SCARCE MERWIN & HULBERT 1ST MODEL SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER.

SCARCE MERWIN & HULBERT 1ST MODEL SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER. SN 4462. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Nickel finish with 7″ rnd bbl, integral front sight with 1-line Merwin & Hulbert address on top and Hopkins & Allen address on left side. Bbl is early type without top strap and cyl has six chambers with scooped flutes. Frame has “CALIBRE 1873 WINCHESTER” on left side and rnd butt grip frame with skull cracker, mounted with checkered hard rubber grips. Left side of front strap, under grip is stamped with assembly number “2441” which number is also found on rear face of bbl lug, rear face of cyl and cyl arbor. According to Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms there were only a few thousand produced in the 1880s in five different configurations. Merwin & Hulbert were distributors, not manufacturers, who purchased patents and contracted various companies for production. Their handguns were produced by Hopkins & Allen. The Merwin & Hulbert design was superior to other handguns of the period with their ease of unloading & ejecting empty casings with the push of a button and simple full forward. Closing the bbl allowed the cyl to be reloaded through the sliding loading gate in the right recoil shield. Unfortunately Merwin & Hulbert came on the scene long after Colt and to some extent, Remington, were already in production and widely distributed. With the lack of government contracts and a weak distribution system they simply could not compete. A majority of Merwin & Hulbert revolvers were sold in Mexico and are rarely found today with high orig finish. PROVENANCE: Herb Rosenthal (1980); Robert Howard Estate Collection. CONDITION: Extremely fine, all matching except grips which are unnumbered. Overall retains about all of its strong orig nickel finish with some very minor small nicks & scratches and light dulling from handling; revolver is probably unfired; hammer & trigger guard retain virtually all of their brilliant case colors and trigger about 80% bright fire blue; grips are sound showing little or no diamond point wear. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore. 4-45326 JR105 (3,500-6,000)

Auction: Firearms - Spring 2012

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
	1639	$9,775.00	SCARCE MERWIN & HULBERT 1ST MODEL SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER. SN 4462. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Nickel finish with 7″ rnd bbl, integral front sight with 1-line Merwin & Hulbert address on top and Hopkins & Allen address on left side. Bbl is early type without top strap and cyl has six chambers with scooped flutes. Frame has “CALIBRE 1873 WINCHESTER” on left side and rnd butt grip frame with skull cracker, mounted with checkered hard rubber grips. Left side of front strap, under grip is stamped with assembly number “2441” which number is also found on rear face of bbl lug, rear face of cyl and cyl arbor. According to Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms there were only a few thousand produced in the 1880s in five different configurations. Merwin & Hulbert were distributors, not manufacturers, who purchased patents and contracted various companies for production. Their handguns were produced by Hopkins & Allen. The Merwin & Hulbert design was superior to other handguns of the period with their ease of unloading & ejecting empty casings with the push of a button and simple full forward. Closing the bbl allowed the cyl to be reloaded through the sliding loading gate in the right recoil shield. Unfortunately Merwin & Hulbert came on the scene long after Colt and to some extent, Remington, were already in production and widely distributed. With the lack of government contracts and a weak distribution system they simply could not compete. A majority of Merwin & Hulbert revolvers were sold in Mexico and are rarely found today with high orig finish. PROVENANCE: Herb Rosenthal (1980); Robert Howard Estate Collection. CONDITION: Extremely fine, all matching except grips which are unnumbered. Overall retains about all of its strong orig nickel finish with some very minor small nicks & scratches and light dulling from handling; revolver is probably unfired; hammer & trigger guard retain virtually all of their brilliant case colors and trigger about 80% bright fire blue; grips are sound showing little or no diamond point wear. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore. 4-45326 JR105 (3,500-6,000) Auction: Firearms - Spring 2012 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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