1. Colt Bisley Serial number "306453" with a 5 1/2" barrel in 45 Colt caliber with color cased frame and, loading gate and blued barrel and handle.  The grips are hard black rubber and checkered with the traditional Colt Rampart medallion. This Colt single action Bisley model is "lettered" by Colt historian, Kathleen J. Hoyt and shows it was shipped to Witte Hardware Company in Saint Louis, Missouri on January 16, 1909 as a shipment of "one."  This Colt Bisley is in 85% to 90% condition with sharp slotted screws (the bottom grip screw is a replacement), beautiful, well preserved color case colors on the frame and loading gate which carries part number "1048." Bluing is an excellent polished blue.  The original barrel was bulged and the previous owner tried to unscrew it by holding it in a vice thus crushing it into extinction.  The barrel has been replaced with a new Bisley barrel containing all the correct markings and rifling.  This rare Colt is in perfect working condition and shows little sign of any use.  I has been well cared for and probably spent its life in a drawer.

Marking on the top of the barrel is, "COLTS PT F.A. MFG. CO HARTFORD CT. U.S.A." The left side of the barrel is marked, "(BISLEY MODEL 45 COLT." The Rampant Colt is centered on the left side of the frame directly behind the two line patent which reads, "PAT SEPT 19 1871. JULY 2 72 JAN 75."  A triangle inspector mark is on the front left trigger guard and what appears to be a small "6" on on the left side rear of the trigger guard. The grips are unmarked on the inside and show evidence of a repair made to the pin locator hole.

The Bisley single actions were never popular in 45 Colt because the felt recoil with the straight grip was more than with the 32-20 caliber so only 8,005 were made in 45 Colt placing this fine Bisley in the rare class.

The 2009 Blue Book Of Gun Values prices a Bisley in this condition at between $7,500 and $8,500.  I will sell this rare Colt Bisley for $7,200.00 and pay shipping to your dealer.   If you are interested please call and we can talk.
 
 

  2. Colt Single Action Army Revolver, serial number "335018" in 32-20 (32WCF) caliber with a 5 1/2" barrel, blue barrel and handle, and color case frame, hammer and loading gate.  This all original 90%  six-gun is lettered with the letter by Beverly jean Haynes, Colt Archivist, stating it was sold to Brookshire Mercantile Company and shipped on January 9, 1917 as the only gun in the shipment to Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Company in Chicago, Illinois. This is an excellent Colt single action with "32 WCF" clearly marked on the left side of the barrel and  "COLTS PT. F. A. MFG. CO HARTFORD CT. U.S.A. -" on top.

The cylinder is stamped  "5018" between two chambers which are the last four numbers of the serial number on the frame. The left side of the frame is stamped with the Rampant Colt facing forward and and the typical Colt two line patent which states, "PAT SEPT 19 1871; JULY 2 72 JAN 19 75"

There are traces of Nitre blue on the screws and the base pin is a little chewed up where someone used a tool to pry it up.

The rifling in the barrel is the typical black powder style with wide grooves and narrow lands although this is a modern cartridge revolver. Colt begrudgingly gave up the black powder rifling around 1920.  The grips are hard black rubber with the Rampant Colt logo facing forward, but upon examination on the inside were cracked and nicely repaired.  According to the 2009 Blue Book Of Gun Values this fine Colt single action falls into the serial number range of 328,000 to 339,000 (Mfg. 1914 to 1920) and carries a collector value of around $9,000.  If you are interested please call and we can talk.
 
 

3. Colt Single Action Army Frontier Six Shooter, serial number "354092" in caliber 44-40 (44 WCF) with a 5 1/2" barrel, color cased frame, loading gate numbered "1075," and hammer with blue barrel and backstrap. The grips are still sharp checkered hard black rubber with the Rampant Colt facing forward.

This fine Colt SAA was lettered by Beverly Jean Haynes, Archivist at Colt's  and showing it was shipped February 4, 1931 with a 7 1/2"  barrel to H&D Folsom Arms Company in New York, New York. There was only one gun in the shipment and was Colt factory order number 19453/1. Of course this means the barrel was replaced somewhere along its journey or possibly cut and shortened, but it was done long ago and was accomplished by an expert, possibly the Colt factory since it was sold so close to the factory.

There are good signs of the color case still left, but it is faded.  The bluing on the replacement barrel and ejector rod look very good with holster wear in all the standard places.  The bluing on the trigger guard and backstrap is just about non existent. There is some slight pitting on the right side of the muzzle and very light pitting on the color cased parts. All screws are original and and in sharp condition with a little nitre blue remaining on the ejector house screw.  The base pin is in perfect unmarred condition and appears to be original. The cylinder chambers are in excellent, bright condition, but the outside of the cylinder shows holster wear and light radial scratches only in the bluing.

The left side of the barrel reads, "COLT FRONTIER SIX SHOOTER 44-40" and the top of the barrel reads, "COLT'S PAT F. A. MFG C0 HARTFORD CT U.S.A." The two line address on the left of the frame reads, "PAT.SEPT.19,1871" "JULY 2 72, JAN, 19,75."

The serial number on this single action is clear and sharp, but does not appear on the trigger guard or backstrap.

I would place this 78 year old Frontier Six Shooter at about 70% to 80% which would carry a Blue Book value of between $5,000 and $6,000. The action is as tight as it can ever be completely without endfloat or rotational play, timing is perfect, barrel to cylinder alignment perfect, barrel rifling clear and sharp, and with everything else in perfect shooting condition. This fine single action was cared for by a man who loved fine guns and took pride in it's care.
 
 

4.  Colt 36 caliber 1851 Navy with serial number 6254 stamped on the backstrap, trigger guard frame, barrel, cylinder, and grips,  manufactured by Colt in 1973. Marking on top of the barrel "ADDRESS SAM^L COLT NEW-YORK."  The left side of the frame is marked on two lines, "COLTS PATENT."  The cylinder is marked with the typical Navy battle scene with the words  "COLT'S PATENT N^O 5254" on the side along with "Engraved by WI Orinsby New York"  and "ENGAGED 18 MAY 1843" on the front edge. 

This is a very interesting and valuable Colt manufactured and hand fitted by Colt when they were reproducing some of their old original black powder guns.  This one was owned by Big Bill Lister who lived in Boerne, Texas until his death in late 2009. Big Bill was the last living member of the Hank Williams Sr. country band and was a premier, master engraver just like his son Weldon.  Bill's son discovered this fine revolver in a drawer in Big Bill's house and decided to spruce it up a bit.  Master engraver and member of the Firearms Engravers Guild Of America Weldon Lister found some transfer plates Big Bill had taken from original Nimschke engraved revolvers from the 1850's and decided to take this fine piece a step further.  Weldon engraved the revolver using the original Nimschke design for this six-gun. To top it off he aged the original Carbona blue finish to make it appear to be 150 years old.  He removed a little of the nickel plating on the handle to match the rest of the antique finish  creating a masterpiece of custom gunsmith and engravers scroll art with an eagle hammer.  Weldon signed this piece with his last name, "Lister" so there would be no mistake this fine black powder Colt could never be passed on as an original which would sell for many thousands of dollars in today's market. This actually is an original Colt, but it was made by Colt in 1973.  The grips are beautiful one piece American walnut. This Navy has been shot quite a bit, probably a couple of hundred rounds, and the barrel is slightly pitted, but it is an overall a beauty...$2,500.00.