Later Colts
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This page describes Historical Arms that were recently sold at auction by registered auction houses.
ArtHitParade is not selling, offering or purchasing any commercial product whatever it is. This content is offered for a purpose of cultural and historical information.
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Historical arms Wild West
Chronology : 1880
ArtHitParade is not selling, offering or purchasing any commercial product whatever it is. This content is offered for a purpose of cultural and historical information.
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Historical arms Wild West
Chronology : 1880
1868 Navy Revolver ex Wild Bill Hickok
2022 SOLD for $ 620K by RIAC
James B. Hickok, adequately nicknamed Wild Bill, was a figure of the Wild West. This skilled gunfighter improved his reputation of a folk hero by his fictitious legends about his own shoots, as some others also did.
He used to hang on his belt a pair of factory engraved ivory handled Colt Model 1851 Navy percussion revolvers, dated 1868 from their serial numbers, certainly acquired new by him.
Wild Bill was murdered in 1876 in the Dakota Territory, later South Dakota, in a saloon while playing poker. His pair of Colts was immediately sold, possibly auctioned, to pay the funerals.
One of them surfaced still loaded in 1982 from a dealer who had traded it several years before. It had an earlier narrated provenance from South Dakota. The Cody Firearms Museum already had the pairing piece from a donation and reconstituted the pair on loan.
The 1982 discovery in fair condition was sold for $ 620K from a lower estimate of $ 140K by RIAC on May 15, 2022, lot 3116. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
He used to hang on his belt a pair of factory engraved ivory handled Colt Model 1851 Navy percussion revolvers, dated 1868 from their serial numbers, certainly acquired new by him.
Wild Bill was murdered in 1876 in the Dakota Territory, later South Dakota, in a saloon while playing poker. His pair of Colts was immediately sold, possibly auctioned, to pay the funerals.
One of them surfaced still loaded in 1982 from a dealer who had traded it several years before. It had an earlier narrated provenance from South Dakota. The Cody Firearms Museum already had the pairing piece from a donation and reconstituted the pair on loan.
The 1982 discovery in fair condition was sold for $ 620K from a lower estimate of $ 140K by RIAC on May 15, 2022, lot 3116. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Single Action Army Revolver
1
1872 number 1
2009 SOLD for $ 860K by Greg Martin
On January 18, 2009, Greg Martin auctioned a collection of Colts, split in 77 lots.
Lot 51 is the serial number 1 of the Colt Single Action Army (SAA) revolver, patented in 1871 and 1872. For Americans, this six shots handgun is the "Colt that Won the West," and it was nicknamed "Peacemaker".
Here's what this firearm was then supposed telling to its owner. You will appreciate the true Western charm of this four lines of poetry:
"Be not afraid of any man,
No matter what his size,
Just call on me in time of need,
and I will equalize."
This prestigious example went to Christie's in 1987 and received in the same year a leather showcase. After the sale, the purchaser has made some miniature replica edited by the U.S. Historical Society, Richmond, Virginia, with the authorization of the Colt company.
In a mere fine condition, it was sold for $ 860K from a lower estimate of $ 500K.
Lot 51 is the serial number 1 of the Colt Single Action Army (SAA) revolver, patented in 1871 and 1872. For Americans, this six shots handgun is the "Colt that Won the West," and it was nicknamed "Peacemaker".
Here's what this firearm was then supposed telling to its owner. You will appreciate the true Western charm of this four lines of poetry:
"Be not afraid of any man,
No matter what his size,
Just call on me in time of need,
and I will equalize."
This prestigious example went to Christie's in 1987 and received in the same year a leather showcase. After the sale, the purchaser has made some miniature replica edited by the U.S. Historical Society, Richmond, Virginia, with the authorization of the Colt company.
In a mere fine condition, it was sold for $ 860K from a lower estimate of $ 500K.
2
1874 Cavalry
2022 SOLD for $ 760K by RIAC
A cavalry example of the Colt Single Action Army revolver with a battlefield history from the most famous event of the Indian Wars was sold for $ 760K from a lower estimate of $ 350K by RIAC on May 14, 2022, lot 1135. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This .45 Long gauge Colt had been released from factory in 1874 within a lot of five attributed to the 7th Cavalry just before that company departed for the Black Hills expedition. After the battle of the Little Bighorn famous as the Custer massacre in 1876, it was picked with its worn Civil War period holster on the battlefield by a Native American villager.
The Indian kept it proudly and carefully as a war relic. In 1915 an elderly Native traded it in a shop near Denver for a pair of pants and a blanket and narrated its origin. It remained for four generations in the family of the shop owner. Its condition remains extremely fine overall and mechanically excellent in its original Cavalry model configuration.
