Page 201 - 89-FLIPBOOK2

In the table on page 260, Custer’s command (companies C, E, F, I, and L plus ten staff
and three scouts) are listed as having revolvers in the Lot Five and Lot Six range. The 212 revolvers from Custer’s men are presumed to have all been looted by Native American warriors. After the battle, 302 of the 632 revolvers carried into the battle by the 7th Cavalry were reported lost, and “At the minimum 252 and probably closer to 280 Colt Army revolvers were recovered by the warriors during the two day battle at the Little Bighorn” as noted on page 261. Many of the revolvers captured during the battle would have been employed by the warriors later in the battle as the warriors finished their rout of Custer’s men and then reformed and engaged Reno and Benteen’s men in the south. Native American capture would explain why some of these revolvers would not have been altered to Artillery configuration near the end of the century and also explains why so
few survive given the overall low survival rate of Native American weapons broadly. Since the publication of Kopec’s book, a limited number of additional examples have come to light. The most notable of these was serial number 4552 sold by Rock Island Auction Co. on May 14, 2022. That revolver is the finest known Lot Five revolver extant and came with documentation identifying it as a battlefield pickup from the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and it also received a gold seal letter from Kopec and brought an impressive $763,750 at auction, clearly demonstrating the immense interest and value these
Lot Five revolvers possess.
This historic revolver is in classic Cavalry Model configuration. It has a blade front sight, the top of the barrel is marked with the one-line address “+COLT PT. F. A. MFG. Co
HARTFORD CT, U.S.A.+” showing the die breaks in the “o” in “Co” and partially broken “A” in “HARTFORD,” the bottom of the barrel has “P” and “A,” the ejector has the early “bullseye” tip, the “black powder” frame marked with the two-line patent marking and “U.S.” on
the left side, assembly number “847” on the loading gate, “A” inspection marks on the trigger guard and back strap just behind the hammer, faint “OWA” cartouche on the left side, and matching visible serial numbers on the cylinder, frame, trigger guard, and back strap. Kopec in his letter notes that the grip has “considerable old marking which remain undiscernible. One mark appears to be a teepee and another of crossed sabers.” Kopec also noted the old dent on the right side of the butt into the grip which shows these parts are original to one another.
CONDITION: Fine. The barrel and ejector housing retain 65% original blue finish, the cylinder has mottled gray and brown patina, the frame and hammer have traces of original case colors mainly in the protected areas, the grip straps have 40% original blue finish and otherwise mostly smooth brown patina, and the revolver has generally fairly mild overall wear for a Lot Five revolver that may have seen use at the Battle of the Little Bighorn and could have been captured by Sioux or Cheyenne warriors. The grip is also fine and has a faint but legible cartouche, mild lower edge wear, minor flakes at the toe, light scratches, and much of the original oil finish. The hammer will not hold at half or full-cock. The revolver otherwise mechanically functions. This is a very attractive “Lot 5” Cavalry Model Colt Single Action Army revolver. Few of these revolvers remain in original Cavalry Model configuration today, and all are desirable as revolvers possibly used by the 7th Cavalry during the Indian Wars, especially the Custer battle!
Estimate: 190,000 - 350,000
199