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Rock Island Auction Company® Proudly Presents this
Extraordinary Presentation Cased Colt Model 1849 Pocket Revolver Inscribed to Hartford Industrialist Henry Bruce Beach
LOT 1151
Extraordinary Special Presentation Cased, Deluxe Factory Engraved Colt Model 1849 Pocket Percussion Revolver with Inscription to Hartford Businessman H.B. Beach, Deluxe Grip, and Extremely Rare Matching Factory Engraved Extra 4 Inch Barrel - Serial no. 19016, 31 cal., 6 inch octagon and 4 inch octagon bbl., blue/casehardened/silver finish, walnut grips. This incredible cased
set dates to 1851 and was owned by Hartford businessman Henry Bruce Beach, then one of the partners in the Woodruff & Beach Iron Works, and features scarce animal vignettes on the 6 inch barrel and an incredibly scarce matching second 4 inch barrel as well as a suite of accessories. This set is one of only a very few known with both 6 inch and 4 inch barrels. Another cased factory engraved transitional Baby Dragoon revolver from 1849 with both 6 and 4 inch barrels was owned by Cyprian N. Beach (1828-1887), the brother of the owner of this cased set. That set was sold by Rock Island Auction in May 2017 for $172,500 as part of The Robert M. Lee Collection. The current revolver is in even finer overall condition and features more deluxe engraving. It features the distinctive early style of engraving but is more refined in style than the typical “donut scroll” engraved Colts from the early 1850s. The blued 6 inch barrel has a floral border engraving at the muzzle, scroll engraving on the breech section and the casehardened loading lever arm flats with shaded backgrounds and some crosshatching, a vignette of a cougar or bobcat on the left ahead of the wedge, a horse head (colt) on the right side ahead, “Saml Colt” in ornate script with accents inscribed on top, and a diamond and dot “chain” style border at the breech. The blued 4 inch barrel has a different floral border design, similar scroll engraving, including on the loading lever arm flats, “-ADDRESS SAML COLT/NEW-YORK CITY-” in two lines marked on top within engraved decorative brackets, and a zig-zag line border at the breech. The cylinder has the classic stagecoach hold-up scene. The frame has “COLT’S/PATENT” hand inscribed within an engraved banner on the right side of the frame (very unusual), near full-coverage scroll engraving with shaded backgrounds, some crosshatch sections, a floral bloom on the recoil shield, and bestial design and more scroll patterns on the hammer. The heads of the various screws are engraved with floral blooms. The silver plated trigger guard features a patriotic American shield along with scrollwork on the bow, gadrooning along the edges, and scroll and floral patterns. The silver-plated back strap has a shell design by the hammer, scroll patterns, and “H B Beach/HARTFORD CONN” finely inscribed in a panel on the back. The grip is nicely figured, deluxe walnut with a “piano” varnish finish.
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