Colts 1

Colt Factory Letter/This is an ULTRA RARE Colt Single Action, with Factory Letter. Originally Shipped in January 1887 to U.S. Government, as a Cavalry Colt. The United States Post Master General requested Colt Single Actions to Protect the Railway Mail from Train Robbers.  The Springfield Armory established a LOAN of 229 Revolvers. Sent in TWO shipments, One of 20 the second 209. Issued to Postal Clerks working the Railway Mail Service. What you must understand here is the postal system. ALL mail moved by train, and was sorted, and delivered by train. As the train pulled into a station, a Bag was grabbed by a special hook, in reverse a bag was left. The newly picked up mail was sorted into Pidgeon holed cabinets, to be ready for the next stop and drop. Originally the first  two  routes to  receive Colts were the San Francisco to NY routes. Why? GOLD and Government documents. The next, was the Omaha Neb. to Ogden UT routes. Eventually to all routes which had been plagued by Train Robbers. RESPONSIBILITY was taken very seriously. If you lost one, you had to pay the government back at $12.50. One clerk in Mandan ND, was robbed in his hotel room while sleeping, the Colt #120054 was taken, he had to repay the Government. IN 1890, the Government and USPS cancelled the loan on revolvers. BUT ONLY 226 were returned. Three were lost or unaccounted for. ONE, was allowed to remain with the RMS #119509, THIS REVOLVER  being sold here. The return also included issued ammunition and holsters ALL OF THIS INFORMATION can be found in the Text. A Study of the Colt Single Action Army, by Graham, Kopec and Moore. On pages 495 – 498 ALL Serial Numbers for the original 229 are listed. However, ONLY ONE REMAINED AS ORIGINAL.  After the return call sent with others to Springfield. Where they were used, and re-assembled as Artillery revolvers. ONLY ONE Original remains, this one offered for sale. If you have seen the Movie “The assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Bob Ford”, starring Brad Pitt,& Casey Affleck.  It graphically shows James Gang boarding the train, and immediately robbing the Mail/express car, Asking where is the Registered Pouch, then going through all the sorted mail seeking some thing of value to Rob. This happened far too many times, more so in the late 1800’s with the Wild Bunch etc… That is why the Post Master asked the Government for REVOLVERS , to defend the US Mail !!!

This is a very, very fine pair of Carved BULL HEAD  Mother of Peral Grips for a Colt Single action revolver. They date to the 1890’s period. They have that tincture of yellow in them showing their antique age, along with strong fire colors of radiance.

MOST IMPORTANT, they HAVE NO, IREPEAT No damage . No chipped corners etc… and no surface damage. These grips were on a Single Action at one time in the 1890’s, look at photo’s you will se the frame stain on the back sides !

These type grips are almost impossible to find, in fact so difficult collectors are buying entire revolvers to get the grips, then re- selling the revolver, keeping the grips. An expensive method

!!! If you have a single Action in your collection you want to ” dress up” and improve value, then this pair will do the job. **INTERESTING FACTOID: I just received a call from a friend and customer. He has an 1884 S.H. & Graham Catalogue. The cost of a single action army colt was $12. I you wanted it fully engraved  that would be $14, now IF YOU WANTED PEARL GRIPS, CARVED TO A Bull head PATTERN COST WOULD BE $18..AMAZING THE GRIPS WERE MORE COSTLY THAN THE REVOLVER  Therefore $2,850 is a very good price for this perfect carved grips !! 1884 vs. 2025

This is a very important change to collectors in Colt serialization of the Single Action production. SERIAL NO. 99,999, is the LAST one to leave the Colt factory with a matching serial number on the Cylinder. Starting at 100,000 serial numbers were no longer placed on cylinders. This Fact is verified in Keith Cochran’s Encyclopedia of Single Actions.

This Colt comes with Colt Factory: Letter. Shipped May 24, 1886 to Meachum, Arms, St. Louis As a 7-1/2 inch, blue. In 2025 the finish is mostly an original patina. Some blue traces remain, like on top of ejector housing, and miniscule spots here and there. Basically a Soft Original untouched gray Patina. Having NEVER been buffed or polished, all original. ALL parts are the Factory originals. ALL factory applied markings are present: barrel address, frame patents and ALL matching Serial Numbers, yes the last one with them on Cylinder. MOST IMPORTANT: the Working Actions, ALL function 100% correctly, all cocking is correct, safety, half cock, full cock, and the cylinder rotates and indexes perfectly. it  releases to fire NO mechanical issues. It has the EAGLE checkered Hard Rubber grips, totally correct. They have minimal and appropriate wear with no damage. A very fine Single Action from the 1880’s, a very attractive revolver, Along with verifying Colt Letter, and information from Cochrans Book. A fine SAA for any Collector!

