Your revolver was made in 1863 and the cylinder has been replaced with one from another Model 1860. You already have the link to an article on military inspection marks on this model. That tells you it’s an Army gun.

 

Thanks Blackjack.

After reading your reply, I looked up info the cylinders on these and saw per Pate, "Cylinder serial numbers were applied in full up until approximately SN 30,000 and February of 1862, at which point only the last four digits of the number were used."

Thanks again

 

Your revolver can be lettered from Colt since it falls into the 1 to 140000 serial range. It is NOT cheap at $300!!

https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/3a0ff863-725b-4ed1-b811-0d1e27128917/downloads/Archive%20Letter%20Price%20List.pdf?ver=1645198478539

Only you can decide if its worth it. It may prove military use, it may show nothing. I dont understand why it is so expensive....at 300 a pop they probably letter a dozen or so a year. If it was cheaper they could letter dozens a month. In any case since yours may have military initials it may be worth it.

 

Your revolver can be lettered from Colt since it falls into the 1 to 140000 serial range. It is NOT cheap at $300!!

Only you can decide if its worth it. It may prove military use, it may show nothing. I dont understand why it is so expensive....at 300 a pop they probably letter a dozen or so a year. If it was cheaper they could letter dozens a month. In any case since yours may have military initials it may be worth it.

Thank you, dandak, and thanks for the link

$300 and a shot in the dark. If I knew that their percentage of good hits vs no data was very favorable, I may gamble. It is a scary proposition. Will need to discuss the my brother in law who owns the gun.

thanks again

 

As for your general cleaning and maintenance question, it seems you have a good understanding that less is more. A light wipe with an oily rag is good enough for many collectibles from the era.

But this one was already scrubbed/buffed/stiff brushed in the past. It is likely a very old refinish. The washed out serial numbers on the bottom of the barrel/ frame and trigger guard show that it met with an aggressive abrasive at some point in the past. Looks to have had some bluing over old pits.

Not trying to diminish its significance in any manner. It's still an old gun from the Civil War era. People like 'em for the history, and you have a piece of 19th Century Colt history. Congrats.

 

But this one was already scrubbed/buffed/stiff brushed in the past. It is likely a very old refinish. The washed out serial numbers on the bottom of the barrel/ frame and trigger guard show that it met with an aggressive abrasive at some point in the past. Looks to have had some bluing over old pits.

Not trying to diminish its significance in any manner. It's still an old gun from the Civil War era. People like 'em for the history, and you have a piece of 19th Century Colt history. Congrats.

Thank you for the info, martin08.

I guess it did seem odd that some of the numbers weren't crisp/a couple almost gone. I thought it may have just been a bad strike, but this makes more sense. Unfortunate, but...it is what it is.

Good eye on the bluing over old pits. Again, something a novice like me would not catch.

This is great info and it is all very welcomed.

Thanks again

 

Welcome to the COLT Forum from the Cradle Of Liberty...Pennsylvania !!

Enjoy Our Community Sir...

 

Hoping that you are realistic with the market vs. condition. For myself, I would not have a gun like that unless it was very cheap, or it came to me in a multiple-item sale. When I say "like that", I am talking about the heavy sanding, rounded edges, and near-total loss of markings on the barrel, frame, and cylinder.

S1,000 to $1,200 seems VERY optimistic in my opinion. I would be happy to get 1/2 that price, and move on. This is not a collector piece, not even close. It is better kept as a family heirloom.

 

Thanks for the dose of reality, martin. I will take that under advisement.

 

The holster suffers from 'red rot' - it will 'not' return to suppleness and usability.

A leather treatment like 'Blackrock' or 'Lexol' may retard the process and may make it look nicer, but it's best place in in a display case.

 

Thanks, dogface. The news keeps getting worse! Does that take the collectability value down considerably?

 

The news may not be as bad as it seems. MOST 1860s I see here in Ohio gun shows are worse than yours. The biggie with yours is the mismatched cylinder. The wood actually isnt bad as most I see have the wood sanded into oblivion with huge gaps and terribly non mating surfaces. At an Ohio gun show I would expect to see that sitting on a table with a 1000 to 1200 price tag. It would probably sell at the 800 to 1000 range. I just saw one across the border in Pennsylvania I considered buying at 700 and it was MUCH worse than yours, but did have matching serials (a huge one for me). The holster as stated isnt for using now, being a bit weak, but goes perfectly with the gun and certainly would add value.

