EXTRAORDINARILY RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 “1 OF 1000” LEVER ACTION RIFLE.

Revised: 9/17/2012

Please Note: Auction Estimate should be $225,000-$275,000.

EXTRAORDINARILY RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 “1 OF 1000” LEVER ACTION RIFLE. SN 40631. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Rare & beautiful ’73 with 24-1/4″ oct bbl, full magazine, gold washed Beach’s combination front sight, orig, short semi-buckhorn rear sight with checkered edges and a thick base graduated tang sight with 4″ staff. Mounted with very highly figured, center crotch, flame grain American walnut with early style checkered forearm and straight stock that has crescent buttplate with trap. Bottom of stock & forend cap have factory sling swivels. Receiver is 2nd model with screwed-on dust cover rail and impressed thumb-print dust cover and is fitted with sgl set trigger. Bbl is engraved over the chamber area “One of One Thousand” with foliate arabesque patterns on the exposed flats. There is matching engraving on exposed flats around muzzle & front sight. Muzzle & chamber ends of bbl each have a silver band inlay. Top front of receiver and top flat of bbl are stamped with the intertwined “WP” proofmark. This indicates that the rifle was returned to the factory for work of some sort. Rifle has a completely restored finish, probably by the factory. Left side of lower tang is marked with assembly number “397” and “XXX”. Matching assembly number is also found in the top tang channel of buttstock and inside toe of buttplate. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum letter identifying this rifle with 24″ oct bbl, set trigger, case hardened, checkered stock, “1 of 1000” received in warehouse Nov. 20, 1879 and shipped Nov. 25, 1879 with eight other arms to Order #17811. This rifle is discussed and photographed in color on pp. 76-78 of The Story of the Winchester 1 of 1000 and 1 of 100 Rifles, Lewis and is referred to as “THE WATSON ONE OF ONE THOUSAND”. In the caption the writer states that this rifle was returned to the factory on two other occasions, once in 1909 and again in 1927. It is credited to the collection of Peter Watson and the writer states that it was also once in the collection of well known collector & dealer Thurston Van Horn. It is well-documented that the “WP” proof was not in use prior to about 1905 and SN 360,000. Also accompanied by a copy of the referenced publication and a custom built wood & plexiglass display case that is 49-1/4″ long x 13″ high x 12-3/4″ wide. PROVENANCE: Thurston Van Horn; Peter Watson CONDITION: Very fine, all matching. Bbl & magazine tube retain 95-97% strong factory blue with sharp edge wear and a couple of small nicks; blue is turning a little plummy brown and bbl address is thin; receiver, lever & hammer retain about all of their factory case colors, lightly to moderately faded; forend cap & buttplate are blued with some color case hardening showing on forend cap. Wood is sound with light nicks & scratches, some small bruises in checkering and overall retains most of its factory restored oil finish. Mechanics are fine, strong bore with good shine & moderate pitting. Book is near new, case is fine. 4-45690 JR279 (225,000-275,000)

Auction: Firearms - Fall 2012

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	1247	$0.00	Revised: 9/17/2012 Please Note: Auction Estimate should be $225,000-$275,000. EXTRAORDINARILY RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 “1 OF 1000” LEVER ACTION RIFLE. SN 40631. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Rare & beautiful ’73 with 24-1/4″ oct bbl, full magazine, gold washed Beach’s combination front sight, orig, short semi-buckhorn rear sight with checkered edges and a thick base graduated tang sight with 4″ staff. Mounted with very highly figured, center crotch, flame grain American walnut with early style checkered forearm and straight stock that has crescent buttplate with trap. Bottom of stock & forend cap have factory sling swivels. Receiver is 2nd model with screwed-on dust cover rail and impressed thumb-print dust cover and is fitted with sgl set trigger. Bbl is engraved over the chamber area “One of One Thousand” with foliate arabesque patterns on the exposed flats. There is matching engraving on exposed flats around muzzle & front sight. Muzzle & chamber ends of bbl each have a silver band inlay. Top front of receiver and top flat of bbl are stamped with the intertwined “WP” proofmark. This indicates that the rifle was returned to the factory for work of some sort. Rifle has a completely restored finish, probably by the factory. Left side of lower tang is marked with assembly number “397” and “XXX”. Matching assembly number is also found in the top tang channel of buttstock and inside toe of buttplate. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum letter identifying this rifle with 24″ oct bbl, set trigger, case hardened, checkered stock, “1 of 1000” received in warehouse Nov. 20, 1879 and shipped Nov. 25, 1879 with eight other arms to Order #17811. This rifle is discussed and photographed in color on pp. 76-78 of The Story of the Winchester 1 of 1000 and 1 of 100 Rifles, Lewis and is referred to as “THE WATSON ONE OF ONE THOUSAND”. In the caption the writer states that this rifle was returned to the factory on two other occasions, once in 1909 and again in 1927. It is credited to the collection of Peter Watson and the writer states that it was also once in the collection of well known collector & dealer Thurston Van Horn. It is well-documented that the “WP” proof was not in use prior to about 1905 and SN 360,000. Also accompanied by a copy of the referenced publication and a custom built wood & plexiglass display case that is 49-1/4″ long x 13″ high x 12-3/4″ wide. PROVENANCE: Thurston Van Horn; Peter Watson CONDITION: Very fine, all matching. Bbl & magazine tube retain 95-97% strong factory blue with sharp edge wear and a couple of small nicks; blue is turning a little plummy brown and bbl address is thin; receiver, lever & hammer retain about all of their factory case colors, lightly to moderately faded; forend cap & buttplate are blued with some color case hardening showing on forend cap. Wood is sound with light nicks & scratches, some small bruises in checkering and overall retains most of its factory restored oil finish. Mechanics are fine, strong bore with good shine & moderate pitting. Book is near new, case is fine. 4-45690 JR279 (225,000-275,000) Auction: Firearms - Fall 2012 Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

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