RARE & EXTREMELY FINE EARLY CASED COLT MODEL 1848 BABY DRAGOON PERCUSSION REVOLVER.

SN 3435. Cal. 31. Blue and color case hardened with 4″ oct bbl, brass pin front sight and 2-line New York City address with brackets (address is double-stamped right & left handed). Left side of frame has a tiny “COLTS PATENT”. Cyl is usual 5 shots with rnd stop notches and has the Dragoon/Indian fight scene roll marking. The silver plated, brass, square back trigger guard & backstrap contain a 1-pc walnut grip with the last 3 digits of matching SN in the backstrap & buttstrap channels. There were fewer than 15,000 of these rare revolvers built during the period 1847-1850 in four different bbl lengths & two different cyl scenes. A few thousand of them also had rammers attached, mostly in late production. Pistols in this configuration with “Indian Fight” cyl scene and single safety pin are usually found under serial range about 9,500. This revolver has a cupped cyl spindle end (arbor) which serves as a ramrod to seat bullets in the chambers. The baby dragoon was the first pocket sized revolver produced after the collapse of the Paterson enterprise. Their release to the public coincided with the beginnings of the major migration westward and the California gold fields when any repeating arm was in great demand. These reliable little revolvers saw continuous and extended service on the frontier and then throughout the Civil War and well into the 1870s. This particular gun was made in 1848 and is among the finest specimens you will ever see with much orig blue and case color and fine casing. PROVENANCE: Norm Flayderman Estate Collection. CONDITION: Very fine overall. All matching including wedge, cyl and grip. Bbl retains about 95% dull orig blue with some minor blemishes, especially around wedge slot where there are about a dozen very small dents. Frame and hammer retain dull, muted case colors over most of their surface with balance being a silver/gray. Cyl retains about 60% of its blue finish with balance blue/plum patina with virtually all of the Dragoon/Indian Fight scene easily discerned. Trigger guard & backstrap retain 95% orig silver. Grips retain about 98% orig varnish with edge wear with few light dents and bruises. Mechanics are crisp and bore is bright with crisp rifling. Brass bound deluxe mahogany case retains much of its orig varnish with fancy carved polished bone keyhole escutcheon and about 2″ brass shield shaped escutcheon on top of case. Interior of case is lined with a royal purple velvet that is faded and worn on bottom. Nap is worn from top of partitions. 2-cavity “Colt’s patent mold” retains most of its orig dull blue finish. “L-shaped” gun tool retains most of its original fire blue finish. Brass cap tin has fine light green label. 4-54418 JS21 (12,500-17,500) – Lot 1330

Auction: Firearms - March 2015

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
	1330	$20,700.00	RARE & EXTREMELY FINE EARLY CASED COLT MODEL 1848 BABY DRAGOON PERCUSSION REVOLVER. SN 3435. Cal. 31. Blue and color case hardened with 4″ oct bbl, brass pin front sight and 2-line New York City address with brackets (address is double-stamped right & left handed). Left side of frame has a tiny “COLTS PATENT”. Cyl is usual 5 shots with rnd stop notches and has the Dragoon/Indian fight scene roll marking. The silver plated, brass, square back trigger guard & backstrap contain a 1-pc walnut grip with the last 3 digits of matching SN in the backstrap & buttstrap channels. There were fewer than 15,000 of these rare revolvers built during the period 1847-1850 in four different bbl lengths & two different cyl scenes. A few thousand of them also had rammers attached, mostly in late production. Pistols in this configuration with “Indian Fight” cyl scene and single safety pin are usually found under serial range about 9,500. This revolver has a cupped cyl spindle end (arbor) which serves as a ramrod to seat bullets in the chambers. The baby dragoon was the first pocket sized revolver produced after the collapse of the Paterson enterprise. Their release to the public coincided with the beginnings of the major migration westward and the California gold fields when any repeating arm was in great demand. These reliable little revolvers saw continuous and extended service on the frontier and then throughout the Civil War and well into the 1870s. This particular gun was made in 1848 and is among the finest specimens you will ever see with much orig blue and case color and fine casing. PROVENANCE: Norm Flayderman Estate Collection. CONDITION: Very fine overall. All matching including wedge, cyl and grip. Bbl retains about 95% dull orig blue with some minor blemishes, especially around wedge slot where there are about a dozen very small dents. Frame and hammer retain dull, muted case colors over most of their surface with balance being a silver/gray. Cyl retains about 60% of its blue finish with balance blue/plum patina with virtually all of the Dragoon/Indian Fight scene easily discerned. Trigger guard & backstrap retain 95% orig silver. Grips retain about 98% orig varnish with edge wear with few light dents and bruises. Mechanics are crisp and bore is bright with crisp rifling. Brass bound deluxe mahogany case retains much of its orig varnish with fancy carved polished bone keyhole escutcheon and about 2″ brass shield shaped escutcheon on top of case. Interior of case is lined with a royal purple velvet that is faded and worn on bottom. Nap is worn from top of partitions. 2-cavity “Colt’s patent mold” retains most of its orig dull blue finish. “L-shaped” gun tool retains most of its original fire blue finish. Brass cap tin has fine light green label. 4-54418 JS21 (12,500-17,500) – Lot 1330 Auction: Firearms - March 2015 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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RARE & EXTREMELY FINE EARLY CASED COLT MODEL 1848 BABY DRAGOON PERCUSSION REVOLVER.