This .45 Long gauge Colt had been released from factory in 1874 within a lot of five attributed to the 7th Cavalry just before that company departed for the Black Hills expedition. After the battle of the Little Bighorn famous as the Custer massacre in 1876, it was picked with its worn Civil War period holster on the battlefield by a Native American villager.
The Indian kept it proudly and carefully as a war relic. In 1915 an elderly Native traded it in a shop near Denver for a pair of pants and a blanket and narrated its origin. It remained for four generations in the family of the shop owner. Its condition remains extremely fine overall and mechanically excellent in its original Cavalry model configuration.
3
1876 DeLuxe
2009 SOLD for $ 700K by James D. Julia
The Single Action Army (SAA) Colt revolver was an unprecedented success, with 357,000 units manufactured between 1873 and 1941. It is nicknamed the Peacemaker and also the Long Colt. It was designed for the US military with a .45 gauge. From the very first year some variants are prepared for export, starting with Prussia and England.
This firearm is made for use, not for prestige. The first opportunity to adorn SAAs with factory engraved panels is the Centennial Exhibition held in Philadelphia in 1876. The Colt's Fire Arms Co showcase is decorated with a spectacular rose window of revolvers including an inner circle of sixteen SAAs.
One of them, a .45 in superb condition, was sold for $ 700K by Julia in March 17, 2009, lot 2032. The abundant engraving on nickel is attributed to Herman Ulrich. The side panels are illustrated respectively of a wolf and a bear in action in a mountain landscape. The rest of the piece is almost entirely embellished with foliated arabesques, plus a few secondary panels with floral motifs.
An engraved SAA was sold for $ 520K by RIAC on December 6, 2019, lot 31. Its serial number corresponds to a manufacture in 1879. The side panels are illustrated respectively of a bear hunt and a buffalo hunt, and a third panel shows a Native American on horseback.
All elements converge to consider it is as a piece of exhibition. It is in an almost mint condition with 95% of its original finish. Unknown up to now, it does not appear in Colt's sales records. The quality of the engraving by Herman Ulrich or Gustave Young is similar to the Centennial example described above. The best scenario is that this revolver was prepared for the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880, in which the Colt company participated, and that it was never returned to the stock. Please watch the video in which Kevin Hogan, president of the auction house, narrates his investigation.
This firearm is made for use, not for prestige. The first opportunity to adorn SAAs with factory engraved panels is the Centennial Exhibition held in Philadelphia in 1876. The Colt's Fire Arms Co showcase is decorated with a spectacular rose window of revolvers including an inner circle of sixteen SAAs.
One of them, a .45 in superb condition, was sold for $ 700K by Julia in March 17, 2009, lot 2032. The abundant engraving on nickel is attributed to Herman Ulrich. The side panels are illustrated respectively of a wolf and a bear in action in a mountain landscape. The rest of the piece is almost entirely embellished with foliated arabesques, plus a few secondary panels with floral motifs.
An engraved SAA was sold for $ 520K by RIAC on December 6, 2019, lot 31. Its serial number corresponds to a manufacture in 1879. The side panels are illustrated respectively of a bear hunt and a buffalo hunt, and a third panel shows a Native American on horseback.
All elements converge to consider it is as a piece of exhibition. It is in an almost mint condition with 95% of its original finish. Unknown up to now, it does not appear in Colt's sales records. The quality of the engraving by Herman Ulrich or Gustave Young is similar to the Centennial example described above. The best scenario is that this revolver was prepared for the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880, in which the Colt company participated, and that it was never returned to the stock. Please watch the video in which Kevin Hogan, president of the auction house, narrates his investigation.
4
1880-1881 the revolver that killed Billy the Kid
2021 SOLD for $ 6M by Bonhams
From 1878 in New Mexico, the Lincoln County War is a conflict without mercy between gangs for the control of cattle and horses. The very young Billy the Kid, a robber from the age of 16, a murderer for any reason and a federal fugitive, went to be one of these gang leaders. He used several names in his short life, all of them in relation with his family.
In November 1880, Pat Garrett is elected sheriff of the county. Although his term was to begin on January 1, he immediately obtains a commission to pursue Billy the Kid within the limits of the county. On December 13 a $ 500 bounty is posted by the governor for the capture of the outlaw.
On December 23 Billy the Kid and his whole gang are captured by Garrett and his men. Sentenced to hang, Billy escapes from custody on April 28. While in jail his notoriety had raised through the local gazettes.
