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LOT 195
Incredibly Rare, Outstanding, Documented Civil War Era Round Frame Spiller & Burr Percussion Revolver - Serial no. 1076, 36 cal., 7 inch octagon bbl., blue/silver/casehardened finish,
hard rubber grips. This is the rarest of the rare, one of four known examples of a round frame Confederate Spiller & Burr percussion revolver.
This revolver is chambered in the standard .36
Navy caliber and features a large cone front sight mounted on the octagon barrel, frame
groove rear sight, six-shot cylinder with six cylinder stops, rounded edges on the frame
as opposed to the standard hard edges on Spiller & Burr revolvers, and unique attractive burnt orange hard rubber grip panels (referenced as gutta percha in some publications of this revolver, appear to instead be hard rubber). These grips were made with a metal lining on the underside, and the grips themselves appear to have truly stood the test of time in
a high state of condition. The matching serial number “1076” is marked on the bottom of the barrel, loading lever, cylinder pin, cylinder, frame under the trigger guard, underside
of the trigger guard, and butt. The barrel and cylinder are blue finished, the hammer, loading lever and trigger are casehardened with a blue outer finish, and the brass frame and trigger guard were originally silver plated. The silver plated finish, which is a feature not seen on standard production Spiller & Burr revolvers, in combination with the extra attention paid to fit and finish of this revolver, a possible indication that it may have been made for presentation to a high ranking government official. Two other known examples of round frame Spiller & Burr revolvers are also known to have silver plated frames and
are bearing serial numbers 1066 and 1169, and a third round frame bearing serial number
1079 reportedly exists (finish unknown at time of writing), which is close in range to this example, serial number 1076. Of the three known round frame Spiller & Burr revolvers,
this is the only example with unique hard rubber grip panels (the foundation for the grips is silver plated cast metal!), with the other two round frame examples wearing walnut
grip panels. This revolver is well-documented in publications, including being pictured
and described in “The Texas Gun Collector” February 1955 issue, page 35 of “Confederate Revolvers” by Bill Gary, page 29 of the “American Society of Arms Collectors” bulletin number 96 September 2007, figure 51 of the article “Gutta Percha, Hard Rubber and Synthetics in Firearms”, “India Rubber and Gutta-Percha in the Civil War Era” by M. Wosher, and “Notes from M.C. Young, R. Goldstein and Atlanta Museum” (scanned copies included
of the aforementioned references). Although this rare round frame example is an exception to the overall production total; according to some sources, approximately 700 Spiller & Burr percussion revolvers were manufactured in Atlanta, Georgia, circa 1862-1864, and another roughly 700 were manufactured at the Macon Armory after the firm was purchased by the Confederacy in January of 1864. Bill Gary’s book, “Confederate Revolvers,” differs in that it states that the Atlanta partnership manufactured 840 revolvers before the Confederate government takeover and further states that Macon Armory manufactured only approximately 400 revolvers before closing upon the approach of General Sherman’s forces. Production started with a very optimistic government contract of about 15,000 revolvers
in 1862 but was stopped in November 1864 due to Sherman’s March to the Sea. The revolvers are patterned after the Whitney Navy Model, with a distinctive solid brass frame. Confederate Spiller & Burr revolvers rarely come through Rock Island Auction Company, and this is likely a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to have the privilege to sell a round frame example, one of four known; a titan in the world of Confederate arms collecting!
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