ENGRAVED WINCHESTER THIRD MODEL 1866 OCTAGON BARREL RIFLE WITH FACTORY LETTER.

SN 127525. Cal. 44 RF. 24″ oct bbl. Full magazine. Blue finish with gun metal receiver. Figured forestock. Straight grain buttstock. Bbl shows 2-line Winchester address rolled in front of rear-sight. Front sight is steel knife blade type. Rear-sight is ladder type. Receiver is engraved overall with scroll and geometric patterns. There is a blank presentation panel on left side and an oval panel on right side, with initials “LFD” engraved. Forward part of receiver on right side has a running deer in high relief. Left side of forward part of receiver shows a grizzly bear in high relief. SN is stamped behind trigger with a “P” proof under lever. Upper tang is stamped “.22.4.2677.” with a cross. Lower tang has a spurious “XXXX” mark. Buttstock shows no markings. Inside toe of buttplate is stamped “2457”. Letter from Cody Firearms Museum indicating that this was shipped on December 1, 1875. CONDITION: Very good, as totally refinished after engraving. Bbl shows a mottled blue-brown refinish. Bbl address is re-rolled. Rear-sight is a modern replacement, as is the front-sight. Bore is dark with traces of rifling. Forend has large gap at receiver. Receiver has sharp engraving over a re-polished re-patinated finish. Engraving is nicely accomplished. Tang markings are spurious as noted. SN is sharp. Hammer and lever show a silver-gray patina with some roughness. Buttstock is a modern replacement with varnish finish overall and some light scratches and dents. Buttstock is undersized at wrist and around buttplate. Buttplate has a rough patinated finish with considerable roughness. Engraving is sharp. Forend cap is a patinated finish with sharp engraving. An attractive engraved Winchester 1866 rifle. 52154-5 (3,500-4,500) – Lot 1025

Revised: 10/13/2017

Please Note: At one time there was a bulge in the barrel near the magazine retaining band which has been professionally restored.

*EXTRAORDINARILY RARE AND PROBABLY THE HIGHEST CONDITION 1ST TYPE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 1 OF 1000 LEVER ACTION RIFLES WITH NUMERIC 1 OF 1000 DESIGNATION ACCOMPANIED BY ITS ORIGINAL UNIVERSAL STUDIOS PRIZE ’94 CARBINE WITH FACTORY LETTER.

1) WINCHESTER 1873 1 of 1000. SN 6594. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Certainly one of the best known and one of the highest condition Model 1 of 1000 Winchester rifles extant. This rifle has absolutely documented history from 1935 to the present day having been purchased from the Iver Johnson Sporting Goods Co. in Boston by renowned old-time collector, the late Fred F.P. Mills who kept it until his death in 1962. The rifle passed through a number of equally renowned collections, all listed below under provenance. This rifle has 24-1/4″ oct bbl, full magazine, gold washed Beach’s combination front sight, early style, short semi-buckhorn rear sight with V-notch & checkered edges & a thick base sporting tang sight with 4″ staff and early style thumb screw with fine knurled edge. Top flat of the bbl has the 2-line Winchester & King’s address & patents forward of the rear sight and “1 of 1000” engraved over the chamber area. Receiver is first type with mortised dust cover rails containing a 2nd type dust cover with impressed checkered thumbprint. Receiver also has single set trigger. Mounted with extraordinary, highly figured, flame grain, about 3-4X American walnut with H-style checkered forearm and black insert serpentine grip buttstock with smooth steel shotgun buttplate. Left side of the lower tang, under the wood is marked with the assembly no. “394” & “XXX”. Matching assembly no. is also found inside top tang channel of buttstock. Bottom of the stock & forend cap are fitted with factory sling swivels. Inside each sideplate is numbered “594”, obviously an assemblers mistake. The left side of the lever, inside the action is numbered “5561” also apparently an assembly or serial number. At the time of manufacture of this rifle, 1875, very few pistol grip 1873 arms were being produced. Since they required a special curved lever to accommodate the pistol grip stock they were apparently numbered to an order. This rifle was featured as item # 688 in the Jackson Arms catalog #22 of 1965 and is pictured on the back cover. This rifle was one of the first twenty 1 of 1000 rifles identified to Universal Studios in 1950 when they were doing publicity for their upcoming Jimmy Stewart movie Winchester ’73 and awarded each of those first 20 rifle owners with a new Winchester Model ’94 carbine. The carbine that was awarded to Mr. Mills at that time, serial # 1674643 accompanies this rifle. Very few of those modern ’94 carbines remain with their original 1 of 1000 rifles today, possibly only 2 or 3. This rifle has been the subject of articles in various publications over the years and is accompanied by a large volume of provenance and correspondence including several letters from renowned historian, author and dealer, the late Eric Vaule to the current consignor. Also accompanying is a copy of a Cody Firearms Museum letter which identifies this rifle with oct bbl, set trigger, XXX checkered stock, Peep & Beach sights, sling & swivel, case hardened, One of One Thousand, received in the warehouse July 30, 1875 and shipped the same day to order no. 3745. Additionally accompanied by a 3-page letter from renowned author, researcher and historian, the late R.L. Wilson who details some of the above information and discusses where this rifle will appear in his forthcoming publications. Also accompanying is a copy of a letter from Steve Hannagan to Olin Industries discussing Model 1 of 1000 rifles and stating that out of a total production of 720,610 Model 1873 arms there were only 135 produced as 1 of 1000. Additionally accompanying is a hand written note over the signature of renowned collector, the late Eldon J. Owens of Claremont, NH, wherein he states that he purchased both of these rifles, identified by SN, from the Fred Mills estate. Further accompanied by old black & white photos of Mr. Mills and another gentlemen holding this rifle. Finally accompanied by a 6-1/2 page, on legal sized paper listing of the Frederick P.L. Mills Firearms collection, this rifle is item # 68 on that list. This rifle is pictured in color on pages 31-32 of The Story of Winchester 1 of 1000 and 1 of 100 Rifles, Lewis. A deluxe slip-cover copy of this publication accompanies this rifle. It is also mentioned on page 65 of Winchester the Golden Age of Gunmaking and the Winchester 1 of 1000, Wilson. This is one of the more important and best documented 1 of 1000 rifles to come to market in recent history and certainly one of the most high conditioned rifles. PROVENANCE: Iver Johnson Sporting Goods – 1935; Fred P. L. Mills – 1935-1962; Eldon Owens – 1962; Jackson Arms – 1965; Bobby C. Burns – 1965-1993; Paul Sorrell & Mike Clark – 1993; David Bichrist – 1993; Leon Budginas- 1993; Jack Lewis, Jr. – 1996; Leigh Evans; Eric Vaule – 2003; Bert Jolicoeur – 2004. CONDITION: Very fine, numbers as noted above. Bbl retains about 80% strong orig blue with the balance a medium brown patina, all toward the muzzle. Magazine tube retains about the same amount of blue, also turned brown at the muzzle end. Both magazine tube & bbl have a few small scattered spots of pitting. Receiver, side plates & dust cover retain about 80% orig case colors, strong & bright in sheltered areas faded elsewhere, turned silver over the receiver ring & bottom front edge. Hammer retains strong case colors, turned gray on the spur. Lever retains case colors in sheltered areas, mostly turned gray/brown. Forend cap retains most of its orig case colors, moderately to heavily faded. Buttplate is a cleaned metal patina with fine pitting. Wood is sound with a few light handling & storage nicks & scratches and retains most of a fine old restored finish. Mechanics are crisp, bright shiny bore with a few scattered spots of pitting. Tang sight is mostly a blue/brown patina. 2) WINCHESTER 94. SN 1674643. Original Universal Studios prize ’94 carbine. CONDITION: Carbine is extremely fine, appears to be unfired retaining virtually all of its orig factory finish with a few minor scratches on the wood and a couple more on the receiver. Sight hood is missing. 52651-1, 52651-4 JRL (250,000-400,000) – Lot 1026

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VERY RARE AND WELL DOCUMENTED WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 ONE OF ONE THOUSAND LEVER ACTION RIFLE WITH FACTORY LETTER.

