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LOT 3103
Stunning Well-Documented Factory Deluxe Engraved Antique Colt
Single Action Army Revolver with Attractive Relief Carved Steer Head
Ivory Grip and Factory Letter, Featured in “Colt Pistols 1836-1976” by
Wilson - Serial no. 103901, 45 Long Colt cal., 4 3/4 inch round bbl., nickel
finish, relief carved ivory grips. This is a beautiful example of a highly desirable
factory engraved antique Colt Single Action Army revolver with an attractive
steer head relief carved ivory grip. The accompanying factory letter lists this
revolver as part of a three gun shipment on October 1, 1884, to Schoverling,
Daly & Gales in New York City, with a 4 3/4 inch barrel, .45 caliber, nickel finish,
and confirms it as factory engraved, with type of grip not listed. 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...” That leaves less than 500 for subsequent
years leading up to World War II. 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. This exact
revolver is pictured on page 197 of “Colt Pistols 1836-1976” by Wilson, in which
the author states that the engraving on this revolver is a product of Colt Master
Engraver Cuno Helfricht and his shop, but does not appear to be by Helfricht
himself, and also indicates that the grip has the same steer head design as
pictured in early Colt advertisings such as the catalog of 1888. Helfricht spent
his nearly 50 year career exclusively with the Colt firm (1871-1921). During
his tenure with Colt, Helfricht saw the transition from percussion to cartridge
firearms and a rapidly growing market for engraved firearms. At the height of
the firearm engraving fad, Helfricht oversaw a shop of six engravers. By the
turn of the century, experts believe that Helfricht did most of the work himself
with the help from one to two assistants. Helfricht’s successor’s included famed
Colt engravers Wilbur Glahn and William Gough. The revolver is embellished
with wonderful factory engraving consisting of floral scrollwork on beaded
backgrounds, with fan motifs on the recoil shield, loading gate, and top of the
back strap, and wavy zigzag line and dot designs. The two-line Colt Hartford
address is stamped on top of the barrel, with the three-line patent dates on
the left of the frame. The matching full serial number is visible on the bottom
of the frame, trigger guard, and back strap, with matching “3901” on the rear
face of the cylinder.
As pictured &
described in Colt
Pistols by Wilson