Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Herb Houze
a little experience and know-how; but a few of the most basic features are mentioned here. For starters, turn the case over and see what the underside looks like. If there is no wear on it at all (or only the slightest) or it has been heavily refinished, then be wary. A genuine case always shows considerable wear on the underside and the wood itself is unfinished and will have acquired a nice patina that only age can give it. Following that, take a good look at the compartmenting and the overall fit. Genuine cases were well made by competent workmen; this is where many fakers fall down. Another feature worth checking is the condition of the material and the point where aging occurs. Normally a gun sitting in a case for a century will have caused certain indentations, grease marks and stains and there will be a certain amount of fading. None of these features will offer proof positive as to the originality of the case, but they are good starting points. Printed paper labels, usually “DIRECTIONS FOR LOADING” are often found intact, affixed to the inner lid of a Colt casing. They add interest and desirability to the outfit and possibly a small premium to value. Such labels have been copied, falsely aged and added to outfits to make them more attractive. They are most often encountered on mediocre conditioned outfits or an antique box relined to resemble an authentic Colt case. They should be closely examined.
Quite a few antique copies and infringements were made of Colt revolvers during the height of their popularity and fame. A few were even made in Europe under license from Col. Colt— most notably the Model 1851 Navy. A number of unauthorized copies of varying degrees of quality were made in Belgium, France, Turkey, Austria, Spain and probably Mexico. Some copies were made as late as the turn of the century or in the early 20th century. All are bona fide antique collector’s items and all are certainly considered suitable for inclusion in a Colt collection. Prices vary considerably with style, quality of workmanship, period of manufacture and, of course, condition. Most often encountered are copies of the Model 1851 Navy. Fine conditioned specimens of good workmanship bring comparable prices to the Hartford made Navies, possibly just slightly less. Those of lesser qualities (and there are many) usually bring less than 50 percent of Hartford made pieces. Dragoons were also copied, but not quite as faithfully as the Navies and usually undersized; they are valued considerably less. A few specimens exist of Paterson copies and are considered quite rare if a faithful facsimile. A number of less accurate copies were made only generally following the Colt pattern are considered peripheral to a Colt collection. In the later cartridge era, quite a few copies and spurious infringements were made. Generally speaking they bring considerably less (often but a fraction) than the price of the Colt after which they were fashioned. Quite a few interesting examples of single action infringements exist and represent interesting curiosa in a collection. Price-wise and quality-wise, they are far removed from the Colt made Single Action. Of course, the Confederate copies of Colts are a field to themselves and have been treated as such in their own chapter in this work.
In the last decades, with the popularity of reenactments of Civil War battles and revival of black powder muzzle loading shooting, a wide range of modern made, faithful, recreations of Colt revolvers have been produced and are readily available on the market. A small number of spurious repros, that is, those that have been fake-aged to resemble antiques, have filtered into the antique arms market. There should be no cause for alarm. The collector duped by one has no one to blame but himself. Although some repros have been quite cleverly aged, they rarely, if ever, have been found expert enough to fool even the novice who is armed with but the slightest degree of knowledge and common sense. It is hoped that this statement will not be construed as a challenge to the prospective faker! In every instance encountered or investigated it has been found that anyone selling these fakes knows exactly what they are and that usually the buyer has failed to exercise good judgment. There are many points about these reproductions that make them quite readily identifiable as such and as yet it has not been found that they are any threat to antique gun collecting. The buyer would do well to steer a wide path around anyone known handling this type of arm and passing them off as genuine antiques. The most often encountered disclaimer by one peddling such weapons, when asked as to its originality, is “…I don’t know, that’s the way I got it!”
Except for a limited amount of percussion revolvers made at Paterson, New Jersey (1836-42) and their short lived London, England factory (1852-57), all Colt revolvers, regardless of markings on the barrel, were made in the Hartford, Connecticut factories. Although the great bulk of Colt percussion revolvers bear the barrel markings “Address Sam’l Colt - New York City,” Colt merely maintained a large sales office there. The barrel markings were applied to take advantage of the name of that famed city since Colt felt that address lent his products more prestige than a Hartford address. The early Colts which bear Hartford markings, most notably those in the Model 1849 Pocket revolver series, had that address applied in order to distinguish them from regular Hartford production; such pieces were actually made from parts shipped back from the closed Colt London factory. Of the London marked pieces, basically only the Model 1849 and Model 1851 Navy were made there in quantity. Almost all others, even though bearing “London” markings of some type, were most likely made in the Hartford plant. The “London” markings were applied in Hartford with the pieces being specifically earmarked for sale abroad and to capture the English market. The complete story of these “London” guns and markings can be found discussed at great length in Colt reference works. Many interesting variations appear in them and some are extremely rare.
Low serial numbers are an enticing feature on all Colts. They in no way affect the appearance nor the operation of the piece nor represent a variance of any type; merely an eccentricity of Colt collecting. Anything with three digits or lower is most desirable in a Colt serial number and a premium may be added for it. If a two-digit number is present, the premium would be higher and if a single digit serial number, the premium may possibly double the price. There is no fixed rule and in most instances it is a case of “what the market will bear.” One will find that in some cases the number doesn’t impress everybody, and with a premium too high, even a top-notch collector would pass it by.
Colt collectors and researchers will be pleased to learn that factory records of serial numbers for some earlier percussion revolvers and the great majority of cartridge models remain in existence and have been maintained to the present. For percussion models the following are available in the specific serial ranges indicated: Model 1851 Navy Revolver: serials 98,000 to 132,000; Model 1861 Navy Revolver: Serial No. 1 through 12,000; Model 1860 Army Revolver: Serial No. 1 through 140,000. Some “Pocket Model 1849 Revolver” serials are available (best to inquire first by phone or letter); numbers also available for the Model 1871-72 Open Top revolver and all of the Single Action Armies through serial number range 343,000 (plus the single-action 44 rimfire. Also, most other cartridge handguns. Limited records are available for the Colt Lightning Rifles and most of the double-barrel 1878 and 1883 shotguns as well as other long arms. To acquire a detailed schedule of the varied information available and research fees applicable write to: COLT ARCHIVE PROPERTIES LLC., P.O. Box 1868, Hartford, Conn. 06144-1868 (telephone: 860-236-6311). Recently the archive offered a “premium telephone service” for the Colt Single-Action Revolvers and an “expedited phone service” for all other models.
New collectors will be pleased to learn there is an organization (founded in 1980) that has devoted itself specifically to Colt firearms. In addition to scheduled meetings, members receive a quarterly magazine which includes informative articles about many facets of Colt collecting. For further details, contact: COLT COLLECTORS ASSOCIATION, P.O. BOX 2241, LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA 95031...or their website: www.coltcollectorsassoc.com.
To acquire a general perspective and time sequence for all Colt models that are listed in this section, a very brief history of the Colt company is useful. The subject has been so widely and well covered in numerous works and at such great length and depth that to attempt a history would do it injustice. A chronological review of Colt company history appears in the appendix of The Book of Colt Firearms.
Samuel Colt (1814-1862) inventor of the revolver bearing his name, secured his first patent in February, 1836. A stock company known as the “Patent Arms Manufacturing