Colt 1851 3rd Model Navy Revolver Made in 1856

This is a Very Fine Condition Colt 1851 Navy Percussion Revolver that was made in 1856. Standard .36 Caliber with 6-shot cylinder and 7-1/2" Octagon Barrel. This one has all matching numbers and quite a bit of original finish remaining. It's a 3rd Model with the small oval trigger guard that followed the 1st and 2nd Model Squareback and preceded the large oval guard known as the 4th Model. The Colt Navy was an extremely popular model that saw use in the California Gold Rush, The American West, and the Civil War as well as numerous countries. Over 200,000 were produced in Sam Colt's Hartford Factory from 1850-73 with another 40,000+ manufactured at Colt's London factory from 1853-56. Quite a few of these Colt Navies were used in the American Civil War in both the Union and Confederate Armies. While many collectors will identify the Colt 1860 Army as the main sidearm of the Union, when the war started in April 1861, production for that model hadn't even reached 5,000 units whereas the Colt 1851 Navy had just passed the 100,000 mark in production and was much more common...especially in the first 2 years of the War. I believe General Robert E. Lee carried a Colt Navy in the 37,000 range throughout the war.

This one is in NRA Antique Fine Plus Condition and in impressive shape for being nearly 170 years old. The frame has over half of its original case colors remaining while there is 80% original blue remaining on the barrel. The cylinder has a excellent roll engraved scene with 10-15% original blue remaining overall. The loading lever and hammer still show some good case colors as well while the screws and trigger have portions of their original fire blue remaining. The brass trigger guard and backstrap retain 85% original silver plating and the bottomstrap has the initials of the original owner nicely inscribed. Unfortunately, we have no information as to whom this belonged to, just that it came out of New England and the last name starts with the letter "Q" which accounts for only about a quarter of 1% of the US population. Perhaps a sleuth could figure out who the original owner might have been. The grips are about 95% original varnish on the left side and about 80% on the right with a little worn spot...probably from sliding in a drawer. The mechanics are nice and the bore is Excellent with strong lands and grooves and still bright. This is a fantastic Colt Navy that is good enough to go in a case.

Item# i523

$4,895