EXTRAORDINARILY RARE CASED ENGRAVED INVENTOR PRESENTATION COLT CHARTER OAK 1855 ROOT MODEL 2 PERCUSSION REVOLVER.

EXTRAORDINARILY RARE CASED ENGRAVED INVENTOR PRESENTATION COLT CHARTER OAK 1855 ROOT MODEL 2 PERCUSSION REVOLVER. SN 5887. Cal. 28. Fantastic Gustav Young engraved root with 3-1/2″ oct bbl, brass pin front sight and 2-line Hartford address with pointing hand motif. It has unfluted 5-shot cylinder with cabin / Indian fight scene. It is mounted with 1-pc oak grip from the Connecticut Charter Oak. The frame, bbl, hammer & rammer pivot are beautifully engraved by Gustav Young in his intertwined foliate arabesque patterns with fine punch-dot background. Top & heel of the back strap & butt strap are engraved to match, with a small matching pattern on the bottom of the frame. Back strap is engraved in period script “A. W. Spies from the Inventor / Charter Oak stock / from J. W. Stuart”. Accompanied by an orig Colt burgundy velvet lined casing with an unmarked brass plate in the lid and compartmented in the bottom for the revolver, a single-sided “COLTS PATENT” eagle flask, a 2-cavity brass “COLTS PATENT” bullet mold with sprue cutter marked on the right side with an “F”, a maple-handled turnscrew and a lacquered tin of Eley Bros. caps. Also accompanying is an L-shaped nipple wrench, an orig functioning key and a packet of 31 cal combustible cartridges. ¶ A. W. Spies was an arms distributor in New York City from about 1823 to about 1877 and was one of Colt’s major distributors. Obviously this revolver was a special presentation to Mr. Spies for services rendered. Mr. J. W. Stuart is mentioned in research material found on the internet as the Honorable J. W. Stuart, apparently a judge or senior politician. Mr. Stuart was apparently the owner of the land on which the Charter Oak stood when on August 21st, 1856, the ancient tree was felled during a heavy storm. The Charter Oak had stood for centuries and was part of the property of Samuel Wyllis in 1687 when the British governor of New England demanded the surrender of the Connecticut Charter of 1662 granted from Charles II. During a meeting of the legislature considering the demand by the governor, all the lights in the meeting hall were extinguished and when they were relit, the charter was gone. It had been surreptitiously spirited away by Captain Wadsworth who secreted it in the hollow of this venerable old oak until 1689 when it was returned and remained the law of Connecticut until about 1818. Upon the demise of the Charter Oak in 1856 it was removed, piecemeal, as souvenirs, historical relics & a few pieces obtained by Colonel Colt that were made into grips for a few special presentation pieces, this being one of them. PROVENANCE: Dr. Joseph A. Murphy Collection. CONDITION: Revolver is extraordinarily fine, retaining 98-99% glossy orig factory blue with only slight sharp edge wear & some slight thinning to the back strap. Hammer & rammer retain virtually all of their bright factory case colors. Cylinder retains about all of its orig factory blue with a couple of tiny thin spots and about all of its cabin / Indian fight scene. Grip is sound and retains virtually all of its orig factory varnish. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore, probably unfired. Case has one large and several small grain checks in the lid with a crack and grain check in the bottom and retains about all of a fine restored finish. Interior is lightly to moderately faded with light soil, a re-glued partition & damage from the front sight. Flask is extremely fine, retaining about 98% strong orig finish with a few light scratches and a couple of small dings. Mold is very fine with a few nicks & dings and a gray metal color on the sprue cutter. Turnscrew is equally fine, as is the cap tin. Cartridge packet & other accessories are also fine. 4-36420 JR76 (135,000-235,000)

Auction: Firearms - Spring 2009

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
	2020	$253,000.00	EXTRAORDINARILY RARE CASED ENGRAVED INVENTOR PRESENTATION COLT CHARTER OAK 1855 ROOT MODEL 2 PERCUSSION REVOLVER. SN 5887. Cal. 28. Fantastic Gustav Young engraved root with 3-1/2″ oct bbl, brass pin front sight and 2-line Hartford address with pointing hand motif. It has unfluted 5-shot cylinder with cabin / Indian fight scene. It is mounted with 1-pc oak grip from the Connecticut Charter Oak. The frame, bbl, hammer & rammer pivot are beautifully engraved by Gustav Young in his intertwined foliate arabesque patterns with fine punch-dot background. Top & heel of the back strap & butt strap are engraved to match, with a small matching pattern on the bottom of the frame. Back strap is engraved in period script “A. W. Spies from the Inventor / Charter Oak stock / from J. W. Stuart”. Accompanied by an orig Colt burgundy velvet lined casing with an unmarked brass plate in the lid and compartmented in the bottom for the revolver, a single-sided “COLTS PATENT” eagle flask, a 2-cavity brass “COLTS PATENT” bullet mold with sprue cutter marked on the right side with an “F”, a maple-handled turnscrew and a lacquered tin of Eley Bros. caps. Also accompanying is an L-shaped nipple wrench, an orig functioning key and a packet of 31 cal combustible cartridges. ¶ A. W. Spies was an arms distributor in New York City from about 1823 to about 1877 and was one of Colt’s major distributors. Obviously this revolver was a special presentation to Mr. Spies for services rendered. Mr. J. W. Stuart is mentioned in research material found on the internet as the Honorable J. W. Stuart, apparently a judge or senior politician. Mr. Stuart was apparently the owner of the land on which the Charter Oak stood when on August 21st, 1856, the ancient tree was felled during a heavy storm. The Charter Oak had stood for centuries and was part of the property of Samuel Wyllis in 1687 when the British governor of New England demanded the surrender of the Connecticut Charter of 1662 granted from Charles II. During a meeting of the legislature considering the demand by the governor, all the lights in the meeting hall were extinguished and when they were relit, the charter was gone. It had been surreptitiously spirited away by Captain Wadsworth who secreted it in the hollow of this venerable old oak until 1689 when it was returned and remained the law of Connecticut until about 1818. Upon the demise of the Charter Oak in 1856 it was removed, piecemeal, as souvenirs, historical relics & a few pieces obtained by Colonel Colt that were made into grips for a few special presentation pieces, this being one of them. PROVENANCE: Dr. Joseph A. Murphy Collection. CONDITION: Revolver is extraordinarily fine, retaining 98-99% glossy orig factory blue with only slight sharp edge wear & some slight thinning to the back strap. Hammer & rammer retain virtually all of their bright factory case colors. Cylinder retains about all of its orig factory blue with a couple of tiny thin spots and about all of its cabin / Indian fight scene. Grip is sound and retains virtually all of its orig factory varnish. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore, probably unfired. Case has one large and several small grain checks in the lid with a crack and grain check in the bottom and retains about all of a fine restored finish. Interior is lightly to moderately faded with light soil, a re-glued partition & damage from the front sight. Flask is extremely fine, retaining about 98% strong orig finish with a few light scratches and a couple of small dings. Mold is very fine with a few nicks & dings and a gray metal color on the sprue cutter. Turnscrew is equally fine, as is the cap tin. Cartridge packet & other accessories are also fine. 4-36420 JR76 (135,000-235,000) Auction: Firearms - Spring 2009 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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