SN 30783. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Fine One of One Thousand rifle with rare 26″ oct bbl, full magazine, gold-washed Beach’s combination front sight and short, semi-buckhorn rear sight with fine V-notch and hand serrated edges. Receiver is 1st type with mortised dust cover rails and 2nd type dust cover with impressed, checkered thumb-print. Receiver also has single set trigger. Mounted with uncheckered, very highly figured American walnut with straight stock and crescent buttplate that has a trap. Left side of lower tang, under the wood is marked with the assembly no. “732” & “XX”. Matching assembly no. is also found in top tang channel of buttstock and inside toe of buttplate. Bbl is engraved in 4th style which consists of fine foliate arabesque patterns with pearled background over the chamber area and around the muzzle. Top flat of bbl, over the chamber area is engraved in script “One of One Thousand”. Muzzle & chamber ends of the bbl have inlaid silver bands. This was the 18th rifle identified and documented by Universal Studios in 1950 when they were doing a publicity campaign advertising the forthcoming Jimmy Stewart movie Winchester ’73. This rifle is pictured in color with an extensive write-up on pages 72 & 73 of The Story of the Winchester 1 of 1000 and 1 of 100 rifles, Lewis. The write up presents the information regarding the discovery of this rifle in 1950 at which time it was owned by Cmdr. T.R. Jordan, USN. The write-up also discloses that the author had located extensive correspondence between Cmdr. Jordan and Steve Hannagan Associates, who was the publicity firm for Universal Studios during the One of One Thousand search. All the information regarding One of One Thousand rifles uncovered during that 1950 search was compiled by Steve Hannagan into a hardbound book which was later published. The write-up also shows provenance to well known dealer/collector Leroy Merz with credit, at that time to the Dr. Edmund Lewis collection. This rifle, identified by serial number in the listing on page 26 of the reference publication shows that it had a 26″ oct bbl, with case hardened receiver, XX wood, set trigger and sporting leaf sight. It was received in the warehouse July 24, 1878 and shipped Aug. 2, 1878 to order no. 12415. Pages 146 and 147 of the reference publication discusses the origin of the Hannagan report and the impact that it had on the collecting of the One of One Thousand rifles. Accompanied by a copy of a notarized letter dated 30 June 1950 from Cmdr. Jordan to Universal Pictures describing his One of One Thousand rifle. He states that he bought it from a friend 3 years before. The friend reportedly had acquired it in a trade. Also accompanying are 4 pieces of correspondence between Mr. W.F. Mitchell, wherein he is advising Winchester that he had purchased this rifle and was soliciting information regarding the Model One of One Thousand. A handwritten note on one of the letters, dated June 5, 1968, states, “Purchased May 29, 1968 from Hank Vogel, Detroit, MI”. Additionally accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum letter which identifies this rifle with case hardened receiver, 26″ oct bbl, set trigger, XX stock, sporting leaf sight & “1 of 1000”, received in the warehouse July 24, 1878 and shipped August 2, 1878 to order #12475. Also accompanied by a copy of the ledger page for this rifle. Also accompanied by a copy of the catalog page from “ARMSFLASH” dated June 3, 1958, the catalog of the renowned dealer, F. Theodore Dexter of Burbank, CA. wherein he is advertising this rifle for sale. Further accompanied by a copy of page 1 of a Leroy Merz catalog advertising this rifle for sale. Finally accompanying is the March/April 1982 issue of Man at Arms magazine which contains a 4-page article by well known historian, researcher & author, R.L. Wilson publicizing his forthcoming book Winchester The Golden Age of American Gunmaking and the Winchester 1 of 1000. Page 4 of that article lists 50 known 1 of 1000 Model 1873 rifles. Page 93 of Mr. Wilson’s book has 3 black & white photos, reprinted from the Hannagan report, with a write-up detailing some of the above information with credit to the William F. Mitchell collection. While little is known about the early provenance, prior to 1950, from that point forward it is rock solid. This rifle is extremely unusual with a deluxe, highly figured wood that is not checkered, but ordered that way. PROVENANCE: Cmdr. T.R. Jordan, USN; F. Theodore Dexter – 1958; Hank Vogel collection – 1968; William F. Mitchell collection – 1968; Leroy Merz; Collection of Dr. Edmund Lewis. CONDITION: About good, all matching. Traces of orig finish remain on the metal, overall retaining a clean gray metal patina, with a few very minor nicks on the bbl. All of the appended metal parts are matching patina to the receiver, bbl & magazine tube. Stock has a hairline by the top tang with a replaced sliver in the forearm, otherwise wood is sound and retains a fine old restored finish. Mechanics are fine, sharp strong bore with fine pitting. 52079-2 (75,000-125,000) – Lot 1027

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Revised: 10/20/2017

Please Note: Stock assembly number different font than those on bottom tang & inside butt plate.

VERY RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 ONE OF ONE THOUSAND LEVER ACTION RIFLE.

SN 31266. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Fine one of one thousand with 24-1/4″ oct bbl, full magazine, gold-washed Beach’s combination front sight and early style, short, semi-buckhorn rear sight with fine V-notch. Receiver is 2nd type with attached dust cover rail and 3rd type dust cover with impressed checkered thumb-print. Receiver has single set trigger. Mounted with very nicely figured American walnut with early style checkered forearm and straight stock with crescent buttplate that has a trap. Left side of lower tang, under the wood is marked with the assembly no. “137” and “XX”. Matching assembly no. is also found in top tang channel of buttstock and inside toe of buttplate. This rifle is beautifully engraved in 1 of 1000 fourth-style with fine foliate arabesque patterns over the top 3 flats of the bbl over the chamber area and around the front sight at the muzzle. Light flourishes of matching engraving are on the side flats over the chamber area and extend completely around the exposed flats of the muzzle. Chamber end & muzzle ends of the bbl are inlaid with platinum bands. Top flat of the bbl, over the chamber is engraved “One of One Thousand”. Accompanied by a copy of a Cody Firearms Museum letter which identifies this rifle with 24″ oct bbl, set trigger, checkered stock, case hardened and 1 of 1000, received in warehouse Nov. 14, 1878 and shipped Nov. 20, 1878 with 5 other arms to order #13488. This rifle is listed by serial number on page 26 of The Story of the Winchester 1 of 1000 and 1 of 100 Rifles, Lewis. This rifle was the first number of 6 consecutively numbered 1 of 1000 rifles received in the warehouse Nov. 14, 1878 and shipped Nov. 20, 1878 to order no. 13488. This listing shows that it had an oct bbl, case hardened receiver with checkered stock and set trigger. Apparently it was not available to the author for photography at the time of publication. Three rifles of that shipment are pictured on pages 93 & 94 of Winchester the Golden Age of American Gunmaking and the Winchester 1 of 1000, Wilson. Captions of some of those photographs provide the same information about the shipment of 6 consecutive numbered Winchester 1 of 1000 rifles. While the Winchester Model 1873 was produced in large numbers, approximately 720,000, only 132 are recorded as being 1 of 1000. Of that number only a small percentage is known making this one of the more rare collectible American firearms in the world today. CONDITION: About good, all matching, lower tang having been period repaired and renumbered. Traces of orig finish remain in the most sheltered areas with the metal, overall, showing a smooth, even plum brown patina with a couple of minor nicks on the bbl. Receiver & sideplates show sharp edges indicating light use and handling. Forearm has a couple of repaired areas by the bbl channel on each side and a longitudinal hairline down the bottom, otherwise the wood is sound and overall retains a fine old restored finish with a few nicks, scratches & dings. Checkering shows moderate to heavy wear. Edges of the stock around the top & bottom tangs were reduced during the restoration process. Mechanics are fine, bright shiny bore with a few small spots of fine pitting. 52692-1 JRL (30,000-50,000) – Lot 1028

EXTREMELY RARE EDITOR’S PROOF COPY OF THE INITIAL PRINTING OF THE HANNAGAN REPORT ON THE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 ONE OF ONE THOUSAND RIFLES.