The State of Texas has always been a highly sought after ship location for Colt Single Action Army revolvers. Dallas, Texas was one of the scarcest and most interesting, and the recipient and dealer was E.A. Worden. He was a well known figure in Dallas, forming Shooting Clubs and Sportsmen Clubs, not to mention, his Gun Store was well visited and he had a huge following. During his period, which lasted 55 years  nearest competitors were in Austin and Ft. Worth. During his time Dallas grew from a Cattle Camp on the Trinity River into a small metropolitan area. Important to know, many cattle drives going north passed thru Dallas, and many camped for the night or a few days to enjoy the water and feed offered by the Trinity River and grassy areas. No telling how many Cowboys stopped at his location to buy a Colt. WHAT makes this Colt SO INTERESTING is it was the Colt Single Action carried and owned by “himself” E.A. Wordon . The exterior grips has been checkered in a diamond pattern and many roughly carved initials E. A. W on both grips. but I believe they were applied by his descendants, to remember whose Colt this was, who the revolver belonged to.  IN THE INSIDE channel of the grips, neatly stamped is E.A. Worden, in both channels. This would have been his style and  choice, at least that’s what I think, either way highly identified as E.A. Worden’s Colt SAA .45. NO DOUBT this was his personal Colt SAA .45 !! Currently Serial No.4458X, from the 1878 production has a dark blue gray patina finish, all original and untouched. Some traces of plum patina. ALL Factory applied markings are clear and present: frame patents, barrel address, ALL matching serial numbers in correct locations and caliber of upper trigger guard shoulder.  ALL parts are the original parts, and IMPORTANT: the mechanical working action is perfect! ALL notches, cylinder rotation, indexing correctly, and locking tight, and releases to fire. NO mechanical issues. Along with this Colt comes an accumulated group of documentation from Historical Societies and The Dallas Morning News, plus a photo of E.A. Wordon from the Dallas Morning News.  He was a prominent figure in Dallas for 55 years and his obituary also comes with these documents. The Walnut grips show hand wear, no damage, and of course initials, but the certain ID is in the channel of the original grips neatly stamped E.A. Worden. If you are searching for a real Frontier Colt, A Texas Colt this is  solid Texas history. A Long Barrel  7-1/2 ” SAA .45 and relatively early production, owned by a well known Texan !! Additional Info: From the ” Texas Gun Trade” by Chris Hirsch, E.A. Worden was located at 734 Elm St. Dallas, Texas . He began in 1878, after arriving in Texas from Wisconsin. He took over the business from Francois Charlut, who had been there from 1875 – 1878. His knowledge was called upon in 1892 to testify in Court regarding firearms operation and cartridge knowledge. An important Colt dealer and Dallas Businessman.

This is INDEED A VERY SPECIAL OFFERING, simply stated there just were not many Dragoons engraved for the U.S. market. Most encountered were for the British trade. This 3rd Model Colt Dragoon of the 1856 production is Exhibition Level engraved by the Master of his time, Gustave Young. Serial No. 1594X has his personal touch throughout the engraved surface. Most notable the fully engraved hammer, with a Wolf’s head( both sides), and the Alligator engraved hammer top with the open mouth which appears to be eating the percussion cap when fired. The engraving is PERFECT , no stutters all smoothly executed lines and curves of the floral leaf style pattern. The surfaces covered are the Frame, Trigger Guard, Back Strap, hammer, barrel lug, and ram rod and very end of the barrel. the Colt Patent is hand cut inside a scroll banner on the left frame. the overall surface of the Dragoon is smooth with an UNTOUCHED NATURAL medium gray patina, The engraving is very distinct, with minimal to NO wear. The Cylinder if excellent, although somewhat faded, perhaps from use, the Indian Fight Cylinder scene is 98% present and visible !! Additionally important the ACID etched cylinder wreath framing is present showing: MODEL USMR ( United States Mounted Riflemen) then the matching serial number in the middle. below COLT’S PATENT. RARELY seen on DRAGOONS, as they were all used, and used and used ! The working action mechanics are 100% correct : cocking, all positions, indexing alignment, locking tight, releasing to fire, and a working rammer system, NO mechanical problems, none ! Beyond the metal surfaces, the brass trigger guard is profusely and ornately engraved, with Gustave Young’s always present chain border. To further enhance the beauty of the ” Steel Canvas” artwork, it has one piece IVORY grips. They have a soft Ivory color, and some darker aging markings perhaps from exposure to the elements However, they are a perfect fit and age equivalent with the Dragoon because they have a very slight shrinkage, quite normal to Ivory of 169 years old ! the brass trigger guard and back strap have the 169 year old “mustard” patina, UNTOUHED for that amount of time. ALL Colt Factory applied markings are present, ALL Serial Numbers are MATCHING , to include cylinder and WEDGE and all parts !! This is a magnificent specimen of a 3rd Dragoon and the artistic hand of Gustave Young, the King of Engravers. There are NOT many engraved Dragoon available to collectors, as not that many were done.

