EXTREMELY RARE CASED COLT FAMILY PRESENTATION COLT 1877 DA LIGHTNING SHERIFF’S MODEL REVOLVER.

EXTREMELY RARE CASED COLT FAMILY PRESENTATION COLT 1877 DA LIGHTNING SHERIFF’S MODEL REVOLVER. SN 22070. Cal. 38 Colt. Nickel finish with 3-1/2″ bbl, full half-moon front sight, 2-line address with crisp etched panel “COLT D.A. 38” on the left side. Left side of the frame has 3-line patent dates and it is mounted with checkered 1-pc rosewood grip. All the screws, trigger, back edge of the hammer & base pin are fire-blued. It is made without ejector rod and has an extended knurled base pin. Back strap is inscribed in period script and block letters “Patrick Parker. Esq. / WITH COMPLIMENTS OF / Saml P. Colt. Jany. 1st 1880.” Accompanied by its orig black leatherette-covered presentation box with blue silk lining in the lid and black velvet lining in the French-fitted bottom. Inside border of the bottom has a blue & white silk rope and it has a padded blue silk covered cartridge well in the left front. Front of the case is fitted with a gold-washed Rococo brass latch. Also accompanied by a copy of a letter dated Providence, December 29th, 1879, on State of Rhode Island, Assistant Attorney General’s Office letterhead and addressed to Hugh Harbrow Esq. wherein Samuel P. Colt orders 3 “Self-Cocking 38 cal, 3-1/2″ bbl, nickel-fluted, rosewood stock” with one engraved “James O. Swan Esq.” and the other “Patrick Parker Esq.”, both inscribed “With Compliments of Saml P. Colt. Jany. 1st 1880”, and the third one “Chief Charles H. Hugh” with the same inscription & date. He also requests “a case for each similar to those you had made for me a few years ago, which were of dark morocco and cost I think $2.50 each.” He requests they be shipped express to a Providence address. Additionally accompanied by a Colt factory letter fully identifying this revolver as found with nickel finish & rosewood grip, shipped to Sam P. Colt, address not available, December 31, 1879, in a shipment of 3 same type guns. Further accompanied by a note on Sam’l P. Colt / Attorney-at-Law letterhead dated June 18th, 1880, wherein he acknowledges receipt of $240.34 apparently for collection services. Further accompanied by an orig broadside for the “NEW, DOUBLE-ACTION, SELF-COCKING, CENTRAL FIRE, 6-SHOT REVOLVER”. Additionally accompanied by a copy of a photograph, presumably of Samuel P. Colt. Also accompanied by 3 articles from Man at Arms magazine, all by Dr. Richard C. Marohn: 1) from the Jan/Feb 1983 issue which deals with grips for Lightning revolvers; 2) from the No. 6, 1997 issue titled “THE COLT MODEL 1877 DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVER / A TWENTY-YEAR REVIEW 1877-1897”; and 3) from the Mar/Apr 1981 issue titled “CASING THE COLT DOUBLE-ACTION MODEL OF 1877”. Article no. 3 on pp. 43-44 describes the exact case as above and states that they were made in Hartford by a gentleman named Alfred Teweles. Page 44 has pictured an identical cased Lightning with the presentation to James O. Swan, the same individual as mentioned in the above described letter. ¶ Samuel Pomeroy Colt (1852-1921) was born Jan. 10, 1852, to Christopher Colt (brother of Samuel Colt, the arms maker) and his wife. He graduated from Columbia Law School in 1876 and was elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives where he served until 1879 when he became Rhode Island Assistant Attorney General. In 1882 he was elected Attorney General for the state. In 1886 he founded the Industrial Trust Company and served as its president until 1908. That company later became known as the Industrial National Bank and Fleet Bank. In 1887 he was appointed receiver of the bankrupt National Rubber Company which he reorganized and reopened in 1888 as the National India Rubber Company (which supplied hard rubber grips & buttplates to Colt Firearms and other makers). In 1892 he merged this company with several others he had acquired to form the United States Rubber Company, which became the world’s largest producer of rubber goods. In 1901 he became the president of that company and served until 1918 when he was appointed chairman of the board of trustees. In 1903 he unsuccessfully ran for governor of Rhode Island. In 1905 he ran for the U.S. Senate but withdrew. He died August 13, 1921. PROVENANCE: Dr. Joseph A. Murphy Collection. CONDITION: Revolver is extremely fine plus, probably unfired. Overall retains about 98-99% strong orig factory nickel, having a few minor, tiny flakes and one spot on the cylinder, with crisp clear etched panel. Screws, hammer & trigger retain most of their orig fire-blue. Grip is crisp with crisp checkering and retains about all of its orig factory varnish. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore. Case is sound and retains most of its orig finish on the outside. Lid lining is lightly faded & fragile but intact. The orig ribbon across the lid interior is missing. Bottom is lightly soiled and shows wear around revolver recesses and minor damage from the hammer spur. Cartridge recess silk cover is somewhat fragile with very slight fading. Altogether an exceptional & original presentation set. 4-36422 JR74 (25,000-50,000)

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
