EXTREMELY RARE DOUBLE PANEL SCENE FACTORY EXHIBITION ENGRAVED COLT MODEL 1849 POCKET PERCUSSION REVOLVER.

SN 31113. Cal. 31. Blue & color case hardened with 6″ oct bbl & brass pin front sight. Top flat of bbl has an unusual engraved address of “SAML COLT” with no additional flourishes. Left side of frame has engraved “COLT’S PATENT” in a ribbon. The small guard silver plated trigger guard & back strap contain a deluxe burl walnut varnished 1-pc grip with matching SN in back-strap channel. First 4 digits of SN are visible with the last digit obscured by oil & wear. Serial numbers on bbl lug, frame & trigger guard are accompanied by a small punch dot indicating that this revolver was to receive extra polish for engraving. Cyl is unfluted with 5 chambers and stagecoach holdup scene roll marking. Revolver is beautifully factory engraved with full coverage & rare transitional vine style foliate arabesque patterns without background & donut style scrolls. Exhibition engraving patterns extend over bbl lug & top side flats of bbl and on rammer pivot. Left side of bbl lug is engraved with an early style spread-winged American eagle clutching arrows in its right talons and an olive branch in the other. Eagle has rays emanating from the background. Right side of bbl lug is engraved with a classic recumbent lion also with rays emanating from the background. Top of back strap, heel, butt strap & trigger bow are engraved with matching foliate arabesque patterns. R.L. Wilson in The Colt Engraving Book Volume I, pg 47 “Likely a display revolver, due to the eagle and lion motifs (representing the United States and Great Britain) and extra quality decoration”. Hammer is engraved with a small foliate arabesque pattern on the sides with a wolf’s head on each side of the hammer nose, fish scales on top edge & sides of spur. Hammer spur has hand checkered panel. In the period 1850 to about 1873 there were in excess of 300,000 Model 1849 revolvers produced with only a small portion of those factory engraved. Extremely few were panel scene engraved and are almost unknown. It is extremely unusual to find such an early made Pocket model with exhibition double panel scene engraving. This revolver is completely authentic in all respects and one of the most rare of all the Pocket models. Similar examples of other exhibition engraved 1849s from this time period (1851-53) are illustrated on pgs 46-55 in same text. PROVENANCE: Martin Lane Collection; Dr. Paul McCombs Collection. CONDITION: Very good to fine, all matching including wedge, cyl & grip. Bbl retains 50-60% thin orig blue with the balance a blue/brown patina, showing only sharp edge wear. Frame retains traces of case colors in the most sheltered areas being an overall gray/brown patina. Cylinder is matching mottled gray/brown patina and retains about all of the stagecoach holdup roll marking scene with all five safety pins intact. Grip is sound showing moderate wear with a few light nicks & scratches and retains most of its orig factory varnish. Mechanics are fine, bright shiny bore with a few small scattered spots of light pitting. 50139-3 JR197 (20,000-30,000) – Lot 2173

Auction: Firearms - March 2016

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
	2173	$0.00	EXTREMELY RARE DOUBLE PANEL SCENE FACTORY EXHIBITION ENGRAVED COLT MODEL 1849 POCKET PERCUSSION REVOLVER. SN 31113. Cal. 31. Blue & color case hardened with 6″ oct bbl & brass pin front sight. Top flat of bbl has an unusual engraved address of “SAML COLT” with no additional flourishes. Left side of frame has engraved “COLT’S PATENT” in a ribbon. The small guard silver plated trigger guard & back strap contain a deluxe burl walnut varnished 1-pc grip with matching SN in back-strap channel. First 4 digits of SN are visible with the last digit obscured by oil & wear. Serial numbers on bbl lug, frame & trigger guard are accompanied by a small punch dot indicating that this revolver was to receive extra polish for engraving. Cyl is unfluted with 5 chambers and stagecoach holdup scene roll marking. Revolver is beautifully factory engraved with full coverage & rare transitional vine style foliate arabesque patterns without background & donut style scrolls. Exhibition engraving patterns extend over bbl lug & top side flats of bbl and on rammer pivot. Left side of bbl lug is engraved with an early style spread-winged American eagle clutching arrows in its right talons and an olive branch in the other. Eagle has rays emanating from the background. Right side of bbl lug is engraved with a classic recumbent lion also with rays emanating from the background. Top of back strap, heel, butt strap & trigger bow are engraved with matching foliate arabesque patterns. R.L. Wilson in The Colt Engraving Book Volume I, pg 47 “Likely a display revolver, due to the eagle and lion motifs (representing the United States and Great Britain) and extra quality decoration”. Hammer is engraved with a small foliate arabesque pattern on the sides with a wolf’s head on each side of the hammer nose, fish scales on top edge & sides of spur. Hammer spur has hand checkered panel. In the period 1850 to about 1873 there were in excess of 300,000 Model 1849 revolvers produced with only a small portion of those factory engraved. Extremely few were panel scene engraved and are almost unknown. It is extremely unusual to find such an early made Pocket model with exhibition double panel scene engraving. This revolver is completely authentic in all respects and one of the most rare of all the Pocket models. Similar examples of other exhibition engraved 1849s from this time period (1851-53) are illustrated on pgs 46-55 in same text. PROVENANCE: Martin Lane Collection; Dr. Paul McCombs Collection. CONDITION: Very good to fine, all matching including wedge, cyl & grip. Bbl retains 50-60% thin orig blue with the balance a blue/brown patina, showing only sharp edge wear. Frame retains traces of case colors in the most sheltered areas being an overall gray/brown patina. Cylinder is matching mottled gray/brown patina and retains about all of the stagecoach holdup roll marking scene with all five safety pins intact. Grip is sound showing moderate wear with a few light nicks & scratches and retains most of its orig factory varnish. Mechanics are fine, bright shiny bore with a few small scattered spots of light pitting. 50139-3 JR197 (20,000-30,000) – Lot 2173 Auction: Firearms - March 2016 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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EXTREMELY RARE DOUBLE PANEL SCENE FACTORY EXHIBITION ENGRAVED COLT MODEL 1849 POCKET PERCUSSION REVOLVER.