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LOT 1170
Attractive Presentation Cased Pair of Colt London Model 1851 Navy Percussion Revolvers
-A) Colt London Model 1851 Navy Revolver - Serial no. 32988, 36 cal., 7 1/2 inch octagon bbl., blue/casehardened finish, walnut grips. Samuel Colt moved quickly to establish an international reputation and market for his firearms after re-entering the arms business in 1847. His display at the 1851 “Great Exhibition” (First World’s Fair)
in London was particularly important to this goal given the power and size of the British Empire, and he worked to establish an armory in London to supply the British market and potentially the British military. However, his revolvers faced steep competition from homegrown British designs, mainly Robert Adams’s double action revolvers, and Colt’s London factory shut its doors in 1857 and was instead replaced by Colt’s London Agency that sold Hartford made Colt revolvers in England. The genuine London Colts are particularly desirable variants of Colt’s classic models, including the Model 1851 Navy. Only around 42,000 London Navies were made compared to around 215,348 Hartford Navies, and cased pairs are very hard to find. This cased set was manufactured at
the Colt London Armory in 1855. The revolvers have the standard markings and features, including matching visible serial numbers. One unusual detail is the barrel of the first revolver somehow did not get marked with London proof and view marks, whereas both cylinders and the barrel of the second revolver have proper proof and view marks. The pair comes in a classic Colt London Armory two-gun case with the directions for loading and cleaning label inside the lid, green baize lining, a cleaning rod, two blued ball/bullet molds, two L-shaped
combination tools, two Eley Bros. cap tins, and a bag shaped James Dixon & Sons “COLTS NAVY FLASK.” CONDITION: Very fine with 90% plus of the original
vivid case colors remaining, 50% of the original blue finish remaining, the vast majority of the blue loss from flaking, smooth gray and brown patina on the flaked areas, distinct markings and cylinder scene, only one damaged safety pin, and minor overall wear from age and storage rather than use. The grip is very fine and
has the vast majority of the high polish “piano” varnish remaining, minor edge wear, and light handling marks. Mechanically excellent. The case is fine and has a slightly warped lid, mild age and storage related wear including some staining and minor holes on the lining. The flask is excellent overall. The other accessories are mostly very fine with minor age and storage related wear like the revolvers. B) Colt London Model 1851 Navy Revolver - Serial no. 36794, 36 cal., 7 1/2 inch octagon bbl., blue/ casehardened finish, walnut grips. See “A.”
CONDITION: Very fine with 85% plus original vivid case colors, 80% plus original blue on the cylinder, 50% original blue on the grip frame, 30% original blue on the barrel which has extensive flaking, distinct markings and cylinder scene, mostly complete safety pins, and general mild overall wear. The grip is very fine and has nearly all of the high gloss “piano” varnish and minor dings and scratches. The full-cock lock up and trigger pull are stiff; otherwise, the revolver is mechanically fine. Overall, this is a very attractive and very rare cased pair of Colt London ‘51 Navy revolvers complete with accessories. Provenance: The Norm Vegely Collection.
Estimate: 22,500 - 35,000
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