	2036	$28,750.00	EXTREMELY RARE CASED COLT FAMILY PRESENTATION COLT 1877 DA LIGHTNING SHERIFF’S MODEL REVOLVER. SN 22070. Cal. 38 Colt. Nickel finish with 3-1/2″ bbl, full half-moon front sight, 2-line address with crisp etched panel “COLT D.A. 38” on the left side. Left side of the frame has 3-line patent dates and it is mounted with checkered 1-pc rosewood grip. All the screws, trigger, back edge of the hammer & base pin are fire-blued. It is made without ejector rod and has an extended knurled base pin. Back strap is inscribed in period script and block letters “Patrick Parker. Esq. / WITH COMPLIMENTS OF / Saml P. Colt. Jany. 1st 1880.” Accompanied by its orig black leatherette-covered presentation box with blue silk lining in the lid and black velvet lining in the French-fitted bottom. Inside border of the bottom has a blue & white silk rope and it has a padded blue silk covered cartridge well in the left front. Front of the case is fitted with a gold-washed Rococo brass latch. Also accompanied by a copy of a letter dated Providence, December 29th, 1879, on State of Rhode Island, Assistant Attorney General’s Office letterhead and addressed to Hugh Harbrow Esq. wherein Samuel P. Colt orders 3 “Self-Cocking 38 cal, 3-1/2″ bbl, nickel-fluted, rosewood stock” with one engraved “James O. Swan Esq.” and the other “Patrick Parker Esq.”, both inscribed “With Compliments of Saml P. Colt. Jany. 1st 1880”, and the third one “Chief Charles H. Hugh” with the same inscription & date. He also requests “a case for each similar to those you had made for me a few years ago, which were of dark morocco and cost I think $2.50 each.” He requests they be shipped express to a Providence address. Additionally accompanied by a Colt factory letter fully identifying this revolver as found with nickel finish & rosewood grip, shipped to Sam P. Colt, address not available, December 31, 1879, in a shipment of 3 same type guns. Further accompanied by a note on Sam’l P. Colt / Attorney-at-Law letterhead dated June 18th, 1880, wherein he acknowledges receipt of $240.34 apparently for collection services. Further accompanied by an orig broadside for the “NEW, DOUBLE-ACTION, SELF-COCKING, CENTRAL FIRE, 6-SHOT REVOLVER”. Additionally accompanied by a copy of a photograph, presumably of Samuel P. Colt. Also accompanied by 3 articles from Man at Arms magazine, all by Dr. Richard C. Marohn: 1) from the Jan/Feb 1983 issue which deals with grips for Lightning revolvers; 2) from the No. 6, 1997 issue titled “THE COLT MODEL 1877 DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVER / A TWENTY-YEAR REVIEW 1877-1897”; and 3) from the Mar/Apr 1981 issue titled “CASING THE COLT DOUBLE-ACTION MODEL OF 1877”. Article no. 3 on pp. 43-44 describes the exact case as above and states that they were made in Hartford by a gentleman named Alfred Teweles. Page 44 has pictured an identical cased Lightning with the presentation to James O. Swan, the same individual as mentioned in the above described letter. ¶ Samuel Pomeroy Colt (1852-1921) was born Jan. 10, 1852, to Christopher Colt (brother of Samuel Colt, the arms maker) and his wife. He graduated from Columbia Law School in 1876 and was elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives where he served until 1879 when he became Rhode Island Assistant Attorney General. In 1882 he was elected Attorney General for the state. In 1886 he founded the Industrial Trust Company and served as its president until 1908. That company later became known as the Industrial National Bank and Fleet Bank. In 1887 he was appointed receiver of the bankrupt National Rubber Company which he reorganized and reopened in 1888 as the National India Rubber Company (which supplied hard rubber grips & buttplates to Colt Firearms and other makers). In 1892 he merged this company with several others he had acquired to form the United States Rubber Company, which became the world’s largest producer of rubber goods. In 1901 he became the president of that company and served until 1918 when he was appointed chairman of the board of trustees. In 1903 he unsuccessfully ran for governor of Rhode Island. In 1905 he ran for the U.S. Senate but withdrew. He died August 13, 1921. PROVENANCE: Dr. Joseph A. Murphy Collection. CONDITION: Revolver is extremely fine plus, probably unfired. Overall retains about 98-99% strong orig factory nickel, having a few minor, tiny flakes and one spot on the cylinder, with crisp clear etched panel. Screws, hammer & trigger retain most of their orig fire-blue. Grip is crisp with crisp checkering and retains about all of its orig factory varnish. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore. Case is sound and retains most of its orig finish on the outside. Lid lining is lightly faded & fragile but intact. The orig ribbon across the lid interior is missing. Bottom is lightly soiled and shows wear around revolver recesses and minor damage from the hammer spur. Cartridge recess silk cover is somewhat fragile with very slight fading. Altogether an exceptional & original presentation set. 4-36422 JR74 (25,000-50,000) 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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