Standard Catalog of Colt Firearms. Rick Sapp

condition with no chips or cracks. Overall condition very good. $1,295.”

      As did the following advertisement. Note that the gun and its presentation are very different from the previous, yielding a very different asking price:

       “Cased 1849 Colt Pocket Model, 5 inch barrel, 2 line New York address, SN 144XXX 1858, wood case and accessories. I will start with the fact that it appears this cased 49 had some moisture damage at one time. I believe that is why it was re-lined as a French fitted case, very well done and not recently. The lid does not close all the way down on the right corner, warped slightly, sets up about a 1/4 inch, but fixable. There are two spots of pitting on the 49 on the right side where it touched the case. Those are the negatives mentioned up front. I believe this Colt has always been cased. It has 85% scene, 80% safety pins remaining, 80% thin barrel blue, 50% frame and rammer case colors and 80% silver on the trigger guard and back strap. All the serial numbers match including the rammer and wedge. The action is correct, the bore is a shiny 8 to 9 and the barrel address and patent stamps are sharp. The original grips have only a small amount of edge wear with no chips or cracks and 98% of the varnish remaining. The flask is a double faced Eagle with pistol and flask. It is in fine condition with no dents or seam openings. I see these flasks out there in this condition for $450 to $700. The Colt stamped bullet mold has most of the original blue on the inside and thin blue on the outside and does not appear to have been used. The percussion tin is empty but it is an early Eley, London marked tin. The unopened ammo pack is in excellent condition. I feel that the wood case is an original case with restoration. I have more pictures of the case and accessories, if interested I will email them to you. An early 49 pre Civil War cased Pocket model with nice accessories at a fair price. Overall condition very good plus to fine. $3,995.”

       Model 1849, Wells-Fargo marked.

       London Model 1849 Pocket.

       LONDON MODEL 1849 POCKET

      Identical in configuration to the standard 1849 Pocket Revolver, the London-made models have a higher quality finish and their own serial numbers range from #1 to #11000. They were manufactured from 1853 through 1857. The ’49 London Pocket features a roll engraved cylinder scene and the barrels are stamped “ADDRESS COL. COLT/LONDON.” The first 265 revolvers produced, known as “early models,” have brass grip frames and small, round trigger guards. They are quite rare and worth approximately 50 percent more than the “standard model,” which has a steel grip frame and large oval trigger guard. Note that parts were interchanged between Hartford and London and thus, the presence of a London barrel stamping does not preclude its production in Hartford and vice versa. British versus U.S. proofing stamps are a clue to origin.

       Model 1851 Navy .36.

       MODEL 1851 NAVY

      This is undoubtedly the most popular percussion revolver Colt produced in the medium size and power range. It is a six-shot, .36-cal. percussion revolver with a 7.5 inch octagonal barrel and an attached loading lever weighing 2 lb., 10 oz. with the 6 inch barrel. The basic model has a case colored frame hammer and loading lever, with silver-plated brass grip frame and trigger guard. Early model trigger guards were squared and later models were rounded. Grips are varnished walnut. Colt manufactured more than 215,000 in Hartford and 42,000 in London between 1850 and 1873.

      The basic Navy features a roll-engraved cylinder scene of a battle between the navies of Texas and Mexico and is marked with the date May 16, 1843. There are three distinct barrel stampings: serial numbers #1 to #74000, “ADDRESS SAML. COLT NEW YORK CITY”; serial numbers #74001 to #101000 “ADDRESS SAML. COLT HARTFORD, CT.”; and serial numbers #101001 to #215000 “ADDRESS SAML. COLT NEW YORK U.S. AMERICA.” The left side of the frame is stamped “COLT’S/PATENT” on all variations. This model is also available with a detached shoulder stock, and values for the stocks today are nearly as high as for the revolver itself. The number of variations within the 1851 Navy designation – more than 100 from the Hartford and London factories, including one with a 12 inch barrel and peep sights – makes it necessary to read specialized text available on the subject. We furnish values for the major variations but again caution potential purchasers to acquire careful appraisals before a purchase.

       Model 1851 Navy, Third Model.

      NOTE: This advertisement for an 1851 Navy recently appeared at AntiqueGunList.com:

       “1851 Navy, U.S. marked and militarily issued, 90XXX range (1860) and matching except for wedge (which is missing) and arbor pin (which probably was matching but has been shortened and thus SN is gone). Extremely desirable large-guard iron strapped Navy-Navy variation and having the Hartford address, which is very good as are the frame markings and serial numbers. The Naval battle cylinder scene is virtually all gone except for the serial line and some faint traces of the wave bottoms at the rear portion of the cylinder. Overall, the metal is quite nice and smooth with no appreciable heavy pitting and perhaps just some VERY minor insignificant freckling here and there. Color is basically a thin dark grey-brown over most of the surface with some patches of lighter grey on the frame area. Grips are VG, look to be the originals to this gun, but do have one mentionable chip at a toe edge on the right grip, which is visible in the one photo. Mechanically it seems to operate OK and the bore is quite decent, but the hammer spur will need to be rebuilt at the top (or hammer replaced) as it is missing about 1/2” of the thumb piece checkered portion. And as mentioned, the arbor pin (cylinder axle pin) has also been shortened and should also be replaced so as to use a standard replacement wedge. Currently, it has a small brass wedge, which does work to hold the barrel in place but quite obviously is incorrect. All in all, it is a VERY scarce and desirable military issued Navy-Navy (these iron strapped variations having been issued to the Navy and the brass strapped versions issued to the Army), and certainly WELL worthy of some minor refurbishing and restoration. Normally, these iron strapped Hartfords are priced beginning in the two to three thousand (and up) range for a similar conditioned military Navy; this one is well below that figure. And for the medium-grade collector of Navies or Civil War Martial Revolvers, this is a VERY good value and a VERY difficult gun to ever come across anywhere but the most advanced gun shows or auctions. Read the Swayze book on the Colt 1851s for a full description and rarity of this variation ...and some good in-depth research might also uncover the ship or unit it was issued to originally as well as the battle records. Good+ $1,850.”

       SQUARE BACK TRIGGER GUARD, 1 ^ST MODEL

      Barrel wedge above the screw. Serial numbered #1 to #1000.