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One of a kind Colt Paterson

4767 Views 9 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  prm, 
prm
5
Brought this one out of the deposit box for a photo shoot. I picked this one up in 2006 when Colt Black Powder Arms was liquidating all existing stock at their warehouse. I had a friend, a collector, who had been buying some of their sell out stock put me in touch with a factory rep. This one was in a safe and had a unique story attached to it. The rep I was dealing with told me there were no records as to why this barrel had the incorrect stampings. The run of Paterson(s) was only done for about six months prior to their closing. There were only around 300 of the belt Paterson(s) made. They were not offered in any catalog - but were listed in a brochure.

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S
You probably bought your Paterson from "JP" Petrizzo, who was hired by Lou Imperato to dispose of the Colt Blackpowder stock after he lost his manufacturing license from Colt.
The markings on the barrel are consistant with those on Italian reproduction Patrsons....I forgot which one. In all probability that gun was a pre-production sample to show what the assemled parts that Imperato was importing would look like after they were finished and blued.
The reason that your letter states that there were no records for this gun is that when production for Colt Blackpowder percussion revolvers ended, since there was no Federal serial number requirement they discarded all of their manufacturing records...possably to forstall any royalty arguments with Colt. No records, no proof!
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prm
JP Reno was the rep, his business card is overlaid on the letter pic.

At the time I purchased it there were two theories posed by the factory rep. This was four years after they closed their doors to the public.

1. It was a proto-type piece that never went into production.

or

2. The barrel may have been stamped by the vendor who made the barrels for Colt Black Powder Arms as part of another run, and it slipped through QC. It was then fitted and finished at Colt BPA.

Your theory would be plausible with number one, except the serial number is late in the production of this model. I would be closer aligned to believe the second theory in that it was a QC issue that slipped by everyone until the gun was finished at Colt BPA.

Either way, it's still an Anomaly for a Colt Black Powder Arms gun. Even their outer box identified it as a Different Barrel Address. The gun was found in a safe at the factory with no records on the stamping.
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muddyboot
Anyone care to guess the value of this revolver if it went to auction?
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S
JP Reno is the shooting name of Mr. Petrizzo. When this gun was acquired, the staff at Colt Blackpowder was piecing together spare parts to make anything they could sell. I know, because I was in their factory and saw many anomolies being put together.
As for what it's worth, I would say not much more than a conventional, un-engraved 3rd generation Texas Paterson. The only thing that is different is the barrel marking, and there are not too many serious 3rd generation collectors to make it worth extra money. This gun will definately not fund your retirement. In fact, if you check asking prices for 3rd generation Colt Blackpowder guns as of late, their prices have been slipping over the past several months.
I know, because I have one of every model produced plus factory anomolities with letters for most of the models. All of these guns are factory cased with accoutrements.
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prm
JP Reno is the shooting name of Mr. Petrizzo
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Well if I was going to have a "shooting name," I would probably change mine too.

I know, because I have one of every model produced plus factory anomolities with letters for most of the models. All of these guns are factory cased with accoutrements.
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Sounds like you have quite a collection, I've owned a couple of the Signature Series, but have mostly stayed with the 2nd generation guns. Mainly because that's what was selling at the time I acquired them.

This gun will definately not fund your retirement.
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LOL, that would mean I would have to sell it, and I don't see that happening. :rolleyes:
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johngross
4
That barrel marking is what Uberti used on their Paterson revolvers, at least the few I've seen and handled. Pictured here is an Uberti I owned for about 10 years and just sold a few months ago that had the "Samuel Colt Texas Paterson" address.






For me, personally, what makes the Signature Series Colt Paterson so neato is that it's the first firearm authorized by Colt to carry the authentic Paterson barrel address since the originals from the 1830s-1840s. Here's my Signature Series Paterson with the correct Paterson barrel marking.

John Gross


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D
Love it!!! Sure wish I could find one of these at a gun show...I love the 3rd gens.
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C
I have one of the Colt Blackpowder Patersons with the same barrel marking. I ran into Dennis Russell at the last Baltimore Antique Gun Show who told me there were about 50 of those produced by Colt Blackpowder. I did not get any more information on it.
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prm
LOL...maybe my CBPA letter is now worth more than the gun.:cool:
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