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LOT 143
Extraordinary, Historic, and Well- Documented Civil War Presentation Deluxe Cased Matched Pair of Factory Engraved and Silver and Gold Plated Colt Model 1861
Navy Percussion Revolvers
with Outstanding Raised
Relief Carved Patriotic Grips Presented to Captain George A. Williams of the 1st U.S. Infantry in 1864 -A) Colt Model 1861 Navy Revolver - Serial no. 16678, 36 cal., 7 1/2 inch round bbl., silver/ gold finish, antique ivory grips. This extraordinary pair of presentation cased, factory engraved, silver plated, gold trimmed Colt
Model 1861 Navy revolvers with
spectacular raised relief grips is
among the best known pair of
silver Colt revolvers in existence.
The pair is featured in the Walpole
Galleries’ catalogue for the
Frederick E. Hines Estate in 1924,
“Dexter’s Antique Weapon Trade
Journal Presenting the McMurdo
Silver Colt Revolver Collection,”
“The William M. Locke Collection”
(p. 21, 33 and 148) and “Colts from
the William M. Locke Collection”
(p. 119) by Frank Sellers,
“Percussion Colt Pistols” (p. 36) and
“Colt Firearms from 1836” (p. 134)
by James E. Serven, “Colt’s History &
Heroes” (p. 15) by John G. Hamilton,
and “The Colt Heritage” (p. 106-107)
and “Colt: An American Legend” (p.
106-107) by R.L. Wilson. In his discussion
of the McMurdo collection, F. Theodore Dexter
called them “America’s most beautiful presentation Colts...probably the most beautiful early Colt outfit ever got up, and whoever finally owns this, never need fear that a better one will turn up. The outfit is like new and extra fine.” In his included letter, R.L. Wilson wrote, “This cased set - in magnificent condition, and a work of beauty worthy of any art museum- is also a set representative of the treasured history of the Civil War. The Williams-Warner Colts stand tall in the pantheon of classics among America’s finest firearms...The author regards the magnificent set of Captain George A. Williams-B.W. Warner presentation Colt Model 1861 Navy Revolvers as national treasure firearms, worthy of the finest museum or private collection.”
In addition to being well-documented, the pair’s inscribed case connects them to the American Civil War and a West Point graduate who served as an officer in the Union Army during the war and was connected to multiple serious scandals. This history combined with the rarity and beauty of the set itself truly sets them into a class of their own. Few Civil War presentation revolvers, let alone cased pairs, retain both their beautiful artistry and high condition as well as have traceable history. This set has all three.
Steamboat Sultana
The Cased Set:
The revolvers fall fairly late within the serial number range from 1863 and feature beautiful Colt factory engraving consisting of Germanic scroll patterns with floral accents and punched backgrounds on the barrels, frames, and grip frames along with the classic wolf head motif on the hammers. The engraving patterns
on both revolvers are very similar overall, but the designs on the sides of the breech sections of the barrels have some variance. The second revolver, for example, has interlaced scroll designs just ahead of
the wedge. The pair’s barrels may have been engraved by two different engravers or one engraver using two different patterns. The style and shape of the scrolls
are very similar overall even when the patterns differ.
In his included letter, Wilson refers to the engraving
as “Gustave Young style.” Young and many of the
other engravers who worked for Colt in the 1850s and 1860s were immigrants trained in Germany, and their styles are often fairly similar based on their training although Herbert Houze in “Colt Factory Engravers of the 19th Century” has done excellent research to show when various engravers worked for Colt and analyzed
individual aspects of how some of the revolvers were cut attributed them to specific engravers. In 1864, Herman Bodenstein (1829-1865) was Colt’s primary engraving contractor though not the only engraver working for the company. Young had held the position in the 1850s prior to returning to Germany in 1858
and had multiple engravers working under him. Young was employed by Colt as a “pistol maker” upon his return. The engraving on the first revolver of the pair is particularly similar to examples attributed to Georg H. Sterzing by Houze, and both revolvers may be his work or at least primarily his work. The revolvers are finished in silver with additional gilding on the cylinders and hammers. The barrels have German silver blade front sights and “-ADDRESS COL. SAML COLT NEW-YORK
U.S. AMERICA-.” The frames have the stamped “COLT’S/ PATENT” marking. The cylinders have the standard Naval Battle of Campeche roll scene. The special grips have raised relief carving of a bald eagle and patriotic shield on the left sides. Both revolvers have matching visible serial numbers and the factory “E” designation for engraving by the lower serial numbers. As is typical for pairs of Colts, the serial numbers are close but
not sequential. In this case, they are six apart. In the
135
photo taken the day before the steamboat exploded in the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history
included R.L. Wilson letter, he notes that these revolvers are only a few digits
away from 16659 which was part of the set presented by Elizabeth Jarvis
Colt to the Metropolitan Fair in New York in 1864 and also fairly
close to another factory engraved 1861 Navy, serial number 16702, suggesting these revolvers came from a block used for special deluxe/presentation revolvers. They come in a closely fitted rosewood case along with a silver plated Colt flask with sloped charger, blued combination ball/bullet mold and L-shaped combination screwdriver/nipple wrench, cap tin, and three lidded compartments. The case lid has
a brass escutcheon inscribed “Presented to/Geo A Williams/ Captain 1st US Infantry/as a token of respect from B W Warner/ Memphis Tenn May 1864.”
Collection Provenance:
In his letter, R.L. Wilson wrote, “Having a collector pedigree dating back to 1924, the Captain Williams from B.W. Warner presentation set is among the best documented of all known American Civil War Colt revolvers.” Wilson indicates this pair was
sold out of the Frederick E. Hines
Estate on May 9th, 1924, by Walpole Galleries in New York and was later
part of The McMurdo Silver Collection, The Leonard A. Busby Collection, The
William M. Locke Collection, The John B. Solley III Collection, and The Paul Tudor Jones II Collection. Wilson’s letter also provided some of the information
discussed below.
Captain George A. Williams of the 1st U.S. Infantry: George Augustus Williams was a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point from July 1, 1848,
to July 1, 1852. After graduating, he was promoted
to brevet second lieutenant in the 1st U.S. Infantry stationed at Fort Columbus in New York. He then served on frontier duty at Ft. Duncan in Texas in 1852- 1853. He was promoted to second lieutenant in the 1st Infantry on Mar. 2, 1853, and continued to serve at various forts in Texas until being posted at Fort Cobb in Indian Territory in 1859-1860 and then served as
an assistant professor of Spanish at West Point from September 4, 1860 to April 22, 1861, when he became an assistant instructor of infantry tactics until October 8, 1861. During the later service, he was promoted to captain in the 1st Infantry on May 14, 1861. During
the Civil War, he served in the headquarters guard in Washington, D.C. until November of 1861 and then was stationed near Sedalia, Missouri, from November 1861 to Feb. 1862.