The pocket revolver model 1849 is another key step. Luxury guns may be a useful gift. Colt hired artists to inlay his firearms in silver. Gustave Young begins his long career which will end four decades later at Smith and Wesson.
Very few revolvers are encrusted with gold. One of them whose original recipient was not identified was sold for $ 1.15M including premium by Sotheby's on January 21, 2012.
On April 30, RIAC sells in Rock Island IL a Colt revolver model 1849 presented in 1854 to Brigham Young by a firearms dealer located in St. Louis, a city suitably situated to ensure a link between the East and the Wild West. This unit is engraved with white patterns of floral scrolls and the wolf head that are the usual characteristics of the art of Gustave Young.
The addressee of the gift, Brigham Young, is a towering figure in the history of the West. He was the man who decided the Mormons to leave the East where their safety could not be assured. He supervised the transfer of countless convoys of wagons to Great Salt Lake City and was a tireless organizer of the economic and social activities of his community. His political skill was recognized and he had become in 1851 the first governor of the Utah Territory.
Brigham Young kept his Colt in excellent condition with the idea that he might have to use it. This revolver considered as historic is estimated $ 550K, lot 1222.
SOLD for $ 475K before fees
Press Release: Direct Descendants of Mormon Leader to Sell Historic Revolverhttps://t.co/Gx29PJ2BWF pic.twitter.com/y3lck7OezH
— Rock Island Auction (@RIAuction) April 12, 2016