Bidding on an archive of letters sent by Samuel Colt to the US patent office in 1837-1838 stands at $31,390 at RR Auction, with the sale due to close on February 12.
Colt was the inventor of the first modern revolver, the 1836 Colt Paterson, which he adapted from Elisha Collier's earlier design for a revolving flintlock.
 The letters were sent by Samuel Colt to Henry L Ellsworth of the US patent office |
His name has since become synonymous with his invention.
In the letters Colt writes that he has made "various improvements in his & other patent revolving cylinder guns and their appendages, and being desirous of securing his rights until he can perfect them, he prays that the accompanying description and drawing may be filed as a caveat in the confidential archives of the patent office".
They also include a range of details on the development of the weapon.
Henry L Ellsworth, the head of the patent office, became an early champion of the inventor and helped him raise a significant sum of money from investors to begin manufacturing the Colt Paterson.
A letter written by JRR Tolkien to a fan, H Cotton Minchin, is also at $31,390.
It was written soon after the publication of The Lord of the Rings, and features a wealth of detail on the elvish languages and the origins of some of the names in the books.
A letter by George Orwell, sent while he was in the process of writing 1984, is also featured. It illuminates the development of his political beliefs, and currently stands at $29,834.
We have a range of memorabilia available to purchase.
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