Rare Colt 1895 US Navy Double Action Revolver with Holster Rig...Just Like Teddy Roosevelt's

This is a good US Navy marked Colt Model 1895 with a desirable antique serial number in the 89,000 range that comes complete with its original "USN" marked leather holster, "USN" cartridge box, and period military leather belt. This one was made in late 1897, just months before the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana, Cuba and the beginning of the Spanish-American War. When the Maine was salvaged, a Colt Model 1895 DA Revolver just like this one was found in the captain's safe in his cabin. That revolver was in the 16,000 range and was given to the Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy who happened to be none other than Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt had the 1895 cleaned up and wound up carrying it up San Juan Hill with the Rough Riders of the 1st USV Cavalry. If you look at the iconic photo of Roosevelt standing with his men under the American flag following the battle, you will see his black US Navy holster holding that 1895 on his belt. The Navy did not purchase many 1895's so even though this one is in the 89,000 range and Roosevelt's was in the 16,000 range..they are only a couple thousand Naval registration numbers apart. Furthermore, Colt skipped over large blocks of serial numbers from approximately 20,000 to 60,000 so they're a lot closer to one another than one would assume. Standard 6" barrel, caliber .38 Colt, blued finish, and checkered hard rubber grips. The original USN marked flap holster is in good condition, the ammo pouch has the wooden block for 6 individual cartridges of .38 Colt and 2 US Navy Brass/Wooden speed loaders (which are extremely rare)...if you ever see one BUY IT!

Overall, the gun grades to NRA Antique Very Good Condition. Despite it's Naval use, the frame still shows 60% of its original blue mixing with a brown patina. The cylinder is similar with 65% original blue while the trigger, hammer, and several screws also show portions of their original fire blue. Barrel has toned mostly to a brown patina mixing with a very faded age-darkened blue only about 20% good discernible blue present (mainly in the protected areas). This nice thing about this revolver is that unlike so many we find today, this one never had its USN property marks ground off the butt of the gun when they were decommissioned and sold as surplus on the civilian market. It reads "USN" over the Anchor, followed by "38 DA", "NO", Naval Registration Number 8143. Inspector's initials "FHS" for Navy Ensign Frank H. Schofield , and serial number #89246. From there, it has Naval inspector markings in the form of a Trident on the side of the trigger bow (frame), cylinder latch, and underneath the barrel. The rear face of the cylinder has a Triangle with the letter "S" inside which indicates inspection by civilian naval sub-inspector C.H Stevenson. These markings are akin to serial number #89808 which is described and pictured in Robert Best's book on Colt Double Action New Army and Navy Revolvers; a must have if you have Colt DA's. The assembly numbers (#246) are the last three digits of the serial number and are matching on the, inside of the frame, cylinder crane, and cylinder latch. At this point, Colt was no longer numbering their barrels and cylinders which is correct. The grips are correct US Navy Hard Rubber Grips with the plain "COLT" motif. The inside of the panels are matching and very lightly scratched by the Colt workman with the number "246". They fit the gun well, have no chips or breaks, and show the same amount of wear as the rest of the gun. The Barrel Address has the correct patent dates running from 1884 to 1895. Action cycles in Double and Single Action Modes but has definitely been used over the past 120+ years. It has a Good Plus Bore. The original US Navy Leather Flap Holster is in Good Condition overall. While we search all over for Colt DA's with early antique serial numbers, one of the most challenging variations to find are these US Navy Model 1895's.

We looked up other Colt 1895 US Navy Revolvers listed in Springfield Research from the National Archives very close to #89246 and it paints an interesting picture of when and by whom these 1895's were being used. Obviously, they were used by the US Navy aboard ship and by the US Marines who landed in Cuba and the Philippines during the Spanish-American War.. I would not be surprised if they were used in the Boxer Rebellion in China as well. From there as the 1895 was phased out of service in favor of the Colt 1911, they seem to turn up in the records at Coast Guard Stations, and a final entry shows one in storage at the Naval Yard in Philadelphia at the beginning of World War 2. Here are the results by Naval Registration Number (as the Navy usually did not record by serial number). While there is no record for 1895 Registration #8143 (SN#89246), we found some very close hits:

#8089 USCG Station 205 (From NAS Jacksonville) 1-7-22
#8170 Philadelphia 6-3-41
#8179 USCG Station 322 11-6-22
#8260 USS Manila 12-3-1900

The most famous Colt 1895 issued to the US Navy is #16334 which was the one Theodore Roosevelt used during the charges he made with the 1st USV Cavalry, a.k.a. "Rough Riders", up Kettle and San Juan Hills in 1898. So how did an officer in the US Army get his hands on a Navy issued Colt? Well, prior to joining the US Army, Roosevelt was actually the Assistant Secretary of the Navy and a very active one at that. The Colt was given to Roosevelt by his brother-in-law who recovered it during salvage work on the USS Maine after it mysteriously exploded and sank in Havana Harbor. Roosevelt, who was anxious to get into the war brewing between the United States and Spain over Cuba but he did one very interesting thing during his time as Secretary of Navy which lasted for one single day when the acting Secretary of the Navy was out of the office. This left Roosevelt in charge as acting Secretary and with the Maine already sunk, war brewing with Spain over Cuba, Roosevelt took it upon himself to order the US Navy's fleet in the Pacific to attack the Spanish Fleet in Manila Bay...yes, in the Philippines...that Manila Bay. Of course, by the time the Secretary of the Navy got back in the office, he found all kinds of telegraph wires littering the floor of his office with news that Admiral Dewey and his Pacific Squadron had loaded up coal in Hong Kong and were steaming to the Philippines. There wasn't a thing he could do about it, the Spanish Fleet was destroyed, and the United States ended up with control of the Philippines for the next 40 years until WW2. It's said that when President McKinley found out about the Spanish defeat at Manila Bay, he had to be shown where the Philippines were on a map. Can't you just see Teddy grinning as he resigned his position with the Navy and walked out the door to join the Rough Riders? Roosevelt joined the Army to help his friend Leonard Wood form the 1st US Volunteer Cavalry. As Leonard's XO in the 1st USV Cavalry, Roosevelt carried the 1895 recovered from the Maine with him to Cuba. He used it to kill two Spanish soldiers during the ascent up San Juan Hill. For his actions that day, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2001. If you look carefully at the photograph taken of Roosevelt and the Rough Riders standing under the American flag atop San Juan Hill, you'll notice Roosevelt is carrying a gun on his belt in what appears to be the standard US Navy flap holster. In contrast, the second soldier to Roosevelt's right has a standard US Army holster with the Army-style strap going over the handle of his Colt revolver. In spite of being sunk once, helping win a future US President the Medal of Honor, and having been stolen twice over the past half century, Roosevelt's famous Model 1895 is still in existence and kept on display at his home at Sagamore Hill, New York.

Great opportunity to pick up a real piece of American, Colt, US Naval, and Span-Am-War thru World War 2 History. Buyer Must be at least 21 years old. Pre-1898 Antique under Federal law. State and local laws may vary.

Item# i524

$2,150