Hardback book measures 11-3/8″ tall by 8-3/4″ wide. The first six books prior to production were apparently produced by renowned old time collector John R. Woods. This beautiful book is bound in red oil cloth with gold embossed spine “1 / OF / 1000” at the top and “MODEL / 1873” below. They fly leaf is hand-stamped in red “PROOF COPY” near the top and “Initial Printing” below. The book consists of several hundred pages of reports, photographs and copies of notarized statements from more than 20 owners of One of One Thousand rifles. The first page in the book is a copy of a letter from Steve Hannagan dated 1950 and titled “ONE OF ONE THOUSAND” / MODEL 1873 / Winchester’s / First / High-Accuracy / RIFLE”. The body of this letter states “An account of how this great, and all but forgotten variety of the Model 1873 Winchester has now sky-rocketed to a fame far greater than it ever enjoyed at its prime, became the most famous rifle of 1950 and the most prized and valuable item among the nation’s gun collectors”. This book is the compilation of the Universal Pictures Company search for authentic One of One Thousand Rifles to promote their movie “Winchester 73” starring Jimmy Stewart which came out in 1950. The book reports that the background story for the movie originated in 1945 when a Mr. Stuart N. Lake wrote a letter to Winchester’s Edwin Pugsley proposing a motion picture story that he planned to write around a Winchester rifle One of One Thousand. In the letter he gave the background of the rifle in the story as having originated in 1876 in Dodge City, KS where it was the first prize in a shooting contest on the 4th of July. The rifle was subsequently stolen and passed through a number of hands until 1884 when it was recovered by the original winner of the rifle. The movie followed Mr. Lake’s story very closely down to where the hero owner of the rifle thwarted a bank robbery by a gang in Dodge City. The gang allegedly included the outlaw who had stolen the rifle originally. The book also contains the advertising and efforts of Universal Studios to identify and authenticate these rare rifles, to the point of offering a new Winchester Model 94 to the first 20 owners of authentic, documented One of One Thousand Rifles. In total the studio was able to document 23 authentic Model 1873 One of One Thousand Rifles and 6 Model 1876 One of One Thousand Rifles. Almost certainly this publication had a basis in the research for the writing of the books Winchester 1 of 1000, Wilson and the story of the Winchester 1 of 1000 and 1 and 100 Rifles, Lewis. CONDITION: Extremely fine plus, pristine and new with only one small ink stain inside the front cover. Cover is bright and clean and completely intact. A rare opportunity to own an extraordinarily rare book which is likely to never surface again in this lifetime. 52177-1 JRL (5,500-7,500) – Lot 1029

LOT OF TWO BOXES EARLY WINCHESTER 44 WCF AMMUNITION.

Two beautiful 3rd type boxes that are nearly identical with green and black top labels and brown complete wrap bands. The labels are identical to the 1st variation of this label with the addition of a headstamp on the line drawing of the cartridge in the center. The brown paper bands wrapping the boxes picture an 1873 saddle ring carbine with rifle sight and front band. One end of the label has the identical line drawing of a cartridge as found on the top label. The other end of the band is marked “WINCHESTER / 44 CALIBER C.F. /MODEL 1873.”. These labels probably appeared in the 1890’s until about 1902. Few of these such early boxes survive today, intact with ammunition. CONDITION: Again, virtually identical. Both boxes are sealed in plastic and the ammunition was not examined. Both labels show very light wear with very little soil. One box appears to be sealed while the other is opened. One box has light foxing around the carbine side. 52651-2 JRL (1,500-2,500) – Lot 1030

RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 SPECIAL ORDER DELUXE LEVER ACTION RIFLE WITH FACTORY LETTERS.

SN 107940. Cal. 38 WCF (38-40). Exceptional special order, deluxe 1873 with 24-1/4″ oct to rnd bbl, button magazine, half nickel front sight and early style, short semi-buckhorn rear sight with checkered edges. Top flat of bbl has the usual 2-line Winchester & King’s address & patent dates. Receiver, side plates, forend cap & buttplate are color case hardened. Receiver is small frame type with stepped receiver ring and integral dust cover rail containing a 3rd type dust cover. Carrier is marked “38 CAL.” Mounted with very nicely figured, about 2X shell grain American walnut with H-style checkered forearm & black Fleur-de-lis insert, serpentine grip buttstock with crescent buttplate that has a trap. This is an early ’73 in 38 caliber which had been introduced in this model rifle in 1879, with this rifle having been produced in 1883. Left side of the lower tang, under the wood is marked with the assembly no. “4567”, “XX” and an “R”. Matching assembly number is also found in top tang channel of buttstock and inside toe of buttplate. Top tang channel of buttstock also has the stamped no. “38” and heel of buttstock, under the buttplate is marked “R H”. Accompanied by a 2 Cody Firearms Museum letters which report identical information that this is a rifle in caliber 38, with 1/2 oct bbl, plain trigger, checkered pistol grip stock with rifle butt, 1/2 magazine and case hardened, received in the warehouse March 31, 1883 and shipped April 7, 1883 to order no. 3283. Also accompanied by a copy of the entry on the ledger page for this rifle. PROVENANCE: Vince Sepulveda Collection. CONDITION: Very fine, all matching. Bbl retains about 85-90% strong orig blue showing light edge wear and some minor toning to plum under strong light. Receiver & side plates retain about 80% orig case colors, brilliant in sheltered areas, strong on the side plates and fading to silver on top & bottom edges. Loading gate retains about 95-96% strong orig fire blue. Hammer retains brilliant case colors, moderately faded on spar. Trigger retains most all of its orig case colors, faded on front edge. Lever retains strong case colors on the sides, fading to silver on outer faces. Forend cap & magazine cap retain most of their orig case colors, moderately faded. Buttplate retains faded case colors on the tang with the face turned silver. Wood is sound with a few light nicks & scratches with the forearm showing wear at the carry point, otherwise the wood retains most of its orig varnish with the checkering showing light diamond point wear. Mechanics are fine, strong bright bore. 52598-3 JRL (20,000-30,000) – Lot 1031

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*RARE SEMI-DELUXE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 SMALL BORE LEVER ACTION RIFLE WITH FACTORY LETTER.

