EXTREMELY RARE FACTORY ENGRAVED NICKEL & GOLD COLT MODEL 1877 THUNDERER DA REVOLVER.

EXTREMELY RARE FACTORY ENGRAVED NICKEL & GOLD COLT MODEL 1877 THUNDERER DA REVOLVER. SN 3508. Cal. 41 Colt. Rare nickel & gold finish with 3-1/2″ bbl, most unusual long gold plated front sight with scallop cutout of the back edge. It is made without ejector housing and has 2-line address with “COLT D.A. 41.” stamped in a ribbon on left side. Left side of frame has usual 3-line patent dates with caliber marking on left rear web of trigger guard. Mounted with 2-pc rampant Colt birdshead hard rubber grips. This revolver is engraved by Eugene Young in his minimalist style with about 40% coverage wonderfully executed foliate arabesque patterns without background. Top of back strap is engraved in a beautiful fan pattern with foliate arabesque patterns on back strap, trigger guard and top edge of hammer. Butt of revolver is engraved in period script “W.L. Berg”. Cylinder is engraved in matching patterns on the lands between the flutes and with a zig zag border around the rear edge. Cylinder, hammer, trigger, base pin & front sight are all gold-plated while the frame, bbl & grip frame are nickel plated. Accompanied by a Colt factory letter identifying this revolver in caliber 41 Colt, bbl length illegible, nickel & gold finish, type of stocks not listed and factory engraved, sold to H.O. Berg, address unavailable, shipped to W.S. Berg, address unavailable on May 13, 1893 in a 1-gun shipment. Interpretation of period script in the Factory ledger may account for the discrepancy between Colt letter and engraved initials observed on gun. Hart O. Berg (1865-1941)was an American, an engineer, a businessman, entrepreneur, automobile manufacturer and at one time the Director of External Affairs for the Belgian firm of Fabrique Nationale (FN). In 1897 FN sent Mr. Berg to Hartford, CT to investigate U.S. techniques of bicycle manufacturing. By happenstance while visiting Colt Mfg, Berg encountered John M. Browning, the world’s most prolific firearms inventor, and convinced him to allow FN to manufacture Browning’s .32ACP semi-auto pistol. Additionally in 1902, he established the Berg Automobile Co. in Cleveland. His model, the Euclid, was first shown at the 1903 New York Auto Show. The Euclid was produced only in 1904-05 with a European design flair. Subsequently, Berg sold out to the Worthington Automobile Co. of NY and joined up with Orville & Wilbur Wright as their business agent. Through his foreign contacts he arranged for Wilbur Wright to give demonstrations to the French government. On Aug. 8, 1908 Wilbur Wright made a flight in France and became an instant hero throughout Europe with front page articles in virtually every European newspaper. Then on Sept. 3, 1908 Orville Wright gave the demonstration to the Signal Corps at Fort Meyer, VA. So while it is likely that the world’s governments would eventually come to realize the importance of aviation, it is certain beyond all reasonable doubt that Mr. Berg is responsible for its early introduction. Berg’s wife, Edith, in Sept. 1908, became the first American woman to fly as a passenger in an airplane when Wilbur Wright took her up for a 2-minute 7-second ride during one of his demonstrations in LeMans, France. CONDITION: Extremely fine plus. Bbl & frame retain virtually all of their orig bright nickel finish with only very slight losses on the toe of the butt strap. Cylinder retains about 50% bright gold plating, mostly in the flutes and front & back faces. Major diameter of the cyl has the gold worn away to expose the nickel underneath. Hammer retains strong gold plating on the sides & rear edge with a couple of small flaked spots on left side and traces of gold on top edge. Front sight retains most of its orig gold as does the base pin. Trigger retains strong bright gold on rear face, worn thin on front face & edges. Grips are sound with light diamond point wear and moderate sharp edge wear. Mechanics are fine, bright shiny bore, probably unfired. 4-42717 JR124 (15,000-25,000)

