SCARCE MAHOGANY CASED & DELUXE ENGRAVED COLT 3RD MODEL HARTFORD-LONDON DRAGOON, SN 18.

SCARCE MAHOGANY CASED & DELUXE ENGRAVED COLT 3RD MODEL HARTFORD-LONDON DRAGOON, SN 18. SN 18. Cal. 44. Cased & profusely engraved (one of only six known to be deluxe engraved) Hartford-London Dragoon SN 18 mfg ca. 1853. Blue & color case hardened with 7-1/2″ oct to rnd bbl, German silver front sight. Hand-engraved barrel address “COLN COLT. LONDON” reading from breech to muzzle (one of five known) and also hand-engraved “COLTS. PATENT.” within an unfurled banner on left side of the profusely engraved frame. It has usual 6-shot cyl with the Dragoon Indian fight scene roll marking and five of its six safety pins mostly serviceable. It has a silver-plated brass back-strap, small rounded silver-plated brass trigger-guard and select burl walnut one-piece grips. Loading lever entering from the right side of the loading lever assembly, no bevel on the cut-out, short trigger (one of nine recorded), vertical loading lever catch and stacked British proof-marks on the barrel. Frame has full coverage, wonderfully executed foliate arabesque patterns on sides with fine shaded background and foliate & floral engraving on recoil shields. Hammer is lightly engraved on sides of spur with dolphin motif on top edge. Bbl lug has full coverage foliate arabesque patterns with British proofs on sides and a nice border around the address on the top flat. There is a scalloped border on the bbl at the transition and around the muzzle. Top of backstrap has a wonderfully executed fan pattern with foliate arabesque patterns, a fine border pattern down the backstrap with engraving patterns at top & heel, also on buttstrap & trigger bow. Wedge & rammer are engraved to match. Wedge is unnumbered and rammer handle has the number “37”. Accompanied by a rare orig mahogany English casing with empty brass panel in the lid. It is blue velvet lined and compartmented in bottom for the revolver, a silver plated Sykes Patent bag flask, a brass 2-cavity “COLTS PATENT” bullet mold with steel sprue cutter, a Hawksley pewter oil bottle, an L-shaped nipple wrench/screwdriver, an all metal English cleaning rod and a rosewood screw-lid bits box containing one spare nipple. This exact revolver is pictured on p 148 of “Colt Engraving” by R.L. Wilson, and on p 234 of “The Colt Engraving Book” Vol.1 by R.L. Wilson and p 137 of “Colonel Colt London” by Joseph G. Rosa. Engraved dragoon revolvers are quite rare and cased examples are extremely rare. It has been estimated from collated research, that fewer than 10% of Hartford-London Dragoons were factory engraved and this one, with deluxe engraving, perhaps only 1% of the 700 produced. PROVENANCE: Arnold M. Chernoff Collection. Chester Bonoff Collection. Pete Holder Collection. Damien Scattizi Collection. CONDITION: Fine, all matching except wedge & grip. Bbl retains about 60% orig blue with the loss areas flaked to a medium patina; rammer handle is a gray/brown patina; frame retains dark case colors in sheltered areas being mostly a silver/brown patina; cyl is mostly a silver/brown patina with a large area of light pitting, some dents & dings around the front edge that were dressed out; two of the British proof marks on the cyl appear to have been double struck and overall retains about 25-30% Dragoon/Indian fight scene; trigger guard & backstrap retain 30-40% thin silver plating. Grip is sound, a little undersized for the frame and overall retains a smooth oil finish. Mechanics are fine, strong bright bore with scattered pitting. Case is sound with numerous handling & storage nicks & scratches and retains 80-85% orig varnish; interior is lightly to moderately faded with moderate soil in the bottom; flask retains most of its fine silver plating with bright blue spring; mold has a few light nicks & dings with fine cavities and a crisp light mustard patina; other accessories are fine. 4-48352 (37,500-47,500)