SN 555264. Rare semi-deluxe cal.22 short with 24-3/8″ oct bbl, full magazine, orig 2nd type inside tube, ivory bead Lyman hunting front sight and flat top semi-buckhorn rear sight. Top flat of bbl has standard Winchester & King address and patent date. Receiver is 3rd type with integral dust cover rail and 3rd type dust cover. Mounted with uncheckered straight grain American walnut with capped pistol grip buttstock and Winchester embossed hard rubber shotgun buttplate. Left side of lower tang, under the wood, is marked with the assembly number “11372” which number is also found in top tang channel of buttstock. There was a total 720,610 Model 1873 rifles and carbines in 5 different calibers which includes 19,552 rifles produced in 22 rimfire, both 22 short and long, with short being the predominant quantity. These rifles were only produced during the period 1884 to 1904 and were the first repeating 22 rifle made in the United States. They were offered in both 24″ and 26″ bbls with very few of the 26″ models produced. This rifle was manufactured in 1900 near the end of production. Extremely few were produced as “special order” such as found here. These small bore rifles were generally considered to have been garden guns or for use by ladies and young boys. They usually saw extreme hard service with little maintenance and are rarely found today with high original finish or bright bores. The corrosive ammo of those days and lack of small bore cleaning equipment generally resulted in badly eroded bores. This scarce and desirable rifle is accompanied by a Winchester Factory letter from the Buffalo Bill Historical center. The letter further documents the configuration as follows: Rifle Cal. .22 Short, Octagon Barrel, plain trigger with plain pistol gripped stock, lyman hunter front and flat-top rear, shotgun butt with rubber butt plate. Shipped December 15 1900. The reverse side of the factory letter has a copy of the original ledger sheet. A very fine example of a very rare variation of the 1973 Winchester. PROVENANCE: Vince Sepulveda Collection. With Buffalo Bill Historical Center Factory letter and copy of Ledger sheet. CONDITION: Excellent, all matching. Bbl & magazine tube retain 96-97% strong orig blue with scattered rust pitting on the top right flat in the area between the sights. Magazine tube has scattered areas of pin-prick pitting on the right side. Receiver retains about 90% strong orig blue with candy striping and fine sharp edge wear. Right side plate retains over 90% orig blue and the left side plate retain over 50% orig blue. Dust cover retains 15-20% original blue. Hammer retains strong, bright case colors and the lever faded case colors on the sides turned silver on outer faces. Top tang roll marking is a thin strike but mostly legible. Wood is sound with light nicks & scratches and a couple of small gouges and retains 95-97% strong orig factory finish with some light oil staining at the receiver and around the top tang. Mechanics are crisp, bright shiny bore. Inside magazine tube retains traces of orig blue with bright blue on the spring clip on the bottom. Special Note: This item(s) contains plant or animal properties that may be covered by the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Please read the Conditions of Sale, section 15, for more information regarding the Endangered Species Act, and your responsibilities as a buyer. 52329-1 (12,500-17,500) C&R; ESA – Lot 1032

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RARE SPECIAL ORDER PRESENTATION WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 LEVER ACTION RIFLE WITH FACTORY LETTER.

SN 41559. Cal. .44WCF (44-40). Fine special order rifle with 24-1/4″ oct to rnd bbl, butt on mag, half nickel front sight and early style semi-buck horn rear sight with checkered edges. Receiver is 2nd type with attached dust cover rail and 3rd type dust cover. Mounted with a higher end grade of 1X uncheckered American walnut with straight stock and crescent buttplate with trap. Left side of lower tang, under the wood is marked with the assembly # “543” and “XX”. Buttstock has the assembly # “1554” in top tang channel and inside toe of buttplate, which makes sense given the rifle letters with 1X wood, not “XX.” “1-X” guns that letter that way are extremely rare. Receiver and sideplates are color case hardened with the left side plate inscribed “Presented to / Dr. E. C. Richardson / by / Wm. W. Converse / Jan. 19th 1880”. This inscription has all the characteristics of other inscriptions engraved by renowned Winchester engraver John Ulrich. This gun is the subject of two separate Winchester articles. Accompanied by a four page article by G. Scott Soles, which appeared in the Summer Edition 2008 of The Winchester Collector magazine, which details information about this rifle with several photographs and in particular reports information about Mr. Converse. He was born in Ware, Mass. in 1834 and in 1878 was working at Winchester with a very high salary and position, being paid more than Oliver Winchester’s son, W. W. Winchester. After the deaths of Oliver and W. W. Winchester in 1880 records disclose that Mr. Converse sat on the Winchester Board of Directors, later became Treasurer, then Secretary, and finally President of the company, which appointment took place in March 1881. Additional information is about the possible relationship with Dr. Richardson is theorized, in that he was a physician and may have been the doctor treating the two Winchester men who were both deathly ill and soon both passed away, at which time Converse became President of WRACo. This article also shows the listing for this rifle in the orig Winchester ledger and identifies it in cal. 44 with half oct bbl, plain trigger, “X stock”, casehardened, received in the warehouse Jan. 17 1880 and shipped the same day to order # 18827. This rifle is pictured and described on pg. 190 of The Winchester Book , Madis, 1985 edition. It is also listed on pg. 460 of Winchester’s New Model of 1873, Gordon, wherein Mr. Gordon states there were only 59 inscribed models 1873 known at the time of publication. A second 5-page article by Mr. Soles was published in the Summer Edition 2015 of The Winchester Collector, This article updates significant details Converse not previously reported in any of the popular Winchester publications, but more importantly on Dr. Richardson. It was learned that he was a graduate of Harvard Medical School, and had, upon graduation moved to Ware, Mass. to practice medicine. Dr. Richardson served throughout the Civil War as a surgeon and presumably resumed practice at war’s end. Little else was reported regarding Dr. Richardson but it seems likely that such an elaborate gift would have stemmed from a close relationship, probably relating to the illness of both Winchester men. PROVENANCE: Paul Sorrell; Scott Soles Collection. CONDITION: Very fine. Bbl retains 95-96% strong orig blue with light sharp edge wear and thinning around the muzzle with a few spots on the top and bottom of the round section. Receiver and side plate retains most of their orig case colors, strong & bright in sheltered areas, moderately faded and turning silver elsewhere. Hammer retains lightly to moderately faded case colors and the lever stronger case colors in sheltered areas, turning silver on outer faces. Upper and lower tang are mostly grey patina. Forend cap retains most of its orig, moderately faded case colors. Wood is sound with the buttstock having a few light nicks and scratches. Forearm is sound and retains about 50% orig oil finish with the rear 1/2 showing a hand-worn patina. Mechanics are crisp. Bright shiny bore. 52330-2 (17,500-25,000) – Lot 1033

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WONDERFUL SPECIAL ORDER WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 SADDLE RING CARBINE.

SN 211641. Cal. .44 WCF (44-40). Standard grade carbine with 20″ barrel, special order button magazine, barleycorn front sight and 1873 marked carbine ladder rear sight. Chamber area of barrel, between rear sight and receiver is marked “44 CAL”. Bottom front of the receiver is marked in extremely tiny letters & numbers “J.R / 12831” which is the inventory number applied by James Rosier, Winchester’s dealer in Melbourne, Australia. No indication the meaning of these markings. Left side of receiver has a staple & ring. Mounted with nicely figured, uncheckered straight grain American walnut with straight grip and carbine buttplate with trap that contains an original 3-piece brass & steel cleaning rod. This carbine was produced about 1886 at a time that arms such as found here were everyday working tools and were exposed to the extremes of weather and wear most often in a saddle scabbard or wagon box, frequently with little or no maintenance. Firearms of that era are rarely found today with high original finish. PROVENANCE: The collection of Tim Zissler. CONDITION: Very fine. Barrel retains 98-99% strong, bright, original blue with the barrel band showing about 95% strong blue. Receiver and sideplates retain about 88-90% crisp original blue showing sharp edge wear and flaking on the right front flat and left side plate. Bottom front of the receiver, at the carry point is a blue/gray patina. Lever and hammer show strong, very bright case colors, lightly to moderately faded to outer faces of lever. Lever latch & trigger show most of their original case colors, moderately faded (a most unusual bonus to find these items with case colors). Buttplate retains virtually all its original case colors turned a little dark. Wood is sound with a few minor handling and storage nicks & dings and retains most all of its bright original finish. Mechanics are crisp. Very bright shiny bore. 52463-5 JRL (12,500-17,500) – Lot 1034

*FINE HIGH CONDITION WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 LEVER ACTION RIFLE WITH FACTORY WORKSHEET.

