[Rick]

I just bought a U.S. marked Colt Single Action Army. I was told it was made in 1880, from it's serial number but would like to make sure. I'm thinking of getting a factory letter. How much do they cost and how do I get one?

You're going to pay 100.00 - 150.00 for a letter that simply says' " shipped to the commanding officer at....." Not worth the money IMO and I have lots of US cavs.

Post some pics of insp. stamps, serials, barrel address, front sight and grips and if it looks "right" you might consider sending it to John Kopec for authentication.

 

[Rick]

Thanks Pointman,
How do I go about getting it authenticated by Kopec. I hate to trust the mail with it. How much does it cost?
I took it partially apart to check hidden numbers such as under ejector tube, under trigger housing, and on grips. They all seemed correct. Something curious I wanted to check with SAA experts though. When I took off the grips to look for S/N there was a strip of thin paper over rear groove where number is. I peeled it out and sure enough, matching number was slopily penned there. I carefully put the paper back in before reassembly. Would like to know if paper strip might have been put in at factory for some reason?
Thanks,
Harry

Not likely. some previous owner may have laid it in the channel in hopes of preserving the legibility of the number.
I have seen some with paper folded up to act as a shim for replaced grips that didn't fit properly.