RARE COLT MODEL 1851 LONDON NAVY PERCUSSION REVOLVER WITH UPPER CANADA MARKINGS.

RARE COLT MODEL 1851 LONDON NAVY PERCUSSION REVOLVER WITH UPPER CANADA MARKINGS. SN 34570. Cal. 36. Blue & color case hardened with 7-1/2″ oct bbl, brass pin front sight and 1-line address “ADDRESS. COL: COLT. LONDON.” with arrows. Left side of frame has small “COLTS PATENT” and the blued steel trigger guard & back strap contain a 1-pc walnut grip with last four digits of SN in back strap channel. Numbers in back strap channel are nearly obscured by oil stains. Left side of grip is stamped, up side down, “U_C / B / F / 9”. Left side of bbl lug and cylinder have British proofs. Cylinder is numbered “35131”. There are numerous possibilities for the mismatched cylinder but the most logical is that they were switched during a cleaning session. Both revolvers are from the same series issued to the Upper Canada militia. In 1854, with the British Army heavily engaged in the Crimean War, the Canadian government was asked to take a more active part in the defense of Canada. Canada accepted and a commission was formed to arm & supply their militia forces. Canada was divided into two halves, Upper Canada and Lower Canada. Upper Canada was the western area that later became Ontario and Lower Canada was the Eastern area that later became Quebec. In 1855 the commission was sent to England to purchase arms for the militia and secured 800 Colt Model 1851 Navy revolvers along with rifles, carbines and swords. These revolvers were marked for their specific areas as found on this revolver. The “UC” stands for Upper Canada. The “B” and “F” stand for a small unit of about 20 cavalry militia in a little community called Yorkville. The unit later became the 4th York and very few of these revolvers have ever come to light. The “9” is for the 9th Volunteer of that company. There is considerably more information available about the Upper & Lower Canada Colts through research by a gentleman by the name of Robert W. Band of Toronto, Ontario, Canada as mentioned on page 183 of 51 Navies, Swayze. CONDITION: Fine, all matching except cylinder as noted. Bbl retains 75-80% strong orig blue with light edge wear and flaked losses showing a medium patina. Rammer & handle retain most of their orig case colors turned dark on rammer & handle, strong & bright on pivot. Frame & hammer retain most of their orig case colors, brilliant on sides of frame, faded on recoil shields and strong on hammer. Cylinder retains 80-85% thinning orig blue with five of six safety pins serviceable and retains 95-97% Ormsby Naval battle scene. Trigger guard retains about 60% orig blue, mostly around trigger bow with front strap mostly a blue/gray patina. Back strap is mostly a blue/gray patina with blue in sheltered areas and on butt strap. Grip is sound showing light to moderate wear on edges and light nicks & scratches and retains about 90% orig varnish. Mechanics are fine, very bright shiny bore with a few small spots of pitting. Wedge spring is broken. 4-39990 JR366 (15,000-25,000)

Auction: Firearms - Spring 2010

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
	2193	$0.00	RARE COLT MODEL 1851 LONDON NAVY PERCUSSION REVOLVER WITH UPPER CANADA MARKINGS. SN 34570. Cal. 36. Blue & color case hardened with 7-1/2″ oct bbl, brass pin front sight and 1-line address “ADDRESS. COL: COLT. LONDON.” with arrows. Left side of frame has small “COLTS PATENT” and the blued steel trigger guard & back strap contain a 1-pc walnut grip with last four digits of SN in back strap channel. Numbers in back strap channel are nearly obscured by oil stains. Left side of grip is stamped, up side down, “U_C / B / F / 9”. Left side of bbl lug and cylinder have British proofs. Cylinder is numbered “35131”. There are numerous possibilities for the mismatched cylinder but the most logical is that they were switched during a cleaning session. Both revolvers are from the same series issued to the Upper Canada militia. In 1854, with the British Army heavily engaged in the Crimean War, the Canadian government was asked to take a more active part in the defense of Canada. Canada accepted and a commission was formed to arm & supply their militia forces. Canada was divided into two halves, Upper Canada and Lower Canada. Upper Canada was the western area that later became Ontario and Lower Canada was the Eastern area that later became Quebec. In 1855 the commission was sent to England to purchase arms for the militia and secured 800 Colt Model 1851 Navy revolvers along with rifles, carbines and swords. These revolvers were marked for their specific areas as found on this revolver. The “UC” stands for Upper Canada. The “B” and “F” stand for a small unit of about 20 cavalry militia in a little community called Yorkville. The unit later became the 4th York and very few of these revolvers have ever come to light. The “9” is for the 9th Volunteer of that company. There is considerably more information available about the Upper & Lower Canada Colts through research by a gentleman by the name of Robert W. Band of Toronto, Ontario, Canada as mentioned on page 183 of 51 Navies, Swayze. CONDITION: Fine, all matching except cylinder as noted. Bbl retains 75-80% strong orig blue with light edge wear and flaked losses showing a medium patina. Rammer & handle retain most of their orig case colors turned dark on rammer & handle, strong & bright on pivot. Frame & hammer retain most of their orig case colors, brilliant on sides of frame, faded on recoil shields and strong on hammer. Cylinder retains 80-85% thinning orig blue with five of six safety pins serviceable and retains 95-97% Ormsby Naval battle scene. Trigger guard retains about 60% orig blue, mostly around trigger bow with front strap mostly a blue/gray patina. Back strap is mostly a blue/gray patina with blue in sheltered areas and on butt strap. Grip is sound showing light to moderate wear on edges and light nicks & scratches and retains about 90% orig varnish. Mechanics are fine, very bright shiny bore with a few small spots of pitting. Wedge spring is broken. 4-39990 JR366 (15,000-25,000) Auction: Firearms - Spring 2010 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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