SN 719589. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Standard grade rifle with 24-1/4″ oct bbl, full magazine, blued standard front sight with screw and semi-buckhorn rear sight. Receiver is 3rd type and unusually has the small bore “step” at the top front of the receiver ring. This is probably a parts clean up rifle assembled out of remaining, unused parts. Although the Winchester records at the Cody Firearms Museum indicate that the SN was applied in 1917, it appears that this rifle was actually assembled in 1923 when the final clean up of 1873 parts remaining at the factory were assembled into arms. That year there were 18,260 rifles & carbines assembled. Bbl has the late, small letter, 2-line address & patent dates on top left flat with caliber marking on top left flat at the chamber area. Bbl & receiver are marked with the “WP” proof mark. Mounted with nicely figured, uncheckered, slab sawed American walnut with straight stock & crescent buttplate with trap. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum worksheet which has only the following information: Shipped Sept 25, 1925 to order number 148-18, charged to T.N. Boyd & Son. Also accompanied by 2 boxes of caliber 44 ammunition: 1). Early 2-pc box with green & black label and buff colored paper band that has the line drawing of a cartridge on one end and “WINCHESTER .44 CALIBER, C.F. MODEL 1873” on the other. One side of the band also has the line drawing of a Model 1873 carbine. 2). Full box of Remington/UMC 44-40 smokeless ammo in a rnd corner box with brown & black label having a cartridge on top. Ends of the paper band are marked “.44 WINCHESTER / SOFT POINT / SMOKELESS” and one side of the band pictures a Remington Model 14-1/2 pump action rifle. Box is open and filled with mixed head stamp ammunition. CONDITION: Rifle is extremely fine. Overall retains 98-99% crisp orig blue on bbl & magazine tube with fine spots of pin-prick rust. Receiver & side plates retain about 97-98% crisp orig blue with tiny spots of flaked blue that is turned to patina. Lever, hammer & trigger retain most of their orig blue with some light surface rust & flaking. Buttplate retains 93-95% orig blue, turning a little plum, showing wear on heel & toe. Wood is sound with a few small nicks in the forearm finish and overall retains virtually all of its orig factory finish. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore. Appears to be new & unfired retaining virtually all of the orig finish on the bolt face. Box 1 ammunition is sealed & wrapped in plastic with a couple of minor chips in the label and some light soil. There is also a small ding in the bottom. Ammunition Box 2 has top label intact with the band showing minor losses, overall is a dark brown patina with light soil. Ammunition is moderately oxidized. 52527-13 JRL (12,500-15,000) C&R – Lot 1035

RARE FACTORY ENGRAVED AND NICKEL PLATED WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 LEVER ACTION RIFLE WITH FACTORY LETTER.

SN 202440. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Unusual 1873 rifle with 24-1/4″ oct bbl, full magazine, combination front sight and semi-buckhorn rear sight. Mounted with very nicely figured, uncheckered American walnut with straight stock and crescent buttplate with trap. Receiver is third type with integral dust cover rail and third type dust cover. Left side of lower tang, under the wood, is without assembly number, top tang channel of buttstock is not numbered and inside toe of buttplate has the number “00”. Inside edges of buttplate have the name “BOB D.” in electric pencil. Receiver is engraved by L.D. Nimschke in what is probably no. 10 pattern which consists of the small round vignette of a standing bull elk surrounded by foliate arabesque patterns, one scroll of which terminates in Mr. Nimschke’s trademark flower blossom. Balance of the receiver has light scrolls with line borders. Right side is engraved in matching foliate arabesque patterns also including a large flower blossom. Engraving extends over top of receiver and dust cover, both sides of forend cap and buttplate tang. Bottom of receiver and carrier are engraved in mirror image arabesque patterns with the carrier also engraved “44 CAL”. These engraving patterns are identical to those pictured on pgs. 143 & 147 of the 1985 edition of The Winchester Book, Madis. All the metal surfaces were originally nickel finish. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum letter which identifies this rifle with oct bbl, plain trigger, $2 engraving, nickel finish and received in the warehouse March 13, 1886 and shipped March 17, 1886. Of the many Model 1873 rifles & carbines produced very few were engraved and extremely few had special plating. Ordinarily, when a Winchester arm was special ordered engraved it was also fitted with deluxe checkered wood. Likelihood is this rifle probably was ordered and used by a trick shot artist or as a special presentation. CONDITION: Very good. Bbl and magazine tube retain 95-96% orig nickel with some very fine pinprick spots on top flats of bbl. Receiver and sideplates retain traces of orig nickel, being mostly a gray patina. Hammer retains most of its orig nickel, and lever traces of nickel. Buttplate is a cleaned gray metal patina with scattered surface rust. Forearm has a tiny hairline in the top front edge and the buttstock a gouge on the bottom right edge, otherwise wood is sound and retains most of a fine restored varnish finish. Mechanics are fine. Strong bore with good shine, pitted in the grooves. 52246-1 (12,000-15,000) – Lot 1036

RARE WINCHESTER EARLY FIRST MODEL 1873 LEVER ACTION RIFLE WITH FACTORY LETTER.

SN 543. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Standard grade rifle with 24-1/4″ oct bbl, full magazine, altered Rocky Mountain front sight with the blade made from a coin or piece of silverware. Rear sight is early short style with V-notch and checkered edges mounted backwards in the rear sight dovetail. Receiver is 1st type with mortised dust cover rails containing a 1st type dust cover with raised, checkered oval thumb print. Receiver has set trigger. Mounted with uncheckered slab sawed American walnut with straight stock & crescent buttplate with trap. Left side of lower tang is marked with the assembly number “244” with matching number in top tang channel of buttstock and inside toe of buttplate. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum letter that identifies this firearm as a rifle with 24″ oct bbl, set trigger, received in warehouse March 16, 1974 (sic – should read 1874), shipped March 27, 1874. The Winchester ’73 is arguably the gun that won the west along with the Colt Single Action Army revolver in the same caliber. This rifle, having been produced in 1878 was delivered at a time when the west was still wild with marauding hostile Indians, outlaws and other dangers on the American frontier. These rifles usually saw very hard service under adverse conditions in harsh weather, usually with little or no maintenance. They were the working mans tools and are rarely found today with high orig finish. This rifle is among the earliest ’73s produced by Winchester with the “new” bbls. The first 500 or so Model ’73 arms were produced with either left over 1866 bbls or were manufactured with the same rate of twist as the Model 1866. Winchester almost immediately began receiving complaints about the lack of accuracy with their new rifles. They discovered that the “new” center fire 44 cartridges with higher velocity and heavier bullets required a different rate of twist. Once that was accomplished, accuracy improved greatly. CONDITION: Very good, all matching. Bbl & magazine tube retain a lightly cleaned and artificially aged silver/brown patina with a few scattered tiny nicks. Receiver & side plates show about 25% orig blue, mostly on the frame with some artificial aging on the surface. Lever & hammer are silvered case colors. Forend cap is a mostly blue/brown patina and buttplate is a silver/gray patina. Wood is sound with nicks, dings and a few bruises and retains most of an old refinish. Mechanics are crisp, strong bore with sharp rifling and moderate pitting. 52506-19 JRL (10,000-15,000) – Lot 1037

RARE WINCHESTER FIRST MODEL FIRST TYPE 1873 LEVER ACTION RIFLE.

