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LOT 3128
Cased Colt London Model 1851 Navy Percussion Revolver Inscribed to A.E. Rykert of the 100th Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales’ Royal Canadian) - Serial no. 31878, 36 cal., 7 1/2 inch octagon bbl., blue/ casehardened/silver finish, walnut grips. This fascinating cased revolver was manufactured at the Colt London Armory in 1855. The barrel has a cone front sight, the “-ADDRESS COL. COLT. LONDON-” address, and London proof and view marks on the left. The frame has the “COLTS/PATENT” marking on the left. The cylinder has the classic Naval Battle of Campeche scene and alternating London proof and view marks. The revolver also has matching visible serial numbers and the round head screws. The back strap is inscribed “A.E. Rykert Esqre/H.M. 100th Regt.” The grip is finely checkered. The revolver comes in a fitted hardwood case with bright red lining, a reproduction loading and cleaning label inside the lid, a cleaning rod, a blued ball/bullet mold, an L-shaped combination tool, a cap tin, a cartridge pack, and a bag shaped powder flask.
Samuel Colt moved quickly to establish an international reputation and market for his firearms after re-entering the arms business in 1847, and the Model 1851 Navy was the primary international Colt of the period. Given the power and size of the British Empire at the time, he worked to establish an armory in London to supply the British market and potentially the British military. Ultimately, the factory was short lived and instead replaced with a sales agency since his revolvers faced steep competition from homegrown British designs such as Robert Adams’s double action revolvers. The genuine London Colts are particularly desirable variants of Colt’s classic cap and ball revolvers. Only around 42,000 London Navies were made compared to around 215,348 Hartford ‘51 Navy revolvers. Some of these revolvers are known to have been issued to the militia in Upper and Lower Canada. Officers generally purchased their own sidearms. This revolver was either purchased by or presented to Alfred Edwin Rykert of the 100th Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales’ Royal Canadian). Rykert’s obituary noted his intellect and talents in education and indicated he studied law under Roland McDonald and married his daughter. Rykert suffered from consumption (tuberculosis) but still raised troops for the 100th Regiment and became a lieutenant. In 1858, he was promoted to captain, and the regiment left for Gibraltar in May. In November 1859, he took a leave of absence due to his deteriorating health and went to England where he died in February 1860. His obituary noted that “His funeral was attended by nearly all the Canadians in London, including the Hon W. H. Merritt, Mr. Hawkes of Toronto, and Mr. Dallas of London.”
A write-up from prior owner Ken Mitchell suggested the revolver was purchased for him as a Christmas present by his wife from Colt’s London Agency in 1858 and indicated it was kept by his wife following his death until it was left by her to his brother John Rykert who was married to Nancy Maria Hawley. Her great nephew Frank Hawley later owned the revolver, and Mitchell indicated he was the second owner of this revolver outside of the family. Additional notes indicate the revolver was subsequently owned by Joe Mazur, Henry Mero, and Wayne Connor. Mero previously indicated that Rykert received the revolver while in England being presented his regiment’s colors by the Prince of Wales in 1858. CONDITION: Fine with 60% plus original blue finish on the barrel, 20% original silver plating on the grip straps, traces of original case colors, mostly dark brown patina on the balance, and mild overall wear. The grip is also fine and has crisp checkering, some minor chips at the edges, and minor handling wear. The revolver needs work as the cylinder does not consistently rotate when the hammer is cocked. The relined case (reproduction label) and accessories are very good with mild age and storage related wear. This is a very interesting cased set that includes an inscription for a young Canadian officer. Provenance: Captain Albert E. Rykert; The Rykert and Hawley Families; The Ken Mitchell Collection; The Joe Mazur Collection; The Henry Mero Collection; The Wayne Connor Collection. Estimate: 5,000 - 8,000
LOT 3129
Colt Hartford- English Dragoon Percussion Revolver - Serial no. 528, 44 cal., 7 1/2 inch part round bbl., blue/ casehardened/brass finish, walnut grips. This is one of only 700 Colt Hartford-English Dragoon revolvers manufactured between 1853 and 1857. These are among the rarest of the Colt “Horse Pistols” descended from the famous Colt Walker revolver. A large number of these revolvers remained unsold and were imported into the U.S. around the beginning of the Civil War. This example has a German silver blade front sight, “ADDRESS SAML COLT NEW YORK CITY” marked on the top barrel flat, London proofmarks on the barrel and cylinder, “COLTS/PATENT” marked on the left of the frame, The “MODEL U.S.M.R.” and Texas Rangers and Comanche fight scene on the
cylinder, and matching serial numbers visible on the wedge, barrel, frame, trigger guard, butt, and cylinder. The grip has been checkered. CONDITION: Very good with traces of dark blue-gray period refinished blue throughout the iron, some light pitting, attractive aged patina on the brass, and general mild overall wear. The grip is good and has distinct period applied checkering, some minor chips and repairs, general mild scratches and dings, and most of the finish. Mechanically fine. Estimate: 3,000 - 4,500
LOT 3130 Cased London Colt Model 1849 Pocket Percussion Revolver Inscribed with Lt. Col. Dunlop - Serial no. 910, 31 cal., 6 inch octagon bbl., blue/casehardened/silver finish, walnut grips. This revolver was completed at Colt’s short lived factory in London in 1853, the first year of production for the London ‘49 Pockets. The barrel has a cone front sight, “{ADDRESS COL. COLT/LONDON}” marked on top, and London proof and view marks on the left ahead of the wedge. The five-shot cylinder also has London proof and view marks. The frame has “COLTS/PATENT” on the left. Matching serial numbers are marked on the wedge, arbor, cylinder, loading lever, barrel, frame, trigger guard, and back strap. The back strap is somewhat coarsely inscribed “Lt Col Dunlop” and the case lid escutcheon is neatly inscribed “Lt. Col. Dunlop/R.A.” The case also contains an L-shaped combination tool, Colt ball/bullet mold, Eley Bros. cap tin, bag shaped James Dixon & Sons powder flask, and some bullets and spare nipples. The identity of Lieutenant Colonel Dunlop is not clear. He may be William Wallace Dunlop of the Madras Infantry promoted from lieutenant colonel to colonel in the Indian Army on in 1861. CONDITION: Very good with 40% original casehardened finish, 20% original silver plating, 20% original blue finish on the barrel mainly on the lower flats, aged patina on the exposed brass, mix of gray and brown patina on the balance, and crisp markings and roll-scene. The grip is fine and has the vast majority of the high polish varnish remaining, minor lower edge wear, and light scratches and dings. Mechanically fine. The case and accessories are fine and have mild age and storage related wear including a crack in the upper left corner of the case lid and some dings and dents. Estimate: 2,250 - 3,500