EARLY CIVILIAN COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER WITH GREAT HISTORY TO TEXAS DEPUTY SHERIFF CHARLES F. LEISERING.

SN 37580. Cal. 45 Colt. Usual configuration 7-1/2″ bbl, slightly thinned front sight and 1-line small font, block letter address. Left side of frame has 3-line patent dates and left shoulder of trigger guard is marked “45 CAL”. Mounted with varnished 1-pc walnut grip that has backstrap channel obscured with dark stains. Ejector housing is 2nd type with bullseye ejector rod head. Accompanied by a Colt factory letter which identifies this revolver in cal. 45 Colt, blue finish, bbl length and type of stock not listed and shipped to H&D Folesom Arms Co., NY,NY on Aug 20, 1877 in a 50-gun shipment. Also accompanying is a notarized statement dated 10 Jan. 1984 over the signature of Julius Leisering that has a description of this revolver, identified by serial number. Mr. Leisering states “the above described revolver was the personal property of my grandfather, Charles F. Leisering, who lived in St. Mary’s, Refugio County, Texas. He was chief deputy for sheriff Jeptha Williams, taking office in 1874.” He continues that his grandfather served in public office for more than twenty years. Also accompanying are reproduced pages of history of Refugio County by Hobart Hudson, printed in 1953. Mr. Leisering’s grandfather is mentioned in both volumes 1 & 2 in several places. One such listing shows that he had a mail line between Refugio and St. Mary’s. Another mention shows that he was appointed assessor and that his family was one of the very last in St. Mary’s after the vicious storms of 1886 & 1887. Still another shows that in 1874 Mr. Leisering was a constable and became a Chief Deputy Sheriff in 1873. During all this time, from the mid-1850s to about 1906, he raised cattle and horses in Refugio County. He died in 1909 in Victoria, Texas. The remainder of a very large volume of information deals with Mr. Leisering’s claim against Mexico for livestock losses suffered from marauding Mexican bandits and outlaws between 1868 and 1873. The claim was processed by the honorable judge J. Turner Vance, the father of renown Colt collector and authority, Bobby Vance. This revolver was the subject of an article which appeared on p.18 of the Summer 1992 issue of The Rampant Colt, the official magazine of the Texas Gun Collectors Association, a copy of which accompanies this Colt. PROVENANCE: Tommy Rholes Estate Collection. CONDITION: Good, all matching including bbl & cyl, except grip as noted above. No orig finish remains being an overall very dark brown patina with pitting around the muzzle and fine pitting on the left side of bbl; cyl is a matching patina with fine pitting around the front; grip has chipped toes, shows heavy edge wear, nicks & dings and retains about 50% orig varnish. Mechanics are fine; strong dark bore with moderate pitting. 4-50666 JR484 (6,000-10,000) – Lot 1231

Auction: Firearms - Spring 2014

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
	1231	$9,775.00	EARLY CIVILIAN COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER WITH GREAT HISTORY TO TEXAS DEPUTY SHERIFF CHARLES F. LEISERING. SN 37580. Cal. 45 Colt. Usual configuration 7-1/2″ bbl, slightly thinned front sight and 1-line small font, block letter address. Left side of frame has 3-line patent dates and left shoulder of trigger guard is marked “45 CAL”. Mounted with varnished 1-pc walnut grip that has backstrap channel obscured with dark stains. Ejector housing is 2nd type with bullseye ejector rod head. Accompanied by a Colt factory letter which identifies this revolver in cal. 45 Colt, blue finish, bbl length and type of stock not listed and shipped to H&D Folesom Arms Co., NY,NY on Aug 20, 1877 in a 50-gun shipment. Also accompanying is a notarized statement dated 10 Jan. 1984 over the signature of Julius Leisering that has a description of this revolver, identified by serial number. Mr. Leisering states “the above described revolver was the personal property of my grandfather, Charles F. Leisering, who lived in St. Mary’s, Refugio County, Texas. He was chief deputy for sheriff Jeptha Williams, taking office in 1874.” He continues that his grandfather served in public office for more than twenty years. Also accompanying are reproduced pages of history of Refugio County by Hobart Hudson, printed in 1953. Mr. Leisering’s grandfather is mentioned in both volumes 1 & 2 in several places. One such listing shows that he had a mail line between Refugio and St. Mary’s. Another mention shows that he was appointed assessor and that his family was one of the very last in St. Mary’s after the vicious storms of 1886 & 1887. Still another shows that in 1874 Mr. Leisering was a constable and became a Chief Deputy Sheriff in 1873. During all this time, from the mid-1850s to about 1906, he raised cattle and horses in Refugio County. He died in 1909 in Victoria, Texas. The remainder of a very large volume of information deals with Mr. Leisering’s claim against Mexico for livestock losses suffered from marauding Mexican bandits and outlaws between 1868 and 1873. The claim was processed by the honorable judge J. Turner Vance, the father of renown Colt collector and authority, Bobby Vance. This revolver was the subject of an article which appeared on p.18 of the Summer 1992 issue of The Rampant Colt, the official magazine of the Texas Gun Collectors Association, a copy of which accompanies this Colt. PROVENANCE: Tommy Rholes Estate Collection. CONDITION: Good, all matching including bbl & cyl, except grip as noted above. No orig finish remains being an overall very dark brown patina with pitting around the muzzle and fine pitting on the left side of bbl; cyl is a matching patina with fine pitting around the front; grip has chipped toes, shows heavy edge wear, nicks & dings and retains about 50% orig varnish. Mechanics are fine; strong dark bore with moderate pitting. 4-50666 JR484 (6,000-10,000) – Lot 1231 Auction: Firearms - Spring 2014 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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EARLY CIVILIAN COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER WITH GREAT HISTORY TO TEXAS DEPUTY SHERIFF CHARLES F. LEISERING.