Auction: Firearms - Fall 2011

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
	2086	$28,750.00	EXTREMELY RARE FACTORY ENGRAVED NICKEL & GOLD COLT MODEL 1877 THUNDERER DA REVOLVER. SN 3508. Cal. 41 Colt. Rare nickel & gold finish with 3-1/2″ bbl, most unusual long gold plated front sight with scallop cutout of the back edge. It is made without ejector housing and has 2-line address with “COLT D.A. 41.” stamped in a ribbon on left side. Left side of frame has usual 3-line patent dates with caliber marking on left rear web of trigger guard. Mounted with 2-pc rampant Colt birdshead hard rubber grips. This revolver is engraved by Eugene Young in his minimalist style with about 40% coverage wonderfully executed foliate arabesque patterns without background. Top of back strap is engraved in a beautiful fan pattern with foliate arabesque patterns on back strap, trigger guard and top edge of hammer. Butt of revolver is engraved in period script “W.L. Berg”. Cylinder is engraved in matching patterns on the lands between the flutes and with a zig zag border around the rear edge. Cylinder, hammer, trigger, base pin & front sight are all gold-plated while the frame, bbl & grip frame are nickel plated. Accompanied by a Colt factory letter identifying this revolver in caliber 41 Colt, bbl length illegible, nickel & gold finish, type of stocks not listed and factory engraved, sold to H.O. Berg, address unavailable, shipped to W.S. Berg, address unavailable on May 13, 1893 in a 1-gun shipment. Interpretation of period script in the Factory ledger may account for the discrepancy between Colt letter and engraved initials observed on gun. Hart O. Berg (1865-1941)was an American, an engineer, a businessman, entrepreneur, automobile manufacturer and at one time the Director of External Affairs for the Belgian firm of Fabrique Nationale (FN). In 1897 FN sent Mr. Berg to Hartford, CT to investigate U.S. techniques of bicycle manufacturing. By happenstance while visiting Colt Mfg, Berg encountered John M. Browning, the world’s most prolific firearms inventor, and convinced him to allow FN to manufacture Browning’s .32ACP semi-auto pistol. Additionally in 1902, he established the Berg Automobile Co. in Cleveland. His model, the Euclid, was first shown at the 1903 New York Auto Show. The Euclid was produced only in 1904-05 with a European design flair. Subsequently, Berg sold out to the Worthington Automobile Co. of NY and joined up with Orville & Wilbur Wright as their business agent. Through his foreign contacts he arranged for Wilbur Wright to give demonstrations to the French government. On Aug. 8, 1908 Wilbur Wright made a flight in France and became an instant hero throughout Europe with front page articles in virtually every European newspaper. Then on Sept. 3, 1908 Orville Wright gave the demonstration to the Signal Corps at Fort Meyer, VA. So while it is likely that the world’s governments would eventually come to realize the importance of aviation, it is certain beyond all reasonable doubt that Mr. Berg is responsible for its early introduction. Berg’s wife, Edith, in Sept. 1908, became the first American woman to fly as a passenger in an airplane when Wilbur Wright took her up for a 2-minute 7-second ride during one of his demonstrations in LeMans, France. CONDITION: Extremely fine plus. Bbl & frame retain virtually all of their orig bright nickel finish with only very slight losses on the toe of the butt strap. Cylinder retains about 50% bright gold plating, mostly in the flutes and front & back faces. Major diameter of the cyl has the gold worn away to expose the nickel underneath. Hammer retains strong gold plating on the sides & rear edge with a couple of small flaked spots on left side and traces of gold on top edge. Front sight retains most of its orig gold as does the base pin. Trigger retains strong bright gold on rear face, worn thin on front face & edges. Grips are sound with light diamond point wear and moderate sharp edge wear. Mechanics are fine, bright shiny bore, probably unfired. 4-42717 JR124 (15,000-25,000) Auction: Firearms - Fall 2011 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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