SN 589. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Standard grade rifle with 24-1/4″ rnd bbl, full magazine, half nickel front sight and early style short rear sight with V-notch and checkered edges. Receiver is 1st type with mortised 1st type dust cover that has raised checkered thumb print. Mounted with very highly figured, slab sawed, uncheckered American walnut with straight stock & crescent buttplate that has a trap. Left side of lower tang, under the wood is marked with the assembly number “1” and an “R”. Matching number “1” is also found in top tang channel of buttstock and inside toe of buttplate. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum worksheet which identifies this firearm as a rifle with 24″ bbl, received in the warehouse March 18, 1874 and shipped May 14, 1874 to order #1381. This worksheet also has the unusual notation “ASSM # R I – FRAME – WOOD – BUTTPLATE”. The Winchester ’73 is arguably the gun that won the west along with the Colt Single Action Army revolver in the same caliber. This rifle, having been produced in 1878 was delivered at a time when the west was still wild with marauding hostile Indians, outlaws and other dangers on the American frontier. These rifles usually saw very hard service under adverse conditions in harsh weather, usually with little or no maintenance. They were the working mans tools and are rarely found today with high orig finish. CONDITION: Good, all matching. Bbl retains traces of orig blue around the front sight area, otherwise is a cleaned, light, gray patina. Magazine tube, possibly an old replacement retains 50-60% orig blue. Magazine plug is cross threaded in the muzzle end. Receiver retains about 60-65% thinned orig blue mixed with light patina. Right side plate retains 40-50% thin orig blue and the left side plate traces of blue under artificial aging. Lever & hammer are a dark patina as is the buttplate. Stock has a crack back of the top tang with a few nicks & dings, otherwise wood is sound with an old refinish. Top tang screw has been dressed. Mechanics are fine, strong sharp bore with good shine and scattered pitting. 52506-20 (12,500-15,500) – Lot 1038

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SCARCE FIRST MODEL SECOND TYPE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 LEVER ACTION RIFLE WITH FACTORY LETTER.

SN 29166. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Special order case color hardened rifle with 24-1/4 oct bbl, full magazine, half nickel front sight and early style short semi-buckhorn, rear sight with checkered edges. Receiver is 1st type with mortised dust cover rails and 2nd type dust cover with impressed thumb print. Mounted with uncheckered straight grain American walnut with straight stock & crescent buttplate with trap. Left side of lower tang, under the wood is marked with the assembly number “337” with matching assembly number in top tang channel of buttstock and inside toe of buttplate. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum letter which identifies this firearm as a rifle with oct bbl, case hardened receiver, received in warehouse June 7, 1878 and shipped Sept. 12, 1878 to order # 13041. The Winchester ’73 is arguably the gun that won the west along with the Colt Single Action Army revolver in the same caliber. This rifle, having been produced in 1878 was delivered at a time when the west was still wild with marauding hostile Indians, outlaws and other dangers on the American frontier. These rifles usually saw very hard service under adverse conditions in harsh weather, usually with little or no maintenance. They were the working mans tools and are rarely found today with high orig finish, especially case colors. Case colors are readily faded with exposure to the ultraviolet rays of sunshine and fade quickly to gray patina. Finding one of these early Winchesters with a high percentage of case colors is extremely rare. CONDITION: Fine, all matching. Bbl retains about 75-80% orig blue mixed with light surface etching and medium brown patina. Magazine tube retains blue in sheltered areas with the balance a plummy blue/brown patina with a couple of small scrapes. Receiver & side plates retain about 50% orig case colors, strong & bright in sheltered areas, mostly on left side. Right side is moderately to heavily faded and turning gray. Lever & hammer retain strong case colors on the sides turned silver on outer faces of lever and top edge of hammer. Forend cap retains about 25% strong case colors. Buttplate is a dark gray patina. Stock has a couple of hairlines in the wrist with light nicks & scratches over all the wood, which retains an added light finish. Mechanics are crisp, strong bright bore with good shine and some scattered pitting. 52464-1 JRL (10,000-15,000) – Lot 1039

RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 LEVER ACTION RIFLE WITH COLOR CASE HARDENED FRAME AND FACTORY LETTER.

SN 200482. Cal. .38 WCF (38-40). Standard grade rifle with 24-1/4″ octagon barrel, full magazine, blued Rocky Mountain front sight & semi-buckhorn rear sight. Top flat of barrel has the Winchester & King’s patent dates and address with caliber marking over the chamber area. Receiver is small frame, 3rd type with integral dust cover rail containing a 3rd type dust cover. Top front of receiver has a step used only on those rifles and carbines of calibers smaller than .44. Mounted with very nicely figured, slab sawed, uncheckered American walnut with straight stock and crescent buttplate that has a trap. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum letter which lists this firearm as a rifle in .38 caliber with octagon barrel, plain trigger and color case hardened, received in the warehouse June 1, 1886 and shipped the same day with 19 other 1873s to order number 6836. Standard grade rifles were the working man’s tool and usually saw hard and continuous service under adverse conditions often with little or no maintenance and are rarely found today in original configuration or with high original finish, especially color case hardened examples. Case colors rapidly fade when exposed to the ultraviolet rays of sunshine. This rifle has a heavy coating of factory applied shellac over all the color case hardened parts which has preserved the colors. This cataloger cleaned a small area on the bottom of the receiver which exposed brilliant colors. PROVENANCE: The collection of Tim Zissler. CONDITION: Extremely fine. Barrel and magazine tube retain about 98% strong original blue with only faint sharp edge wear and a couple of very tiny scratches on the barrel. Receiver & side plates retain virtually all of their brilliant case colors under the aforementioned coating of shellac, showing light wear on the bottom front at the carry point. Lever and hammer retain brilliant case colors on the sides with the outer faces of lever showing wear on the loop. Forend cap retains about all of its original case colors, lightly to moderately faded. Buttplate retains virtually all of its original case colors moderately faded on the tang, strong and bright on the face. Stock has a couple of small bruises with another on the forearm and a few light scratches in the finish. Overall the wood retains nearly all of its piano varnish finish. Mechanics are crisp. Bright shiny bore with a few spots of fine pitting. A scarce rifle which would be difficult to improve. 52463-9 JRL (10,000-15,000) – Lot 1040

RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 DELUXE SMALL BORE LEVER ACTION RIFLE.

SN 186240. Cal. 22 SHORT. Rare small bore 1873 rifle with 24-1/4″ oct bbl, full magazine, Sporting front sight & semi-buckhorn rear sight. Receiver is 3rd type, small bore with stepped receiver ring & integral dust cover rail with 3rd type dust cover. Mounted with 2-3X flame grain American walnut with H-style checkered forearm and fleur-de-lis insert, serpentine grip buttstock that has smooth steel shotgun buttplate. Left side of lower tang, under the wood is marked with the assembly no. “573” “XX”, “22” and an “S”. Matching assembly no. is also found in top tang channel of buttstock and inside the buttplate. Extractor is 1-pc style and the bottom of the carrier is marked “22 CAL. SHORT”. The Model 1873 was produced in fairly large numbers (720,610) of which only 19,552 were chambered in caliber 22, both long & short cartridges in the period 1884-1904. This small bore rifle was produced with both 24″ & 26″ bbls, standard & deluxe with very few having been ordered at the extra expense of deluxe features. These small bore rifles were usually considered to be boy’s or ladies’ small game and plinking rifles and usually saw very hard service often with little or no maintenance. Given that the small diameter bore, and the lack of commensurate sized cleaning equipment along with the highly corrosive ammunition of that day, very few survive today with any orig finish and with a strong orig bore. Accompanied by a letter from the buffalo Bill historical center and derived from the original company records indicating that this Winchester Model 1873 was shipped August 11 1885 cal, 22 with octagon barrel. Was returned November 28 by Jason Kerr & Kerr and changed to .22 Long ,Octagon Barrel Plain trigger , Plain Wood Pistol grip checkered stock shotgun butt and casehardened. CONDITION: Good to very good, all matching. Bbl & magazine tube are mostly a dark plummy blue patina showing sharp edge wear with a couple small dings on the bbl. Receiver, sideplates & dust cover are a mottled silver/brown patina. Lever & hammer are matching dark patina with the lever showing fine pitting. Stock has a couple of small grain checks, otherwise wood is sound showing moderate diamond point wear on the checkering that may have been freshened and overall retains a fine restored oil finish. Mechanics are fine, worn dark bore with moderate to heavy pitting. Inner magazine tube is orig and in fine condition. 52679-2 JRL (8,000-12,000) – Lot 1041

