RARE COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER FROM THE BATTLE OF THE LITTLE BIG HORN.

SN 5803. Cal. 45 Colt. Standard cavalry issue with 7-1/2″ bbl, full front sight and 1-line script letter address. Left side of frame has 2-line patent dates and “U.S.”. Mounted with 1-pc walnut grip that has matching SN in backstrap channel. Bottom of bbl & cyl also have matching SN. Ejector housing is first type with bull’s eye ejector rod head and base pin is orig type with dimpled ends and battered head. Most parts have tiny “A” (Orville W. Ainsworth) inspector initials. Grip is orig but too worn & battered to show a cartouche. Grip has a large notch cut on each side to accommodate a thong or strap for carrying without a holster. Below each notch is a horizontal figure “S” with two vertical slash marks across the center, which is purported to be the symbol of Kills-Two. Right side has four notches filed in the wood near the front strap which barely touched the metal. Kills-Two, an Oglala Sioux Indian born in about 1859 was 17 years old at the Battle of the Rosebud in June 1876 under Chief Crazy Horse. At the Battle of the Little Big Horn, as related by family members to the consignor, Kills-Two killed a soldier with his hatchet and took that soldier’s revolver & belt. He jumped back on his horse but the horse was killed so he caught a riderless horse and continued in the fight, shooting the revolver until it wouldn’t shoot any more. He did not know how to reload until after the battle when some of the older warriors instructed him. Kills-Two fought in two other major battles at Slim Butte and Wolf Mountain. He reportedly marked his pistol with his “Kills-Two” sign and cut the notches in the grip to tie a strap to it which he carried around his neck and filed four notches to show he was in four great battles. On May 5, 1877 when Chief Crazy Horse surrendered at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, Kills-Two also surrendered but gave a different name because some of the other warriors told him he had made a mistake putting his name on the pistol. He later hid the pistol and gave the soldiers a crazy name like “Asshole”. He kept the pistol until later when he traded it for art supplies. Kills-Two lived out the rest of his life on the Rosebud Reservation working as an artist and died in 1927 at the age of 68. Consignor states that this information was told directly to him by members of Kills-Two’s family. Consignor states that he purchased this revolver out of an old collection in North Dakota and that collector had purchased it from a still older collection in Minnesota. PROVENANCE: Wendell Grangaard Collection. CONDITION: Good, all matching including bbl, cyl & grip. No orig finish remains being an overall smooth blue/brown patina with a series of nicks on bottom of bbl; cyl is matching patina. Grip is missing large chips around the toes; shows very heavy wear with some battering around the edges and retains a hand worn patina; notches in the grip show heavy wear. Hammer will not hold in safety or half cock notches, loading gate spring is either broken or missing, otherwise mechanics are fine, strong dark bore. 4-49321 JR430 (40,000-60,000) – Lot 2240

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
	2240	$0.00	RARE COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER FROM THE BATTLE OF THE LITTLE BIG HORN. SN 5803. Cal. 45 Colt. Standard cavalry issue with 7-1/2″ bbl, full front sight and 1-line script letter address. Left side of frame has 2-line patent dates and “U.S.”. Mounted with 1-pc walnut grip that has matching SN in backstrap channel. Bottom of bbl & cyl also have matching SN. Ejector housing is first type with bull’s eye ejector rod head and base pin is orig type with dimpled ends and battered head. Most parts have tiny “A” (Orville W. Ainsworth) inspector initials. Grip is orig but too worn & battered to show a cartouche. Grip has a large notch cut on each side to accommodate a thong or strap for carrying without a holster. Below each notch is a horizontal figure “S” with two vertical slash marks across the center, which is purported to be the symbol of Kills-Two. Right side has four notches filed in the wood near the front strap which barely touched the metal. Kills-Two, an Oglala Sioux Indian born in about 1859 was 17 years old at the Battle of the Rosebud in June 1876 under Chief Crazy Horse. At the Battle of the Little Big Horn, as related by family members to the consignor, Kills-Two killed a soldier with his hatchet and took that soldier’s revolver & belt. He jumped back on his horse but the horse was killed so he caught a riderless horse and continued in the fight, shooting the revolver until it wouldn’t shoot any more. He did not know how to reload until after the battle when some of the older warriors instructed him. Kills-Two fought in two other major battles at Slim Butte and Wolf Mountain. He reportedly marked his pistol with his “Kills-Two” sign and cut the notches in the grip to tie a strap to it which he carried around his neck and filed four notches to show he was in four great battles. On May 5, 1877 when Chief Crazy Horse surrendered at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, Kills-Two also surrendered but gave a different name because some of the other warriors told him he had made a mistake putting his name on the pistol. He later hid the pistol and gave the soldiers a crazy name like “Asshole”. He kept the pistol until later when he traded it for art supplies. Kills-Two lived out the rest of his life on the Rosebud Reservation working as an artist and died in 1927 at the age of 68. Consignor states that this information was told directly to him by members of Kills-Two’s family. Consignor states that he purchased this revolver out of an old collection in North Dakota and that collector had purchased it from a still older collection in Minnesota. PROVENANCE: Wendell Grangaard Collection. CONDITION: Good, all matching including bbl, cyl & grip. No orig finish remains being an overall smooth blue/brown patina with a series of nicks on bottom of bbl; cyl is matching patina. Grip is missing large chips around the toes; shows very heavy wear with some battering around the edges and retains a hand worn patina; notches in the grip show heavy wear. Hammer will not hold in safety or half cock notches, loading gate spring is either broken or missing, otherwise mechanics are fine, strong dark bore. 4-49321 JR430 (40,000-60,000) – Lot 2240 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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RARE COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER FROM THE BATTLE OF THE LITTLE BIG HORN.