Three pistols formerly owned by M Bertrand Couch, aka Frisco Bert, will highlight Rock Island Auction Company's Premiere Firearms Auction on April 19-21.
 Couch's magnificent Colt Single Action Army has been published many times, as a rare example featuring gold inlay |
The trio of service revolvers will be sold in a single lot with a $125,000-225,000 estimate, along with an archive of letters and photographs from Crouch's remarkable life.
Couch often went by the name of Frisco Bert, which was given in relation to his hobbies. He was a lifelong collector of Western pop culture memorabilia, including one of the foremost collections of dime novels in the US at the time.
An eccentric, Couch embraced the Western theme of his collection and often signed his letters, "Yours 'til the last redskin bites the dust."
Couch also led a fascinating career, entering government service as a US customs inspector at Laredo, Texas in 1916. In 1917, he came the immigrant inspector at Brownsville, and by 1924, was working at the famous Sing Sing prison in New York.
 There are less than a dozen Colt Single Action Armys that were inlaid with gold and engraved at the factory |
At the top of his collection is a fantastic Colt Single Action Army revolver, which has COUCH inlaid in gold on the backstrap. It is one of less than a dozen Single Action Armys to bear factory gold inlay with engraving and, as such, has featured in numerous publications that will accompany the sale.
Also included is Couch's Smith & Wesson third model .38 hand ejector double action revolver, which is in very good condition with an even brown patina. The final item is a Forehand & Wadsworth double action revolver, which retains 85% of its original nickel finish, has excellent grips and is mechanically sound.
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