EXTRAORDINARILY RARE CASED FACTORY PRESENTATION QUALITY CHARTER OAK COLT MODEL 1849 POCKET.

EXTRAORDINARILY RARE CASED FACTORY PRESENTATION QUALITY CHARTER OAK COLT MODEL 1849 POCKET. SN 312376. Cal. 31. Blue & color case hardened with 5″ oct bbl, brass pin front sight and 1-line New-York U.S. America address. Frame is without Colt’s Patent marking. The silver plated trigger guard & back strap contain a 1-pc varnished Charter Oak grip with matching last four digits of SN in backstrap channel. Cyl is 6-shots and has the stagecoach holdup scene roll marking. The rammer lever has the last three digits of matching SN and the cyl & cyl spindle have the last four digits of matching SN. Accompanied by an orig, blue velvet lined, mahogany casing compartmented in bottom for the revolver, a sgl sided “COLT’S PATENT” eagle & stars flask, a presentation grade, high polish blue steel 2-cavity bullet mold with “COLT’S PATENT” sprue cutter, marked on right side “31 PKT”, an L-shaped nipple wrench, a functioning key and several lead bullets & balls. This is one of the final production models almost certainly intended for presentation with its extra finish blue on bbl and bullet mold along with the grip from the famed “Charter Oak”. The Charter Oak was a very historic tree that played an instrumental part in the founding of the State of Connecticut. On the night of a State Charter meeting the British sent troops to confiscate the new Connecticut charter. However patriots learned of the forthcoming raid and when the British arrived the lights were mysteriously extinguished and when they were re-lit the charter had disappeared. One of the committee members spirited the constitution out of town and hid it in the hollow of the venerable old oak, saving the charter. Thereafter the tree was referred to as the “Charter Oak”. In 1856 this old tree was destroyed in a wind storm and at the time it was estimated to have been 800-1,000 years old. Local Indians venerated the old tree. Numerous souvenir articles were produced from the wood and Samuel Colt obtained enough of the wood to produce a number of special grips for his presentation firearms, this being one of them. R.L. Wilson, in his “Colt Engraving Book”, pg 100 displays a presentation Colt 1849 Pocket SN 110003, and describes it as being the “only Charter Oak Model 1849 pocket revolver known to the author”. The gun presented here was unknown to the author as it has been in a private collection for the past 30 years. This extremely rare example is therefore one of two known and undoubtedly the last Charter Oak ever made. CONDITION: Very fine plus, all matching including cyl & grip, except wedge which is properly unnumbered. Bbl retains about 95-96% glossy high polish blue with muzzle & sharp edge wear, a couple of small scratches and several nicks & dings around the wedge slot; rammer handle retains brilliant case colors; frame & hammer retain most of their orig case colors, extremely bright on sides of frame, lightly faded on recoil shields; hammer retains extremely bright case colors on sides & rear edge with top edge faded to silver; trigger guard retains 80-85% strong orig silver and back strap 30-40% silver with the exposed brass a medium mustard patina; cyl retains 30-40% orig blue, showing about 95% stagecoach holdup scene; grip is sound showing wear on left edge and a few minor chips in the finish and overall retains about 90% strong orig varnish. Hammer is not solid in half cock notch, otherwise mechanics are fine; strong bright bore with moderate pitting. Case has a grain check in bottom with one loose bottom front corner, otherwise is completely sound with light storage & handling marks and retains about all of its bright orig varnish with bright polish on the lock escutcheon; interior is lightly faded & soiled with wear from the front sight & hammer spur and one re-glued partition; flask appears new and retains 96-97% orig finish with minor wear on collar and bright blue on spring with minor dulling on back side; mold retains 70-80% bright high polish blue with numerous nicks, dings & scratches and a bent left arm with crisp clean cavities; nipple wrench is near new. This is a truly rare opportunity to purchase a Charter Oak Colt. 4-45086 (65,000-95,000)

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
	2250	$0.00	EXTRAORDINARILY RARE CASED FACTORY PRESENTATION QUALITY CHARTER OAK COLT MODEL 1849 POCKET. SN 312376. Cal. 31. Blue & color case hardened with 5″ oct bbl, brass pin front sight and 1-line New-York U.S. America address. Frame is without Colt’s Patent marking. The silver plated trigger guard & back strap contain a 1-pc varnished Charter Oak grip with matching last four digits of SN in backstrap channel. Cyl is 6-shots and has the stagecoach holdup scene roll marking. The rammer lever has the last three digits of matching SN and the cyl & cyl spindle have the last four digits of matching SN. Accompanied by an orig, blue velvet lined, mahogany casing compartmented in bottom for the revolver, a sgl sided “COLT’S PATENT” eagle & stars flask, a presentation grade, high polish blue steel 2-cavity bullet mold with “COLT’S PATENT” sprue cutter, marked on right side “31 PKT”, an L-shaped nipple wrench, a functioning key and several lead bullets & balls. This is one of the final production models almost certainly intended for presentation with its extra finish blue on bbl and bullet mold along with the grip from the famed “Charter Oak”. The Charter Oak was a very historic tree that played an instrumental part in the founding of the State of Connecticut. On the night of a State Charter meeting the British sent troops to confiscate the new Connecticut charter. However patriots learned of the forthcoming raid and when the British arrived the lights were mysteriously extinguished and when they were re-lit the charter had disappeared. One of the committee members spirited the constitution out of town and hid it in the hollow of the venerable old oak, saving the charter. Thereafter the tree was referred to as the “Charter Oak”. In 1856 this old tree was destroyed in a wind storm and at the time it was estimated to have been 800-1,000 years old. Local Indians venerated the old tree. Numerous souvenir articles were produced from the wood and Samuel Colt obtained enough of the wood to produce a number of special grips for his presentation firearms, this being one of them. R.L. Wilson, in his “Colt Engraving Book”, pg 100 displays a presentation Colt 1849 Pocket SN 110003, and describes it as being the “only Charter Oak Model 1849 pocket revolver known to the author”. The gun presented here was unknown to the author as it has been in a private collection for the past 30 years. This extremely rare example is therefore one of two known and undoubtedly the last Charter Oak ever made. CONDITION: Very fine plus, all matching including cyl & grip, except wedge which is properly unnumbered. Bbl retains about 95-96% glossy high polish blue with muzzle & sharp edge wear, a couple of small scratches and several nicks & dings around the wedge slot; rammer handle retains brilliant case colors; frame & hammer retain most of their orig case colors, extremely bright on sides of frame, lightly faded on recoil shields; hammer retains extremely bright case colors on sides & rear edge with top edge faded to silver; trigger guard retains 80-85% strong orig silver and back strap 30-40% silver with the exposed brass a medium mustard patina; cyl retains 30-40% orig blue, showing about 95% stagecoach holdup scene; grip is sound showing wear on left edge and a few minor chips in the finish and overall retains about 90% strong orig varnish. Hammer is not solid in half cock notch, otherwise mechanics are fine; strong bright bore with moderate pitting. Case has a grain check in bottom with one loose bottom front corner, otherwise is completely sound with light storage & handling marks and retains about all of its bright orig varnish with bright polish on the lock escutcheon; interior is lightly faded & soiled with wear from the front sight & hammer spur and one re-glued partition; flask appears new and retains 96-97% orig finish with minor wear on collar and bright blue on spring with minor dulling on back side; mold retains 70-80% bright high polish blue with numerous nicks, dings & scratches and a bent left arm with crisp clean cavities; nipple wrench is near new. This is a truly rare opportunity to purchase a Charter Oak Colt. 4-45086 (65,000-95,000) 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.

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