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Historic Factory Documented Carlos Gove & Co. Colorado Territory Shipped Colt Model 1871-72 Open Top Revolver with Extremely Rare Carlos Gove & Sons Denver Marked Holster, Buckle, and Belt Rig - Serial no. 3230, 44 RF cal.,
7 1/2 inch round bbl., blue/casehardened finish, walnut
grips. Carlos Gove (1817-1900) is one of the most legendary gunsmiths and dealer of the American West. Like many famous western figures, he had a rather transient life. He was born in New Hampshire but trained as a gunsmith in Boston, fought
in Florida with the First U.S. Dragoons during the Seminole
Wars, went west with the Second Dragoons, mustered out at Fort Leavenworth in 1840, then took up work as a blacksmith
for the Office of Indian Affairs at Council Bluffs, Iowa, before becoming a private gunsmith for the Pottawatomie for a few years and then went down to St. Joseph, Missouri, and opened up a gun shop in 1852 but only stayed a couple of years before moving back to Council Bluffs. When the “59ers” began rushing into the Colorado Territory during the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush, he purchased supplies and headed out and soon opened a gun shop in Denver in 1862. He partnered with J.P. Lower and Gove’s son-in-law Frank Church to form C. Gove & Co. in 1872 and ran the “Denver Armory.” In 1875, the firm became C. Gove & Sons. In addition to Colt’s revolvers, Gove outfitted the western and great plains expansion as a dealer and customizer of Sharps rifles as attested to in some of the included copies of documents relating to his business. Finding a Sharps linked to Gove in the 1870s would add immensely to this Gove rig.
The included copy of a factory letter lists this revolver a one of 50 in .44 rimfire with 7 1/2 inch barrels and blue finish shipped to C. Gove & Company in Denver, Colorado Territory, on January 10, 1874. The revolver has standard markings and featured, including matching sharp serial numbers. The included brown leather holster is marked “C. GOVE & SONS/DENVER” and has some light border tooling, and the brown leather cartridge belt has a “C. GOVE & SONS/DENVER COL” brass belt buckle. Only a small number of these belt buckles are known, and this one is in particularly nice shape. The consignor indicated that in addition to these Open Tops being the first lettered metallic cartridge Colts shipped West of the Mississippi, in 1874 Gove had these holster rigs and belt buckles made to accompany the Colt Open Top revolvers he was selling and that the rigs only added about $2 to the sale price. Very few of these holsters, belts, or buckles survive, let alone a complete rig with a factory documented Gove shipped Colt Open Top revolver.
CONDITION: Very good plus. The revolver has a very attractive appearance with mostly smooth gray patina overall from age and strong traces of the original blue finish remaining in the sheltered areas. The cylinder scene and other markings are distinct. The rear gripstrap shows some artificial mottled patina. The grip maybe a replacement but is fine and has much of the original varnish, moderate lower edge wear, some scratches
and dings, and general mild wear. The holster and belt rig is spectacular considering its age and rarity with some expected moderate wear overall including some crackling and flaking. The brass buckle has attractively aged patina. This is truly a remarkable Carlos Gove three-piece set with a documented Colt Open Top, belt with distinctive Gove buckle, and holster. The
set will certainly make an exceptional addition to any antique American firearms collection, especially one centered
on the American West.
Estimate: 45,000 - 65,000