SCARCE MERWIN & HULBERT ARMY SINGLE ACTION REVOLVER.

SCARCE MERWIN & HULBERT ARMY SINGLE ACTION REVOLVER. SN 22037. Cal. 44 Merwin & Hulbert. Nickel finish with 7″ rnd bbl, integral front sight and 1-line Merwin & Hulbert address on top with Hopkins & Allen address on left side. This is the later production model with top strap. Cyl is 6-shots with scooped flutes. Left side of frame is marked “CALIBRE 44 M.H. & CO.” Mounted with square butt, checkered hard rubber grips with checkered panels at the top. Buttstrap is mounted with a stud & swivel ring. Left side of front strap under the grip has the assembly number “974” which number is also found on rear face of bbl lug, rear face of cyl and inside right grip. According to Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms there were only a few thousand Army revolvers produced in the 1880s. 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. Another factor in their poor sales was their proprietary cartridge in the early revolvers. This cartridge was not readily available on the frontier and so early on received limited acceptance. A majority of Merwin & Hulbert revolvers were sold in Mexico and are rarely found today with high orig finish. PROVENANCE: Jones Collection, Bourne Auction (1981); Robert Howard Estate Collection. CONDITION: Extremely fine plus, all matching, probably unfired. Overall retains virtually all of its strong orig factory nickel; hammer retains brilliant case colors as does trigger guard which is slightly faded on trigger bow; trigger retains about all of its brilliant fire blue; grips are sound showing minute diamond point wear and have turned slightly chocolate. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore. 4-45327 JR104 (3,000-5,000)

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
	1640	$18,400.00	SCARCE MERWIN & HULBERT ARMY SINGLE ACTION REVOLVER. SN 22037. Cal. 44 Merwin & Hulbert. Nickel finish with 7″ rnd bbl, integral front sight and 1-line Merwin & Hulbert address on top with Hopkins & Allen address on left side. This is the later production model with top strap. Cyl is 6-shots with scooped flutes. Left side of frame is marked “CALIBRE 44 M.H. & CO.” Mounted with square butt, checkered hard rubber grips with checkered panels at the top. Buttstrap is mounted with a stud & swivel ring. Left side of front strap under the grip has the assembly number “974” which number is also found on rear face of bbl lug, rear face of cyl and inside right grip. According to Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms there were only a few thousand Army revolvers produced in the 1880s. 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. Another factor in their poor sales was their proprietary cartridge in the early revolvers. This cartridge was not readily available on the frontier and so early on received limited acceptance. A majority of Merwin & Hulbert revolvers were sold in Mexico and are rarely found today with high orig finish. PROVENANCE: Jones Collection, Bourne Auction (1981); Robert Howard Estate Collection. CONDITION: Extremely fine plus, all matching, probably unfired. Overall retains virtually all of its strong orig factory nickel; hammer retains brilliant case colors as does trigger guard which is slightly faded on trigger bow; trigger retains about all of its brilliant fire blue; grips are sound showing minute diamond point wear and have turned slightly chocolate. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore. 4-45327 JR104 (3,000-5,000) 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.

.red{fill:#B50938;} .white{fill:#FFFFFF;} .blue{fill:#005596;}