver plating with aged patina at the top and on the butt and has exposed brass with attractive aged patina along the back. The grip is also excellent and has nearly all of the original varnish remaining, a few minor handling and storage marks, and slight lower edge wear. Mechanically excellent. The case and accessories are very fine and have minor age and storage related wear such as some contact wear from the front sight on the lining and numerous light scratches visible on the top of the case. Overall, this is a stunning Colt Model 1862 Police. It would be difficult to improve on this beautiful Colt.
Provenance: The Don and Carol Wilkerson Collection.
Estimate: 11,000 - 16,000 155