Garrett is not yet awarded with the bounty. On July 14, in search for the fugitive, he discusses the issue with a ranch owner. Around midnight a man enters the room in the dark. Garrett will state that he had recognized the voice of Billy the Kid. He fires twice and kills the man.
The revolver that killed Billy the Kid is a Colt Single Action Army made in 1880, taken near new by Garrett when he arrested the gang on November 23. It was sold for $ 6M from a lower estimate of $ 2M by Bonhams on August 27, 2021, lot 11.
The corpse was certified by the local justice of the peace but the reward was not paid to Garrett. He managed to respond to the rumors that he had been unfair. His biographical account of Billy the Kid co-authored by an itinerant journalist was considered as factual in period. It contributed to transform that ferocious but enigmatic desperado into the major folk hero of the Wild West.
A doubt still subsists on who was killed by Garrett on July 14. On July 28 a local newspaper reported that the outlaw had allowed his beard to grow and had stained his skin brown to look like a Mexican. Dead or alive, the mythic gang leader never resumed his criminal industry.
In November 1880, Pat Garrett is elected sheriff of the county. Although his term was to begin on January 1, he immediately obtains a commission to pursue Billy the Kid within the limits of the county. On December 13 a $ 500 bounty is posted by the governor for the capture of the outlaw.
On December 23 Billy the Kid and his whole gang are captured by Garrett and his men. Sentenced to hang, Billy escapes from custody on April 28. While in jail his notoriety had raised through the local gazettes.
Garrett is not yet awarded with the bounty. On July 14, in search for the fugitive, he discusses the issue with a ranch owner. Around midnight a man enters the room in the dark. Garrett will state that he had recognized the voice of Billy the Kid. He fires twice and kills the man.
The revolver that killed Billy the Kid is a Colt Single Action Army made in 1880, taken near new by Garrett when he arrested the gang on November 23. It was sold for $ 6M from a lower estimate of $ 2M by Bonhams on August 27, 2021, lot 11.
The corpse was certified by the local justice of the peace but the reward was not paid to Garrett. He managed to respond to the rumors that he had been unfair. His biographical account of Billy the Kid co-authored by an itinerant journalist was considered as factual in period. It contributed to transform that ferocious but enigmatic desperado into the major folk hero of the Wild West.
A doubt still subsists on who was killed by Garrett on July 14. On July 28 a local newspaper reported that the outlaw had allowed his beard to grow and had stained his skin brown to look like a Mexican. Dead or alive, the mythic gang leader never resumed his criminal industry.
5
1888 embellished by Nimschke
2025 SOLD for $ 1.65M by RIAC
L. D. Nimschke was a freelance engraver who embellished US firearms from all major gunmakers. He managed his own shop in Brooklyn.
His pair of Remington revolvers presented to General Grant during the Civil War was sold for $ 5.2M by RIAC on May 13, 2022, lot 106. A similar pair presented in 1864 to Tsar Alexander II was sold for $ 460K by RIAC on May 15, 2021, lot 1158. A solid silver Winchester Model 1866 presented to the Bolivian President was sold for $ 980K by RIAC on December 3, 2021, lot 18.
A Colt SAA embellished by Nimschke in 1888 is nicknamed the Black Beauty by reference to its deep inlaid gold complementing the interlacing scroll engraving and the beaded backgrounds. It was likely displayed in 1889 in Paris at the Exposition Universelle and was afterward presented to the former Mexican President the General Manuel Gonzalez.
It was sold for $ 1.65M from a lower estimate of $ 650K by RIAC on May 2, 2025, lot 69. It is in excellent condition with crisp engraving and markings and bright gold inlays and keeps 90 % of its original blue finish. Please watch the full video shared by the auction house.
His pair of Remington revolvers presented to General Grant during the Civil War was sold for $ 5.2M by RIAC on May 13, 2022, lot 106. A similar pair presented in 1864 to Tsar Alexander II was sold for $ 460K by RIAC on May 15, 2021, lot 1158. A solid silver Winchester Model 1866 presented to the Bolivian President was sold for $ 980K by RIAC on December 3, 2021, lot 18.
A Colt SAA embellished by Nimschke in 1888 is nicknamed the Black Beauty by reference to its deep inlaid gold complementing the interlacing scroll engraving and the beaded backgrounds. It was likely displayed in 1889 in Paris at the Exposition Universelle and was afterward presented to the former Mexican President the General Manuel Gonzalez.
It was sold for $ 1.65M from a lower estimate of $ 650K by RIAC on May 2, 2025, lot 69. It is in excellent condition with crisp engraving and markings and bright gold inlays and keeps 90 % of its original blue finish. Please watch the full video shared by the auction house.
