Beautifully Restored Colt Single Action Army Revolver Hits The Mark For $3,723 At SoldUSA.com Auction
About 1,200 lots of rare and vintage firearms, militaria, ammo and advertising changed hands.
MATTHEWS, NC –-(Ammoland.com)- A beautifully restored first generation Colt single-action .45 caliber Army revolver with a 5 ½ inch barrel, made in 1899 (serial #188013), hit the mark for $3,723 in an online sale of rare and vintage firearms, militaria, ammunition and advertising collectibles that ended July 17 by SoldUSA.com, the premier Internet collectibles auction site.
The Colt revolver was the top achiever of around 1,200 items that crossed the block in an auction that went online in mid-June and concluded a month later.
“This auction was very strong, with active bidder response and high prices realized for quality collectibles,” said David Reichle of SoldUSA.com. “We registered over 500 new bidders and added many new consignors, too.”
The Colt had been magnificently engraved and fully restored to mint condition. All the numbers matched, the action was crisp and tight, and the bore was clean and shiny. It was totally original, except for the replacement grips. Even there, the gun had the original grips; they were used to make copies for the replacements. In all, it was an example of a remarkable restoration.
Following are additional highlights from the auction. All prices quoted include a 13 percent buyer’s premium.
- A Winchester model 42 pump-action shotgun in excellent condition and with a rare extra barrel rang out at $2,385. The blue luster finish gun, made in 1952, was one of only a small number of model 42s that left the factory with a second barrel. Both barrels were numbered to the receiver. One, marked “SKEET,” was 26 inches; the other, marked “MOD,” was 28 inches.
- An extremely rare Bristol 1914 calendar showing the December page, measuring 16 ½ inches by 30 inches and with correct top and bottom bands, found a new owner for $2,872. The lithographers were the Norton Mfg. Co. The piece had seen some moderate restoration work and it had been cleaned in its entirety, with rice paper backing. Overall, it was in like-new condition.
- Another exceedingly rare calendar showing the December page, this one an 1899 piece from Winchester, measuring 14 ¼ inches by 26 ½ inches and with correct top and bottom bands, rose to $1,752. The lithographers were the Forbes Co. (Boston). It had some light restoration work done to the edges, but it had not been backed and appeared as it did when it was first made.
- A Belgian-made Browning Lightning single-trigger over/under shotgun, sporting 26 ½-inch vent rib barrels chambered for 2 ¾-inch and 3-inch balls, topped out at $1,879. The gun (serial #45546V7) was in near excellent condition. The metal finish was almost wholly intact and the wood showed very few dents or scratches. The bore was shiny and the action locked up tight.
- A vintage E.C. Schultze hunting envelope, front side only, showing wonderful colorful graphics of two men and in great condition for an envelope, brought $153. The envelope had writing that said, “See That All Your Shells Are Loaded With The Old Reliable Smokeless Powders, E.C. Schultze, Because They Are the Best.” The piece was 5 ¾ inches by 3 1/ 2 inches.
- A Civil War-era Savage Revolving Fire-Arms Company Navy model .36 caliber six-shot revolver with the original holster commanded $1,425. The weapon was one of around 2,000 such pistols made by Savage during the Civil War, about half of which went to the Navy. It appeared to be all original, and has not been refinished or altered. It had a nice uniform gray brown patina.
- A Colt government model .45 caliber automatic pistol (serial #304065-C, made in 1966), in near mint condition, coasted to $1,244. The gun had essentially all of the finish intact and just a trace of wear at the front edges of the slide and some thinning of the finish on the grip strap and grip safety. But it had been used hardly at all and was well cared for, with a mirror bright bore.
- A rare California Powder Works empty 10-gage shell box, produced just after the Diana box and with all of the original labeling, lightly restored, garnered $1,244. Also, a Remington-UMC Game Loads Dove Load empty 12-gage shell box went for $633. The box was of solid construction, showing three small shell protrusions to the box bottom and to the top of the box.
- A post-World War I crown N commercial proof German Luger, 7.655mm caliber, probably imported to the U.S. in the 1920s, scored a bull’s-eye for $832. The only production marks on the gun, besides the commercial proofs on the barrel and receiver, were the DWM logo on the toggle and the serial number (#6671). It was stamped ‘Germany’ on the front of the frame.
Rounding out the top lots: A full-sealed Western Xpert two-piece 12-gage shell box with a green label and a Pointer dog pictured on the top breezed to $549. The back label had an additional L.H. Hartman & Son paper label sealing the box across the opposite seams. Also, a World War II German Army dagger with scabbard, made by F.W. Holler, hammered for $469.
SoldUSA.com’s next big sale will go online in mid-August and conclude Sept. 18-19. Featured will be high-end ammo collectibles, advertising items, rare tin signs, die-cuts, posters, calendars and many other hunting and fishing collectibles, plus militaria. The auction after that will go online in mid-October and end Nov. 13-14. Watch the website for details on both sales.
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To learn more about SoldUSA.com and the auctions slated to end Sept. 18-19 and Nov. 13-14, log on to www.SoldUSA.com. The firm is always looking for quality consignments for future sales. To consign an item or a collection, you may call them at (704) 815-1550, or you can e-mail them at support@SoldUSA.com. For more information, log on to www.SoldUSA.com.