IMPORTANT COLT REVOLVER in THE SINGLE ACTION CALIBER OFFERINGS FROM COLT..1877..44/40

This is an incredibly rare and scarce Single Action, showing the introduction of a new caliber to the Colt line in Single Action revolvers. Serial No.4108X is the very beginnings of 44/40 for Colt. Officially introduced in 1878 as a standard caliber, like many things there were a few hundred 44/40 pistols made and shipped, but they were different! The difference being the gain Twist Rifling. All of this is explained in detail in the Colt Peacemaker Encyclopedia by Keith Cochran. The lowest serial number presently recorded is 41078, this one is only six numbers away! The letter states Blue, Barrel Not Listed, more than likely 7-1/2 inches. However, looking at the end of the barrel, sight etc.. it really has Factory appearance of 4-3/4 inches ! The current finish is a medium gray original untouched patina, with blue only present in the most protected areas.

This Colt Single Action, Serial No. 3964X presents an interesting characteristic found in Colt Factory Letters from the 33,000 – 39,000 Serial Range. Colt did not Factory Nickel plate any revolvers until 1877, the year of this Colt. Prior to that date all were sent to Adams Plating Co. Previous to that ALL SAA’s were Blue Finish. If you review many factory letters of this serial range, you find finish “blue”, which based on physical revolvers not correct. Perhaps a communications breakdown within the process of shipping. Anyway, this Colt letters Blue, .45, Barrel & Stocks unlisted. It was shipped on November 3rd, 1877, to a New York dealer, with a quantity of 25. This is a New York engraved Nickel finished revolver, with the style of Cuno Helfricht. Regrettably, the barrel has been reduced from 7-1/2 inches to 5-1/8 inches. The SAA has been engraved at a high level of quality, close to maximum coverage.. Then fitted ( 1877 ) with one piece Ivory grips. I might add the grips construction is as done in that period.

” THE GREAT WILDERNESS”, This is what this area was called. Geographically the town of Hamburg ( named after Hamburg Germany, as many names in Arkansas were, like Stuttgart etc…) sat at a confluence of rivers and later Railroads. This 5-1/2 inch SAA , Serial No.11084X, left the Colt factory as a Nickel finish in 1884. Currently you can see about 15-20% nickel still present, mostly barrel, ejector tube and back strap. ALL factory markings are vividly clear, and ALL serial numbers are matching. The Eagle H/R grips show only normal hand wear.

There is way more significance to this Colt, Serial No. 10712X. It was a participant in one of the most vicious gun battles, involving the arrest and death of George Weightman. He was known as “Red Buck”, and was the MOST wanted man in the Territory. He was so demented than Bill Doolin threw him out of the Indian Ty.gang !

All the details are contained in pages of the details of the event of March 1896. Three USD Marshals, Ventioner, Quillen and Holcomb attempted to arrest this Gang of Miller and “Red Buck” near Arapaho Ok. Ty. During this attempt a vicious gun battle erupted. One gang member, Miller had his right hand blown completely off, and all but two fingers on his left hand blown off. USD Marshal Ventioner was shot through the lower abdomen, by Red Buck right in front of the dug out. Holcomb was attempting to drag him to safety before Buck finished him off with a 2nd shot. Just then Red Buck fell dead with a shot thru the head, accredited to Bill Quillen. However, later it was said Ventioner shot Buck while laying there being dragged, HIGHLY improbable ! Note: A Minco, OK Newspaper published an article in 1896, stating Quillen had filed for the Reward for killing “Red Buck”. Either way this Colt was in the hands of Bill Quillen at the wild shootout in March 1896, Oklahoma Ty. There are many many more pages about this man and his history, the purchaser can read at his leisure. This Colt has about 60% or more original nickel plate finish, the balance is a soft gray patina. The cylinder represents the major loss of nickel and most of the patina. The Eagle Grips show normal wear and have crisp images and no damage. MOST IMPORTANT: despite it’s exciting life it remains 100% mechanically correct in every working action. ALL factory applied markings are clear and present. Due Note: 3 notches are present in 3 locations ! butt, trigger guard edge, and very end of the barrel past the sight !! With this Colt, they are the REAL deal !