Auction: Firearms - Fall 2013

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
	2115	$0.00	SCARCE MAHOGANY CASED & DELUXE ENGRAVED COLT 3RD MODEL HARTFORD-LONDON DRAGOON, SN 18. SN 18. Cal. 44. Cased & profusely engraved (one of only six known to be deluxe engraved) Hartford-London Dragoon SN 18 mfg ca. 1853. Blue & color case hardened with 7-1/2″ oct to rnd bbl, German silver front sight. Hand-engraved barrel address “COLN COLT. LONDON” reading from breech to muzzle (one of five known) and also hand-engraved “COLTS. PATENT.” within an unfurled banner on left side of the profusely engraved frame. It has usual 6-shot cyl with the Dragoon Indian fight scene roll marking and five of its six safety pins mostly serviceable. It has a silver-plated brass back-strap, small rounded silver-plated brass trigger-guard and select burl walnut one-piece grips. Loading lever entering from the right side of the loading lever assembly, no bevel on the cut-out, short trigger (one of nine recorded), vertical loading lever catch and stacked British proof-marks on the barrel. Frame has full coverage, wonderfully executed foliate arabesque patterns on sides with fine shaded background and foliate & floral engraving on recoil shields. Hammer is lightly engraved on sides of spur with dolphin motif on top edge. Bbl lug has full coverage foliate arabesque patterns with British proofs on sides and a nice border around the address on the top flat. There is a scalloped border on the bbl at the transition and around the muzzle. Top of backstrap has a wonderfully executed fan pattern with foliate arabesque patterns, a fine border pattern down the backstrap with engraving patterns at top & heel, also on buttstrap & trigger bow. Wedge & rammer are engraved to match. Wedge is unnumbered and rammer handle has the number “37”. Accompanied by a rare orig mahogany English casing with empty brass panel in the lid. It is blue velvet lined and compartmented in bottom for the revolver, a silver plated Sykes Patent bag flask, a brass 2-cavity “COLTS PATENT” bullet mold with steel sprue cutter, a Hawksley pewter oil bottle, an L-shaped nipple wrench/screwdriver, an all metal English cleaning rod and a rosewood screw-lid bits box containing one spare nipple. This exact revolver is pictured on p 148 of “Colt Engraving” by R.L. Wilson, and on p 234 of “The Colt Engraving Book” Vol.1 by R.L. Wilson and p 137 of “Colonel Colt London” by Joseph G. Rosa. Engraved dragoon revolvers are quite rare and cased examples are extremely rare. It has been estimated from collated research, that fewer than 10% of Hartford-London Dragoons were factory engraved and this one, with deluxe engraving, perhaps only 1% of the 700 produced. PROVENANCE: Arnold M. Chernoff Collection. Chester Bonoff Collection. Pete Holder Collection. Damien Scattizi Collection. CONDITION: Fine, all matching except wedge & grip. Bbl retains about 60% orig blue with the loss areas flaked to a medium patina; rammer handle is a gray/brown patina; frame retains dark case colors in sheltered areas being mostly a silver/brown patina; cyl is mostly a silver/brown patina with a large area of light pitting, some dents & dings around the front edge that were dressed out; two of the British proof marks on the cyl appear to have been double struck and overall retains about 25-30% Dragoon/Indian fight scene; trigger guard & backstrap retain 30-40% thin silver plating. Grip is sound, a little undersized for the frame and overall retains a smooth oil finish. Mechanics are fine, strong bright bore with scattered pitting. Case is sound with numerous handling & storage nicks & scratches and retains 80-85% orig varnish; interior is lightly to moderately faded with moderate soil in the bottom; flask retains most of its fine silver plating with bright blue spring; mold has a few light nicks & dings with fine cavities and a crisp light mustard patina; other accessories are fine. 4-48352 (37,500-47,500) Auction: Firearms - Fall 2013 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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