RARE SPECIAL ORDER WINCHESTER FIRST MODEL 1873 SECOND TYPE LEVER ACTION RIFLE WITH EXTRA HEAVY BARREL AND FACTORY LETTER.

SN 31282. Cal 44 WCF (44-40). Standard grade rifle with rare special order 28″ extra heavy oct bbl that measures almost 1″ across the flats at the muzzle. It has full magazine with sporting front sight and early style short semi-buckhorn rear sight with checkered edges. Receiver is 1st type with 2nd type mortised dust cover that has impressed, checkered oval thumb print. Mounted with straight grain uncheckered American walnut with straight stock and crescent buttplate with trap. Left side of lower tang, under the wood is marked with the assembly number “593” with matching number in top tang channel of buttstock and inside toe of buttplate. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum letter which identifies this firearm as a rifle, with heavy 28″ oct bbl, and set trigger. Received in the warehouse Nov. 5, 1878 and shipped 3 days later to order #13091. The Winchester ’73 is arguably the gun that won the west along with the Colt Single Action Army revolver in the same caliber. This rifle, having been produced in 1878 was delivered at a time when the west was still wild with marauding hostile Indians, outlaws and other dangers on the American frontier. These rifles usually saw very hard service under adverse conditions in harsh weather, usually with little or no maintenance. They were the working mans tools and are rarely found today with high orig finish. Extra length bbls are in and of themselves quite rare as are heavy bbls in the Model 1873 and finding an extra length heavy bbl rifle that letters is an extreme rarity. CONDITION: Fair to good, all matching. No orig finish remains with the metal a light gray cleaned metal patina with a ding on left side of receiver and numerous small nicks around the ejection port. Forearm has a crack at the left side of bbl channel and another on the right side, otherwise wood is sound and retains most of an old restored finish. Dust cover sticks when fully retracted, otherwise mechanics are fine, strong sharp bore, dark with moderate pitting. Dust cover may be a replacement. 52506-22 JRL (8,000-15,000) – Lot 1042

SCARCE WINCHESTER FIRST MODEL 1873 SECOND TYPE LEVER ACTION RIFLE WITH FACTORY LETTER.

SN 15222. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Standard grade rifle with 24-1/4″ oct bbl, full magazine, half nickel front sight and 1873 marked rifle ladder rear sight. Receiver is first type with mortised dust cover rails containing a second type dust cover with impressed thumb print. Receiver has single set trigger. Mounted with uncheckered straight grain American walnut with straight stock and crescent buttplate with trap. Left side of lower tang, under the wood is marked with the assembly number “406” with matching number in top tang channel of buttstock and inside toe of buttplate. Bottom of the stock & forend cap have factory sling swivels. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum letter which identifies this firearm as a rifle with oct bbl, set trigger, sporting leaf sight, swivels, received in warehouse May 24, 1876 and shipped the same day to order #5640. The Winchester ’73 is arguably the gun that won the west along with the Colt Single Action Army revolver in the same caliber. This rifle, having been produced in 1878 was delivered at a time when the west was still wild with marauding hostile Indians, outlaws and other dangers on the American frontier. These rifles usually saw very hard service under adverse conditions in harsh weather, usually with little or no maintenance. They were the working mans tools and are rarely found today with high orig finish. CONDITION: Very good, all matching. Bbl & magazine tube retain a smooth, artificially aged plummy brown patina with only sharp edge wear. Receiver & side plates retain traces of strong blue in sheltered areas with the balance an artificially aged plummy blue/brown patina. Dust cover retains about 95% strong orig blue. Lever & hammer are a light artificially aged patina. Wood is sound and retains most of an old refinish. Mechanics are crisp, strong sharp bore with fine pitting and a few spots of moderate pitting. 52506-1 JRL (6,500-9,500) – Lot 1043

RARE SPECIAL ORDER WINCHESTER FIRST MODEL 1873 SECOND TYPE LEVER ACTION RIFLE WITH 28″ BARREL WITH FACTORY LETTER.

SN 19631. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Standard grade rifle with rare 28″ rnd bbl, full magazine, altered half nickel front sight and short style semi-buckhorn rear sight with checkered edges. Receiver is 1st type with mortised dust cover rails containing a second type dust cover with impressed checkered oval thumb print. Top tang is marked 1873. Mounted with uncheckered straight grain American walnut with straight stock and crescent buttplate. Left side of lower tang, under the wood is marked with the assembly number “2268” with matching number in top tang channel of buttstock and inside toe of buttplate. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum letter which identifies this firearm as a rifle, with 28″ bbl and plain trigger, received in the warehouse Aug. 21, 1877 and shipped May 8, 1878 to order #1178. Standard bbl length for the Model 1873 rifle was 24″ with shorter or longer lengths available on special order in 2″ increments to 36″. Very few were produced in the longer increments and of those most were in the smaller calibers. The Winchester ’73 is arguably the gun that won the west along with the Colt Single Action Army revolver in the same caliber. This rifle, having been produced in 1878 was delivered at a time when the west was still wild with marauding hostile Indians, outlaws and other dangers on the American frontier. These rifles usually saw very hard service under adverse conditions in harsh weather, usually with little or no maintenance. They were the working mans tools and are rarely found today with high orig finish. CONDITION: Good to very good, all matching. Bbl retains traces of orig blue, mostly in the sheltered area between bbl & magazine tube with the balance a blue/gray patina. Magazine tube also retains traces of orig blue in the sheltered areas being mostly a blue/brown patina on the radius.Receiver retains 25-30% orig blue with the loss areas mostly flaked to a light patina, but shows wear around the front carry point and on the side plates. Lever & hammer retain faded case colors, turned silver on outer faces. Buttplate is a mottled silver/gray patina. Wood is sound with nicks & scratches and a couple of gouges on the buttstock and overall retains about 75-80% orig finish on the buttstock and about 40-50% on the forearm with the balance hand worn patina. Dust cover does not fully retract on lever opening, otherwise mechanics are fine, bright shiny bore. 52506-9 JRL (6,000-10,000) – Lot 1044

EARLY 2ND MODEL 1873 WINCHESTER LEVER ACTION RIFLE.

