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Colt Single Action Army revolvers are among the most iconic, collectible, and valuable firearms in American history. They are certainly among the top “blue chips” of gun collecting. Thus,
it comes as no surprise that when it comes to the classic U.S. contract “Cavalry Model” Colt Single Action Army revolvers, none are more desirable than those used by the U.S. 7th Cavalry under the command of Custer at the historic battle discussed above. Our current revolver falls within the “prime lot” of Colt Single Action Army revolvers issued to Custer’s men prior to that fateful day: the Lot Five revolvers, serial numbers 4500-5504.
This historic revolver is accompanied by a letter of authentication from Colt Single Action Army authority John
A. Kopec. He gave this revolver his coveted “gold seal” which signifies the revolver is one Kopec “feels would qualify being in his own personal collection: one for which “no excuses” would ever be required. Few surviving examples will qualify for this distinction.” It is very evident why he gave this revolver that distinction considering both its historical significance and fine original condition. Very few Lot Five revolvers remain in original cavalry configuration, and only a few still remain in this
high of condition.
This revolver is newly discovered as it has been tucked away since at least the 1940s and was passed down through a single family and is fresh to the collector market. Kopec notes that it was new to his survey and was manufactured in 1874. It was sub-inspected by Orville W. Ainsworth, and “His tiny initial ‘A’ may be observed throughout the various components of this revolver.” Kopec further notes that this revolver’s place in Lot Five (serial numbers 4500-5504) puts it within one of the prime lots for revolvers issued to the U.S. Seventh Cavalry prior to
the historic Battle of Little Bighorn. He notes their revolvers were issued from Fort Abraham Lincoln during the second quarter of 1874. Serial numbers 4673, 4684, and 4696 from Lot Five remained in service until they were recalled in 1893. “Our
records indicate that the subject revolver #4694 falls between #4597, a revolver that belonged to Lieut. Luther Hare, Seventh Cavalry c. 1874 and the revolver #4729 which is listed as being
a ‘Presumptive” Custer Battle revolver that had been located on the ‘Pine Ridge Sioux Reservation’. These records also indicate that the revolver #4686 was featured in the late Mel Guy’s collection.” He also discusses theories that these original Cavalry configuration revolvers from the Custer era were either lost, stolen, or captured by hostile Indians during their service and thus were not recalled for refurbishment but that “the quantities of surviving revolvers from within the Lot Five series seems to cast some doubts as to the validity of these
standard explanations.”
The serial numbers of the revolvers issued to the 7th Cavalry are within the 4500-6559 range in Colt production Lots Five, Six, and Seven. On page 281 of “Colt Cavalry & Artillery Revolvers...a Continuing Study” by Kopec and Sterling Fenn, 600 of the 7th Cavalry Revolvers are estimated to have come from Lot Five, 300 came from the Lot Six, and just 39 came from Lot Seven. Thus, Lot Five revolvers are particularly desirable as they are significantly more likely to have been issued to the 7th Cavalry. The authors noted, “Serial numbers 4507, 4553, 4597, 4949, 4955, 5100, 5128, 5133, 5153, 5147, 5180, and 5416 all have either documented Seventh Cavalry history, or some lesser degree of Seventh Cavalry history or battle association. All of these revolvers are from Lot Five.”