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LOT 3120
Colt First Generation Single Action Army Revolver in
Scarce .38 Long Colt with Factory Letters - Serial no. 351953,
38 Long Colt cal., 7 1/2 inch round bbl., blue/casehardened finish,
hard rubber grips. Three different accompanying factory letters list
this revolver as shipped in a 1 gun shipment on December 15, 1928,
to N.C. Longmire at an unavailable address, under Colt Factory Order
#14912/25, in .38 Colt, with a 7 1/2 inch barrel, blue finish, and hard
rubber grips. Colt only manufactured 1,365 standard frame Single Action
Army revolvers in .38 Long Colt between 1922 to 1940, per page 174
of “The 36 Calibers of the Colt Single Action Army” by David Brown, in
which the author states, “In 1922, Colt’s put the .38 Colt caliber Single
Action back into production. From then until 1931, guns produced in
this caliber were stamped ‘.38 Colt’ on the left side of the barrel.” Colt
Single Action Army revolvers were first made in the .38 Long Colt caliber
in 1886, and the .38 Long Colt caliber would be dropped from Single
Action Army production after 1914 after only 1,011 were made, and
would later be reintroduced back into Single Action Army production in
1922 for this limited production run. The barrel has the one-line Hartford
address on top and “38 COLT” on the left side. The left side of the frame
has the two-line patent date markings followed by a Rampant Colt. The
left side of the trigger guard is marked with a “1” above a factory triangle
“VP” proof. Matching visible full serial numbers on the frame, grip straps,
and handwritten on the interiors of both grips, with matching “53” on the
rear of the cylinder. Matching assembly number “557” on the loading gate
and rear of the frame.
CONDITION: Very fine, retains 80% original blue finish, 60% plus original
case colors, with cylinder drag lines, a small patch of pitting on the left of
the muzzle, light muzzle and grip strap wear, minor handling marks, and
sharp markings. Grips are excellent, with crisp checkering and designs.
Mechanically excellent.
Provenance: The Charles Marx Collection.
Estimate: 5,000 - 7,500
LOT 3121
Highly Desirable H.H.
Heiser Denver, Colorado
No. 2710 Tooled Leather
Mexican Loop Holster Rig
for a Colt Single Action Army
Revolver - Trademarked in
1878 in Denver, Colorado, H.H.
Heiser Saddlery produced a wide range of
leather goods, including gun leather, well into
the 20th century, with this model of holster
first appearing in the 1928 catalog No.20 as
the No. 2710 “Mexican hand carved, fancy
spotted” holster. An almost identical holster to
this one is pictured and discussed on p. 191 of
“Packing Iron: Gunleather of the Frontier West” by
Rattenbury, where a picture of the catalog page
featuring the model is also shown. The holster is
configured for a right handed shooter and will
accommodate a 7 1/2 inch barrel Colt Single
Action Army Revolver. The Heiser maker’s mark
is present on the skirt of the holster and on the
buckle billet of the belt. The belt is also marked
“43” and “38” on the buckle billet, and the belt measures
approximately 52 inches including the billet and an extension to
the billet, which was added but shows comparable age to the rest of
the belt. The belt is 2 1/2 inches wide at its widest, has floral tooling
matching the holster, a single row of thirty .32 caliber cartridge loops,
and a nickeled, scalloped, and rounded buckle.
CONDITION: Very fine, showing an attractively aged, dark oiled tone
overall, with some light wear, a couple small age-related cracks, and
almost all of the stitching remaining tight. This is an exceptionally
attractive and highly desirable vintage western holster rig that would
pair brilliantly with one of your Colt Single Action Army revolvers!
Provenance: The Brig & Louise Pemberton Collection.
Estimate: 1,500 - 2,500
LOT 3119
Documented Denver, Colorado, Shipped Colt First Generation Single Action Army Revolver in Scarce
.44 Russian Cartridge with Pearl Grips and Factory Letter - Serial no. 329686, 44 Russian cal., 5 1/2 inch
round bbl., blue/casehardened finish, pearl grips. The accompanying factory letter indicates this revolver was shipped in
a 1 gun shipment on February 27, 1915, to George Tritch Hardware Company in Denver, Colorado, in .44 Russian caliber with a 5 1/2
inch barrel, blue finish, and type of grips not listed, with the additional special feature “Selected and Targeted.” Only an estimated 154
standard frame Single Action Army revolvers were manufactured for the .44 Russian cartridge upon which the .44 Special was based,
per page 112 of “The 36 Calibers of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver” by David Brown. Brown explained the rarity of the .44 Russian
Single Action Army as, “The .44 Russian cartridge had become popular in several competitive
revolvers, so Colt made it also in the Single Action. They were not mass produced, were made
on special orders only, so this caliber also is considered rare.” The top of the barrel is marked
with the one-line Hartford address, with the rare caliber marking “44 RUSSIAN CTG.” on the left.
The left side of the frame has the two-line patent dates followed by the Rampant Colt, and
the left of the trigger guard is marked with the triangle “VP” proof and a “1”. Modified blade
front sight and widened groove rear sight. Fitted with a pair of period replacement pearl grips.
Matching visible serial numbers on the frame, trigger guard, and back strap, with unnumbered
cylinder, and assembly number “565” on the loading gate.
CONDITION: Very fine, retains 70% original blue finish and 60% original case colors, with edge
and grip strap wear, and some minor surface freckling. Grips are very good, with a few small
chips at the bottoms, and lustrous colors. Mechanically excellent.
Provenance: The Charles Marx Collection.
Estimate: 5,000 - 7,500
According to "The 36 Calibers of the
Colt Single Action Army" by Brown,
only 154 standard frame Colt
Single Action Army revolvers were
chambered in .44 Russian.
According to "The 36
Calibers of the Colt Single
Action Army" by Brown,
only 1,365 standard
frame Colt Single Action
Army revolvers were
chambered in .38 Long
Colt from 1922 to 1940. 83