 

Thanks, dandak. I appreciate the encouragement! I guess I just need to find the right buyer. Maybe someone who just wants to own a piece of history as opposed to a collector. I don't want to mislead anyone with what they're getting with this piece, so all of this information makes me better prepared for discussions with potential buyers, so it is appreciated.

I thought about selling the holster separately. I recently found an auction from 2021 that sold this exact same holster (to me appears in worse condition, visually at least) for $500, and they had a $400-$800 estimate on it. Given it's an auction house, I have to be realistic about the estimates and sold price. Here is the listing if anyone is interested (you may not see prices if you don't have an account):

LiveAuctioneersHolsterListing-->

Thanks again.

 

Does your revolver have "U.S." stamped on the left side frame flat? I've read in R.L. Wilson's book that the Model 1860 revolvers that were military issue are supposed to be stamped this way but seems to me that is not always the case?

 

I do not see this stamp. Although, it may have been a casualty of the aggressive cleaning if the stamp was light.

 

I don't recall seeing the 60 armys marked as such. Inspector letters & cartouche yes but no US on left side. But the SAA was marked as such. The refurbished 60 armies for post war cavalry had the US stamped on trigger bow. My 1860 M model conversion is marked on the barrel

 

Thanks Canine cop. That is what I thought. Wilson's books are pretty much coffee table fodder and I will rely on Canfield and Pate for details.

 

They were stamped US post war on the trigger guard when they were refurbished for use in the Indian wars. No colt 1860 was stamped US during the Civil War to my knowledge, but I am not am expert.

 

Closest I've ever seen is the 'A' on the barrel and a cartouche on the grip on some of the early ones

 

Hi,

Not sure how you have faired in your search, but I feel your pain as I have recently begun a similar journey with my 1860 army which is a relic at best. But it has been in the family forever, that's the value in my humble opinion. When I work with it and pass a swab through the bore I can't help but wonder who was sitting by a fire on a cold night in camp cleaning the very same weapon, just me I suppose.

A few observations on your family treasure. I served in the military for 30 years and my perspective is a little different when it comes to evaluating a service weapon. So, for what it's worth: The ware, or sanding as one gent observed, is clearly from the holster. Carrying and in and out causes the extreme fading you see on the spine and the forward base of the trigger guard. This weapon traveled a lot of miles at someone's side. The holster looks to be cavalry, but just a guess. The fact that the cylinder has a different serial number is, to me, more exciting than if it matched. A lot of stories could be told. Sitting in bored bivouac, cleaning weapons and "Hey, your cylinder fits better than mine, lets swap", or the armorer switched it out because you lost yours or it was damaged due to a malfunction. A lot of reasons for the swap and the last four digits are only 276 digits different in sequence. Not a stretch that both colts were in a unit that received 500 or more in a shipment. As for history I would first search for a relative that served in the civil war and what unit they served in and see if it coincides with a serialized shipment of colts. Probably the closes you will get unless by some luck the person's discharge papers shows they paid for their service weapons, took them home, and by some lucky star they noted the serial number.

Mine is a mess, but it is going to have a home in shadow box which I will make and at the very least be a survivor of the war between the states.

Warm Regards,

1stSgt USMC(ret)

 

Well, I can assure you that your weapon saw service in the military as about every anything that went bang both civilian & issue where snap up for service in the Civil War plus, the inspector marks you alluded to guarantees it was military issue. That being said, you might pay the subscription price to Springfield Research and you get one free search by him but unless you can find out who it was issued to, don't get your hopes up. That being said I did get a hit on an 1861 Old Model Remington that was issued to the trumpeter of the 1st MO. cavalry that chased Quantrill throughout MO. Finding a hit is quite difficult but not impossible. Good luck

 

.... That being said, you might pay the subscription price to Springfield Research and you get one free search by him but unless you can find out who it was issued to, don't get your hopes up. ...

It does not appear to be listed in the SRS database, at least the list I have.