SN 41726. Cal. .44 WCF (44-40). Standard grade rifle with 24-1/4″ oct bbl, full mag, half nickle front sight, early style short semi-buckhorn rear sight with checkered edges and a thick base tang sight with spiral knurled barrel and fine checkered thumb screw. Receiver is 2nd type with attached dust cover rail and a 3rd type dust cover with a single-set trigger. Mounted with extra finish, uncheckered American walnut with straight stock and crescent buttplate with trap. This rifle was produced about 1880 when the west was still very wild with marauding Indians, outlaws and other natural dangers abounding. In that era any repeating firearm was in great demand but most especially the model 1873 Winchester. These arms most often saw hard & continuous serves under extreme circumstances usually from the back of a horse or in a wagon box. They are rarely found today in high orig finish & configuration as found here. PROVENANCE: The collection of Tim Zissler. CONDITION: Extremely fine, one of the finest 2nd model 1873 rifles extant today. Bbl retains 97-98% strong orig blue with only light sharp edge wear. Mag tube retains about 99% crisp orig blue, and the forend cap about 97-98% bright orig blue. Receiver and side plates retain about 95-96% strong orig blue with sharp edge wear some minor thinning around the bottom edge and a small patch of surface rust just forward of the lever slot. Lever & hammer retain brilliant case colors turned a little dark on outer face of loop. Buttplate retains virtually all of its orig case colors, brilliant on the tang, bright on the face showing wear only on the heel and toe. Wood is sound with a small scrape on the buttstock and overall retains a lightly waxed finish. Mechanics are crisp. brilliant shiny bore, shows little evidence of ever having been loaded or fired, retaining nearly all its orig blue on the bolt face. 52463-18 JRL (6,000-9,000) – Lot 1045

EXTREMELY RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 SMOOTHBORE LEVER ACTION RIFLE WITH FACTORY LETTER.

SN 295916. Cal. 32 WCF (32-20). Standard grade rifle with 24-1/4″ oct bbl, full magazine, half nickel front sight and semi-buckhorn rear sight. Receiver is small frame, 3rd type with stepped receiver ring and integral dust cover rail & 3rd type dust cover. Mounted with a replacement, highly figured, custom pistol grip buttstock that has a rosewood grip cap & crescent buttplate without trap. Forearm is orig and shows very nice figure. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum letter which identifies this rifle in caliber 32 smoothbore, with oct bbl and plain trigger, received in the warehouse May 14, 1889 and shipped the next day. Order number not indicated. The lower tang was apparently for a straight stock rifle and was bent just above the lever latch to accommodate the custom pistol grip stock. This rifle was produced in about 1889 and in all probability was ordered by a trick-shot artist or wild-west showman. There is a remote possibility that it may have been ordered as a garden pest gun. The vast majority of smoothbore Winchesters examined by this cataloger have been in caliber 44 which leaves one to believe the small bore center fire smooth bore rifles are quite rare. CONDITION: Fair to good. Traces of orig finish remain in most sheltered areas with the bbl & magazine tube an artificially aged plummy brown patina over scattered pitting. Forend cap is matching patina. Receiver retains traces of orig blue in the most sheltered areas being mostly a smooth, even, plummy blue/brown patina. Hammer retains silvered case colors and the lever an artificially aged brown patina. Forearm has a crack on each side of the bbl channel at the forend cap, otherwise wood is sound and overall retains a fine custom restored finish. Barrel slightly loose in the frame. Mechanics are fine, bright bore with good shine and scattered pitting. 52692-2 JRL (5,000-8,000) – Lot 1046

FINE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 LEVER ACTION RIFLE.

SN 288426. Cal. 38 WCF (38-40). Standard grade rifle with 24-1/4″ oct bbl, full magazine, altered half nickel front sight, semi-buckhorn rear sight and Lyman combination tang sight. Receiver is small caliber, 3rd type with step in the top front and integral dust cover rail with 3rd type dust cover. Mounted with uncheckered, straight grain American walnut with straight stock & crescent buttplate with trap, containing a 4-pc brass & iron cleaning rod. This rifle was produced in about 1889 when a rifle such as this was an everyday working mans tool. They most often saw hard service under extreme circumstances usually with little or no maintenance and are rarely found today with high orig finish. CONDITION: Very good to fine. Bbl & magazine tube retain 95-96% strong orig blue with sharp edge wear and some thinning over the chamber area at the carry point. Receiver & side plates retain 70-75% glossy orig blue with sharp edge wear, turning silver over the top & bottom edges and thinning on the right front flat at the carry point. Both sides of receiver have some light candy-striping. Hammer retains strong case colors, turned silver on spur. Lever retains faded case colors on the sides, turned silver on outer faces. Forend cap & buttplate are gray patina. Wood is sound with a few light nicks & scratches with the buttstock showing about 65-70% orig finish, and the forearm a hand worn patina. Mechanics are crisp, bright shiny bore. Cleaning rod is a dark brown patina. 52404-9 JRL (5,000-7,000) – Lot 1047

RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 TRAPPER SADDLE RING CARBINE WITH 17″ BARREL WITH FACTORY LETTER.

SN 92704. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Very early standard grade 3rd Model 1873 carbine with 17″ bbl, full magazine, standard pedestal front sight with brass blade and 2-position 1866-style rear sight. Receiver is small frame type with stepped front ring and integral dust cover rail with 3rd type dust cover. Left side of receiver has a staple and ring. Mounted with replacement uncheckered, strait grain American walnut butt stock that has carbine butt plate with trap. Forearm is 7-7/8″ long and appears to be orig to this carbine. Bbl address was nearly obliterated during a restoration process. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum letter which identifies this carbine with 17″ bbl, received in warehouse June 6, 1882 and shipped June 20, 1882 to order no. 32434. The majority of the production of these short barrelled carbines were shipped to Central and South America where they saw extensive hard service under very extreme conditions, usually with little or no maintenance and are rarely found today in orig configuration or high orig finish. CONDITION: Fair, no orig finish remains being an overall cleaned and artificially aged metal patina. Bbl shows pitting by the forearm channel with other scattered spots elsewhere. Forearm has a long crack emanating from a deep gouge near the receiver and is missing a sliver from each front top edge and overall retains a dark hand-worn patina. The replacement butt stock has several dings and light gouges and shows an old oil finish. Butt plate tang appears to have been repaired with file marks showing. Mechanics are a little balky otherwise they are functional. Worn dark bore with visible rifling. 51935-4 JRL (4,500-7,500) – Lot 1048

WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 SADDLE RING CARBINE.

SN 380822. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Standard grade carbine with 20″ bbl, full magazine, barleycorn front sight & 1873 marked carbine ladder rear sight. Top of the bbl, between the rear sight and forearm band, is marked with the 2-line Winchester & King’s patent address and also has caliber marking over the chamber area. Left side of the bbl & adjacent on the receiver has small British proofs. Left side of receiver is mounted with a staple & ring. Receiver is 3rd type with integral dust cover rail containing a 3rd type dust cover. Mounted with uncheckered, slab-sawed American walnut with straight stock that has carbine buttplate with trap. This rifle is produced about 1891 when business was still being conducted from the back of a horse, buggy or wagon and carbines were the most popular long arm on the American frontier. Those rifles & carbines were usually in use on a daily basis in extremes of weather & wear and are rarely found today in orig configuration with any orig finish. CONDITION: Good to very good. Bbl retains about 80-85% orig finish, turning a little plummy with a ding & light pitting around the muzzle. Magazine tube is mostly a blue/brown patina with scattered surface discoloration. Receiver & sideplates retain about 60-70% thin orig blue, turned plummy brown over the top & bottom edges. Hammer retains faded case colors, turned brown on the spur. Lever retains traces of case colors in sheltered areas, turned blue/brown elsewhere. Buttplate is a mottled silver/brown patina. Wood has a few scattered dings with a gouge on the forearm and a couple small gouges on the wrist and left side of the buttstock with another in the comb and overall contains a lightly added finish. Mechanics are fine, strong sharp bore with good shine and scattered light pitting. 52665-2 (6,000-8,000) – Lot 1049