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LOT 1121
Charles E. Norton
Historic Documented Colt Model 1878 Double Action Revolver Shipped to Well-Known
American Intellectual and Harvard Professor Charles E. Norton with Tooled Leather Holster
and Factory Letter - Serial no. 6474, 45 Long Colt cal., 7 1/2 inch round bbl., nickel finish, hard
rubber grips. The factory letter lists this revolver in .45 caliber with a 7 1/2 inch barrel, nickel finish,
and rubber grips when it was one of a pair shipped to Professor Charles
E. Norton in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on August 26, 1881. The letter
also notes a duplicate listing for this number in .44 caliber but otherwise
the same configuration as shipped to Hartley & Graham in New York
on August 31, 1881. The revolver features a blade front sight, top strap
groove and notch rear sight, the one-line address on top of the barrel,
“45 CAL” on the left side of the trigger guard, the serial number on the
toe ahead of the lanyard ring, “50” on the loading gate, “26” on the left
side at the heel, and “E 225” inside the grips. The revolver comes with a very attractively tooled, brown leather,
single loop holster.Professor Charles Eliot Norton (1827-1908) of Cambridge, Massachusetts, was among the most
cultured and intellectually significant men in America in the second half of the 19th century. After graduating from
Harvard in 1846, Norton initially had a career in international trade and toured India and Europe before turning his
attention to the arts and literature by 1851. He became a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in
1860. He translated both Dante’s “The New Life” and “The Divine Comedy,” served as the secretary of the Loyal Publication
Society during the Civil War and also edited the North American Review in 1864-1868. He became the first fine arts professor
at Harvard from the mid-1870s until retiring in 1898. The university’s president, Charles William Eliot, was his cousin. He was also
the first president of the Archaeological Institute of America from 1879 to 1890. He also formed the Dante Society with his friends
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and James Russell Lowell and was also a founder of The Society of Arts & Crafts of Boston and the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. The purchase of a pair of Colt Model 1878 Double Action Revolvers in .45 Colt is certainly interesting for an elder literary man though firearms were far from unusual possessions for upper class gentlemen in the 19th century. Given he was a very well-traveled man, he may have purchased them for personal protection.
CONDITION: Fine with 75% of the original nickel plating which has a frosted appearance overall, dark brown patina on the flaked areas which are concentrated on the forward half of the cylinder, and minor scratches and marks. The grips are very good and have attractive aged coloration, moderate handling wear, and rub wear from the lanyard ring. The action functions fine in double action only. The holster is fine and has distinct designs and mild wear mainly at the top.
Estimate: 4,500 - 7,500
LOT 1122
Colt Model 1878 Double Action Revolver Attributed to the Canadian
Militia of the Northwest Rebellion with Canadian Mounted Rifles Marked Holster
- Serial no. 14754, 45 Long Colt cal., 7 1/2 inch round bbl., nickel finish, hard rubber grips. Manufactured in 1885, this revolver has been attributed by the consignor as one of 1,001 Colt Model 1878 revolvers ordered by the Canadian Department of Militia and Defense in 1885, which were intended to be used to arm a mounted militia force to confront the forces under Louis Riel in the spring and summer of 1885. This conflict, known as the North-West Resistance, Saskatchewan Rebellion, and the Second Riel Rebellion, was heavily influenced by the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which greatly accelerated the speed of deployment for Federal forces into the area. Riel’s action happened simultaneously to armed
action by the Cree, who had similar (but unrelated) grievances to Riel’s chiefly Metis supporters. The order for these revolver was placed
through Hartley & Graham of New York, and they began to ship revolvers in late-March or early-April of 1885. All of the revolvers were of
the same configuration, that being, 7 1/2 inch barrels, .45 Long Colt caliber, nickel plated, and fitted with hard rubber grips, just like this example. Many
of these revolvers were later issued to Canadian troops deployed during the Boer War, and it is believed some were even issued for World War I. These
revolvers fall in the serial number range of 7473-14996, with the majority being in the 14000 range, like this example. It is believed that approximately 300 of
these Model 1878 revolvers were issued for World War I, and at that time they were stamped with an issue number and “MD” on the left of the frame, such as the “275.MD” found on this example. This revolver has standard markings and features and fits the configuration ordered in 1885. Included with the revolver is a brown leather holster marked “I/CMR/A/559” on the front, suggesting issue to the Canadian Mounted Rifles during the conflict.
CONDITION: Very fine, with 75% plus original nickel finish, showing flaking along the edges, mild bubbling and spotting, and a few patches of shallow pitting or dark brown patina. Bright niter blue is present on the trigger and hammer, with some minor spotting. The holster is good, with mild scuffs and stains, and a set of cuts made in the back of the body
to create an improvised belt loop, which has the look of a period modification. Mechanically excellent.
Estimate: 3,500 - 5,500
LOT 1123
Fine Antique Colt Model 1878 Double Action Revolver - Serial no. 14778, 45 LC cal., 7 1/2 inch round bbl., nickel finish, hard rubber grips. Designed by William Mason and Charles Brinckerhoff, Colt’s factory manager and Superintendent of Engineering, the Model 1878 revolver was intended to be a double action alternative to Colt’s legendary Single Action
Army revolver. With 51,210 being produced, the 1878 was never nearly as popular as its single action cousin, however, there were still many that favored it in the west for its firepower, including Captain Jack Crawford, who replaced Buffalo Bill Cody as “Chief of Scouts” shortly after the Battle of Little Bighorn. This example was manufactured in 1885 and has the standard one-line address marked on top of the barrel, along with the caliber marking on the left of the trigger guard. There is a blade front sight at the muzzle and a sighting groove in the top of the frame. It is fitted with a pair of checkered hard rubber grips with Rampant Colts in ovals at the top of each panel. The back strap is non-factory stamped “R.C.A.2”, the significance
of which is unknown.
CONDITION: Fine, retaining 70% of the original nickel finish with the balance having thinned to a mixture of grey and brown patina, most noticeable on the cylinder and near the
muzzle. The grips are very fine with some light handling wear, some scattered light handling marks, and otherwise crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent.
Estimate: 2,250 - 3,500
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