1860 colt army. nickel plated
i am still researching an old colt 1860 army. does anyone know what year colt started nickel plating guns on special order?
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As johnnybgood stated in your previous thread, Colt began offering nickel plating around 1869. However, Colt would do just about anything to one of their guns if someone was important enough and willing to pay for it.
Did you call Colt? They could tell you over the phone if it was factory plated. Mail takes a while longer.0 -
i talked to the colt archives.the gentleman there said for $300 a letter would tell me where it was shipped and the guns original configuration.it would take 120 days to get this. no info on gun over the phone. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by dane62
i talked to the colt archives.the gentleman there said for $300 a letter would tell me where it was shipped and the guns original configuration.it would take 120 days to get this. no info on gun over the phone.
They used to give info over the phone if you used your credit card. I guess they changed their policy.0 -
Colt did not electroplate in their factory until 1868. All other plating on their guns was done by a process known as chemical reduction. This process is similar to that of Colt's modern "Electroless Nickel" plating. For more info as to how this process was done, enter Chemical reduction plating on google.
For what its' worth, that was the process used from day 1 to silver plate their backstraps and trigger guards during the percussion period, and is the reason why so little silver remains on those pistols.0 -
I believe the over the phone service that Spider referred to is only for the SAA revolver. Apparently the cap and ballers have not been put into a database yet.
As to spending $300 on a factory letter, I would not do it unless you strongly feel that the nickel is FACTORY and want some proof of it. If it has the slightest signs of being refinished then it probably has been refinished, and you wasted 300 buxs.
I don't remember all the details of your original post, but keep in mind if it's a military model (vs. a civilian one) the nickel finish is HIGHLY UNLIKELY. Also understand that Colt was hard pressed to meet the military contracts in 1862 (I think that was your date of production), so tinkering around with a new finish on one gun for a civilian order was not a priority.
Bottom line, never say never, but I have strong doubts that an early Civil War Colt Army revolver would have been originally nickel plated.
Instead of spending $300 on a letter I would buy a $99 camera and post some good photos. Any number of people here could then advise if it was refinished or not, plus you would have the camera to use for years to come.
Johnny0 -
quote:Originally posted by JohnnyBGood
I believe the over the phone service that Spider referred to is only for the SAA revolver. Apparently the cap and ballers have not been put into a database yet.
As to spending $300 on a factory letter, I would not do it unless you strongly feel that the nickel is FACTORY and want some proof of it. If it has the slightest signs of being refinished then it probably has been refinished, and you wasted 300 buxs.
I don't remember all the details of your original post, but keep in mind if it's a military model (vs. a civilian one) the nickel finish is HIGHLY UNLIKELY. Also understand that Colt was hard pressed to meet the military contracts in 1862 (I think that was your date of production), so tinkering around with a new finish on one gun for a civilian order was not a priority.
Bottom line, never say never, but I have strong doubts that an early Civil War Colt Army revolver would have been originally nickel plated.
Instead of spending $300 on a letter I would buy a $99 camera and post some good photos. Any number of people here could then advise if it was refinished or not, plus you would have the camera to use for years to come.
Johnny
Here's the original thread: http://forums.gunbroker.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=548663
Here's the auction with pics: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=2719804070 -
The serial No. on the gun dates its manufacture to 1863 - 5 years before Colt began nickel plating. Considering that there were no civilian Model 1860 Army's made in 1863, the plating had to be done after the Civil War, and dollars to donuts wasn't done by Colt. I don't know of any percussion Colt that ever was returned to the Factory for Nickel Plating. The very few percussion revolvers that were factory plated after 1868 were special order guns.
Also, 1868 was the year the S&W patents lapsed and the first cartridge conversions were made and sold by Colt. So, although one often sees the various Cartridge Conversion models in Nickel Plate, Factory Plated percussion revolvers are a rarity.0 -
is there anyone that has info on which guns were issued to civil war soldiers?a list of serial numbers and who had them? 0 -
The only lists that I know of are: Colt factory ledgers that list where they shipped their pistols: e.g. New York Navy Yard, etc.
There are also records in the Federal Archives that list certain Colts issued to various Union Army units, and there may be ships logs that may list the aquisition and disposal of Colts by serial number-but you could spend a lifetime searching ships' logs for scant results.
However, I know of no list of Colts issued to individuals.0 -
quote:Originally posted by steg
The serial No. on the gun dates its manufacture to 1863 - 5 years before Colt began nickel plating. Considering that there were no civilian Model 1860 Army's made in 1863, the plating had to be done after the Civil War, and dollars to donuts wasn't done by Colt. I don't know of any percussion Colt that ever was returned to the Factory for Nickel Plating. The very few percussion revolvers that were factory plated after 1868 were special order guns.
Also, 1868 was the year the S&W patents lapsed and the first cartridge conversions were made and sold by Colt. So, although one often sees the various Cartridge Conversion models in Nickel Plate, Factory Plated percussion revolvers are a rarity.
Although I agree that it's most likely aftermarket plating, the original issue was that he wanted $5,900 for it. I told him the only way it's worth that kind of money is "IF" it was factory done and there's only one way to find that out for sure.0 -
not that it matters, i didn't want $5900. i listed it at that price to get some pictures up and some conversations going with people who might know more about the gun than i can find out on my own. 0 -
I am a long time collector of all three generations of Colt percussion revolvers, and in the original part of the collection, with the exception of the Patersons (And I do own an original cased Texas Paterson), I have one of every model percussion revolver made, including the model variations. In addition, my library contains every book listed by Flayderman in his Colt bibliography-plus other references. The point is, I think I know what I am talking about when it comes to Colt percussion revolvers.
From the photos posted of subject gun, the seller has delusions of grandure. Its condition alone, with flaking plating would negate a 5K price. Today, a factory plated gun in mint condition might warrent that price if the collector needed it to fill in an empty slot in his collection. The only way subject gun would be worth its asking price if it had an authenticated, documented historical connection.0 -
quote:Originally posted by dane62
not that it matters, i didn't want $5900. i listed it at that price to get some pictures up and some conversations going with people who might know more about the gun than i can find out on my own.
I apologize for any misunderstanding but it's still your call as to whether or not to get a factory letter. Otherwise, it's about a 99.9% chance of aftermarket plating and would be valued accordingly.0 -
not the first time i've been called delusional.ha. ha. thanks for the opinions the gun.it is a very interesting piece of history. 0
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