October 05, 2005
October Playmate Of The Month
The following are pictures of an 1877 Colt Single Action Army Revolver, first generation and .45 LC caliber. It was given to me upon the death of my father-in-law who acquired it from his Grandfather. His father (Great Grandfather) was a Arizona Ranger in Bibee, Arizona. One of the most famous and sought after firearms, the "Peacemaker" is the stuff legends are made of.
This particular pistol was originally special ordered by a Dallas, Texas Gun dealer named E.A. Worden that it shipped to on April 15, 1877. The nickel plated factory engraved colts were relatively rare. The Steerhead motif was not. The 5 1/2 barrel shows the wear and tear of holster use and some of the engraving is worn as well. The serial numbers all match and it functions as well. I even have some of the blackpowder cartridges. I recently contacted one of Mr. Worden's relatives as well. D.F.C. on the Cylinder stands for David F. Clark, a Colt Factory inspector, that adds to its historical and monetary value.
Colt With Factory Authenticity Certificate
Ivory grip with Steerhead motif
Cylinder closeup with initals D.F.C., the man that inspected it at the factory
R.L. Wilson wrote a great book called "The Peacemakers" for reference. Also try HERE and HERE
Check out Auction #4168 it is a fine example of a similar pistol. (note the sn.#)
Posted by BillyBudd at October 5, 2005 08:51 PM | TrackBackThat is one beautiful piece! It looks like the holster is one of those nice hand carved ones too. You must have popped off all your shirt buttons by now.
Posted by: Mountain Mama at October 6, 2005 10:15 PMIt is, the holster is in bad shape as the leather is deteriorated badly. Any Ideas on how to preserve it?
Posted by: Billy Budd at October 6, 2005 10:21 PMWeapons can still have some beauty, but they aren't works of art like they used to be.
Posted by: Van Helsing at October 7, 2005 11:29 AMShe is a beauty.
Posted by: esther at October 7, 2005 10:15 PMAbout preserving leather, sorry BillyBud, I don't have a clue.
I would think if you talked to someone who works leather you might get some good advise.
That is a great looking pistol. I still have never held a gun with Ivory grips. This is almost incentive for me to hit the range today.
Posted by: gindy at October 8, 2005 10:08 AM