L.D. Nimschke's masterpiece Colt Single Action Army is proof that not all art is framed. It transcends fine arms collecting.
— Rock Island Auction (@RIAuction) April 11, 2025
It is work from a generation talent, at the peak of his career, placed on its most important surface: the Colt Single Action Army - the most significant… pic.twitter.com/iAzTSZ8S4o
6
1891 Cavalry
2022 SOLD for $ 760K by RIAC
Colt's Single Action Army revolver, listed for the artillery with a standard length barrel and for the cavalry with a longer barrel, was the official US pistol from 1873 to 1892. In 1893, the .45 Colt SAA was retired by the Cavalry and replaced by a .38 caliber Colt double action while the .45 SAA was still in use in other branches of the Army.
The final .45 cavalry contract was supplied in 1891 in two production batches of 1,000 units each. An example from the first batch was kept in pristine condition. It had probably been sold as surplus by the Army in the 1920s and has never been fired.
The cylinder, screws and trigger retain 99% of its original blue finish. The inscriptions are sharp and some original polishing lines are still exrant. A few very slight storage marks are observed. The case colors keep a near perfect opalescent brilliance.
This time capsule was sold for $ 760K from a lower estimate of $ 125K by RIAC on August 26, 2022, lot 121. Its authenticity has been deeply analyzed by an expert with no remaining doubt. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
An unfired 1880 Cavalry single action revolver in a similar pristine condition was sold for $ 400K by RIAC on September 6, 2019, lot 124.
Some examples from the second 1891 batch are also know in new or near new condition.
The final .45 cavalry contract was supplied in 1891 in two production batches of 1,000 units each. An example from the first batch was kept in pristine condition. It had probably been sold as surplus by the Army in the 1920s and has never been fired.
The cylinder, screws and trigger retain 99% of its original blue finish. The inscriptions are sharp and some original polishing lines are still exrant. A few very slight storage marks are observed. The case colors keep a near perfect opalescent brilliance.
This time capsule was sold for $ 760K from a lower estimate of $ 125K by RIAC on August 26, 2022, lot 121. Its authenticity has been deeply analyzed by an expert with no remaining doubt. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
An unfired 1880 Cavalry single action revolver in a similar pristine condition was sold for $ 400K by RIAC on September 6, 2019, lot 124.
Some examples from the second 1891 batch are also know in new or near new condition.
7
1891-1895 the revolver that killed John Wesley Hardin
2021 SOLD for $ 860K by Bonhams
John Wesley Hardin was one of the foremost gunfighters of the Wild West. Sentenced in 1878 to 25 years in jail, he complacently wrote an autobiography in a view to become a folk hero and studied law not without some success. He was released from prison in February 1894 and moved to El Paso, Texas, circa January 1895. He soon fell again to crime, drink and gamble.
John Selman Sr had been a gang leader in the Lincoln County war. The former outlaw went to El Paso where he worked as a constable.
The story of the Wild West is a long series of crimes followed by lawsuits in which the killers claim the self-defense. The El Paso story is as follows.
The semi-prostitute Beulah M'Roze is an acquaintance to Hardin. Her husband is killed in June 1895 in the presence of Scarborough. The ever boastful Harlin claims while drinking that he had paid Scarborough for the crime. Selman's son John Jr heavily fines the widow M'Roze on a drunk and disorderly charge. Hardin insults the Selmans.
On August 19, Hardin plays dice at the bar of the saloon. Selman Sr enters and kills Hardin by a gun shot in the back of the head. Selman testifies that he was in self-defense when he saw Hardin taking hold of a gun. Released on bond pending a retrial, Selman Sr is killed by Scarborough.
Both guns from the August 19 story were exhibited at Selman's trial and referred in the proceedings with their serial numbers. Both were auctioned together by the court and did not part one another until they were sold separately by Bonhams on August 27, 2021.
Selman's gun, a Colt SAA revolver made in 1891, was sold for $ 860K, lot 20. Hardin's Smith and Wesson revolver was sold for $ 630K, lot 19.
John Selman Sr had been a gang leader in the Lincoln County war. The former outlaw went to El Paso where he worked as a constable.
The story of the Wild West is a long series of crimes followed by lawsuits in which the killers claim the self-defense. The El Paso story is as follows.
The semi-prostitute Beulah M'Roze is an acquaintance to Hardin. Her husband is killed in June 1895 in the presence of Scarborough. The ever boastful Harlin claims while drinking that he had paid Scarborough for the crime. Selman's son John Jr heavily fines the widow M'Roze on a drunk and disorderly charge. Hardin insults the Selmans.
