Colt no longer has a production line and the revolvers are manufactured in 1847 by Eli Blake in Whitneyville CT. Once the government order is honored, the same team builds 100 additional pieces numbered from 1001 to 1100, to use attrition components manufactured by Blake and also to anticipate the transfer of the machinery and tools from Whitneyville to the new Colt plant in Hartford CT.
The first non-governmental units are presented to contributors. The pair 1001-1002 is offered in June 1847 to Jack Hays, the Texas Ranger officer who had understood the operational advantage of using Colt's patented inventions. The pair 1009-1010 is attributed to Samuel Walker, the young captain who had been delegated by Hays to discuss with Colt their ideas for technical improvements. Walker died in action in October 1847 and the model, military and civilian, was nicknamed Colt Walker in his honor.
Civilian revolvers are available through the trade. The serial number 1022 is purchased by a Danish sea captain to a retailer in New York City. It is the only one of the first commercial series to still be housed in its original case and it is accompanied by a guarantee of authenticity handwritten by Samuel Colt himself. It retains 50 to 60% of its bright blue finish.
This piece often described in the specialized literature is estimated $ 800K for sale by Rock Island Auction Company in Rock Island IL on April 13, lot 60.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
SOLD for $ 1.6M before fees
We are proud to announce that the catalog for our April Premiere Firearms Auction is now online, ready for viewing and bidding. This promises to be a most exciting sale. https://t.co/Fcy6hjousK pic.twitter.com/wpQNyyvrOT
— Rock Island Auction (@RIAuction) March 3, 2018