An exhibition engraved and cased Colt Navy cartridge revolver, serial number one, has sold for $368,000 at a major firearms auction in the US (April 20-22).
It is said to be the first true cartridge revolver manufactured by Colt.
The factory engraved and inscribed revolver was presented to Colt employee Lewis Sheldon when he retired in 1871.
It had been passed through generations of the Sheldon family for 141 years until it appeared at the Illinois auction.
 The Colt Navy revolver sold for $368,000 |
A rare cased presentation Colt No. 3 Paterson revolver complete with accessories also performed well, selling for $230,000.
Meanwhile, a Colt Cavalry Model Single Action specimen realised $161,000.
The sale also featured an original 1883 Gatling gun, which had been on display at several gun shows during the spring. The US Government inspected Colt Model 1883 Gatling achieved $241,500, evidence of the considerable appeal these forerunners of the modern machine gun hold for collectors.
Over 300 Winchester rifles also made it to the auction. A rare iron frame Henry made $138,000, while a US civil war contract Henry easily surpassed its estimate, making $46,000. The 2,750 lots realised $12.6m in all.
The sale follows the recent Bonhams auction of a pair of pistols that once belonged to the aide-de-camp of King George III (1738-1820), which made £58,850 ($94,357).
The world record for a single firearm at auction is an 1849 Colt pocket revolver, which achieved $1.14m earlier this year.
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