On August 19, Hardin plays dice at the bar of the saloon. Selman Sr enters and kills Hardin by a gun shot in the back of the head. Selman testifies that he was in self-defense when he saw Hardin taking hold of a gun. Released on bond pending a retrial, Selman Sr is killed by Scarborough.
Both guns from the August 19 story were exhibited at Selman's trial and referred in the proceedings with their serial numbers. Both were auctioned together by the court and did not part one another until they were sold separately by Bonhams on August 27, 2021.
Selman's gun, a Colt SAA revolver made in 1891, was sold for $ 860K, lot 20. Hardin's Smith and Wesson revolver was sold for $ 630K, lot 19.
1897 Sears and Roebuck Cow Boy Special
2009 SOLD for $ 750K by James D. Julia
Sears, Roebuck and Company was a mail order firm founded in 1892 in Chicago. Beginning with watches and jewelry, they rapidly diversified their offer with new product lines including sewing machines, bicycles, sporting goods, automobiles. The catalog reached 532 pages in 1895. The company kept temporarily its name after Roebuck asked Sears to buy him out in 1895.
The Sears & Roebuck Cow Boy Special is a unique factory engraved and gold inlaid Colt Single Action Army revolver which was shipped in 1897 by Colt to Sears, Roebuck in Chicago where it was used as a promotional item in advertising & catalogues. It was sold for $ 750K from a lower estimate of $ 450K by James D. Julia on March 17, 2009, lot 2030.
The Sears & Roebuck Cow Boy Special is a unique factory engraved and gold inlaid Colt Single Action Army revolver which was shipped in 1897 by Colt to Sears, Roebuck in Chicago where it was used as a promotional item in advertising & catalogues. It was sold for $ 750K from a lower estimate of $ 450K by James D. Julia on March 17, 2009, lot 2030.
1912 The Bull Moose Colt
2020 SOLD for $ 1.47M by RIAC
On October 10, 1912, the Colt Company received an order for a single action revolver which must reach Colonel (and former President) Roosevelt on October 27 for his 54th birthday. It will be silver inlaid in class 5, the highest level of embellishment offered by Colt, and one of the two ivory plates of the grip will be engraved with a steer head, the ox's head which is a symbol of strength and leadership. The author of the order has not been identified.
The presidential election is in full swing. Taft, the outgoing president, received the Republican nomination. In open conflict with his successor, Roosevelt created the Progressive Party with which he wishes to rally progressive, radical, conservative and even democratic sensibilities. The symbol of the party is the bull moose, a majestic king of the forest.
On October 14 in Milwaukee, while preparing to deliver an election speech, Roosevelt is the victim of an assassination attempt. The bullet, slowed down by the glasses case and the thick bundle of speech, penetrates his chest. The old hunter appreciates that the wound will not be fatal. He begins his 90 minute address by stating : "It takes more than that to kill a bull moose."
The election will be won by the Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson. It would have taken much longer for the new party to establish a real support network, but Roosevelt still obtains more than 4 million votes, far ahead of Taft.
The Colt class 5 is given as planned to Roosevelt for his birthday. The former president undoubtedly took it with him in the following year on his exhausting expedition to Brazil, which would explain a wear of the finish. Then this firearm remained anonymous for a long time because of the inversion of two figures in the factory documents.
Traceability has been restored. The "Bull Moose Colt" was sold by RIAC on December 5, 2020 for $ 1.47M from a lower estimate of $ 350K, lot 1210. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The presidential election is in full swing. Taft, the outgoing president, received the Republican nomination. In open conflict with his successor, Roosevelt created the Progressive Party with which he wishes to rally progressive, radical, conservative and even democratic sensibilities. The symbol of the party is the bull moose, a majestic king of the forest.
On October 14 in Milwaukee, while preparing to deliver an election speech, Roosevelt is the victim of an assassination attempt. The bullet, slowed down by the glasses case and the thick bundle of speech, penetrates his chest. The old hunter appreciates that the wound will not be fatal. He begins his 90 minute address by stating : "It takes more than that to kill a bull moose."
The election will be won by the Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson. It would have taken much longer for the new party to establish a real support network, but Roosevelt still obtains more than 4 million votes, far ahead of Taft.
The Colt class 5 is given as planned to Roosevelt for his birthday. The former president undoubtedly took it with him in the following year on his exhausting expedition to Brazil, which would explain a wear of the finish. Then this firearm remained anonymous for a long time because of the inversion of two figures in the factory documents.
Traceability has been restored. The "Bull Moose Colt" was sold by RIAC on December 5, 2020 for $ 1.47M from a lower estimate of $ 350K, lot 1210. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
