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LOT 1123
Excellent Documented Cuno Helfricht Deluxe Factory Master
Engraved Colt First Generation Single Action Army Revolver
with Relief Carved Steer Head Ivory Grip and Factory Letter -
Serial no. 328522, 45 Long Colt cal., 5 1/2 inch round bbl., blue/
casehardened finish, relief carved ivory grips. Offered here
is a highly attractive Cuno Helfricht deluxe factory master
engraved Colt First Generation Single Action Army revolver with
a wonderful raised relief carved steer head on the right of the
ivory grip. The accompanying factory letter for this Helfricht
masterpiece states it was the single weapon of its configuration in
a shipment to Iver Johnson Sporting Goods Company in Boston,
Massachusetts, on February 12, 1914, and confirms the 5 1/2
inch barrel in .45 Long Colt, blue finish, ivory grips, and factory
engraving. R. L. Wilson on page 385 of “The Colt Engraving Book,
Volume One” wrote, “The grand total of engraved Single Action
Army revolvers (excluding the Bisley Model and Flattop Target
Model) from 1873 through 1940 is approximately 3,000. A number
of these also included hand engraved inscriptions or monograms.
For the period of Cuno Helfricht (through c. 1921) the total of
factory engraved Single Action Army revolvers was approximately
2,550...”. Others estimate as many as 4,500 engraved First
Generation Single Action Army revolvers, but that still accounts
for only approximately 1.26% of production based on a total
of 357,859, per production figures on page 25 of “Blue Book
Pocket Guide for Colt Dates of Manufacture” by R.L. Wilson. These
Helfricht engraved arms are highly prized by today’s collectors,
especially those with additional special features, such as a relief
carved grip, as featured on this highly attractive example. The
revolver showcases high quality factory scroll and wavy line
engraving from Master Engraver Cuno A. Helfricht, the head of
Colt’s engraving shop for nearly a 50 year span from 1871 to 1921.