Catalog Auction info Auction #136 - Two-Day Sale, November 19th & 20th (#136) 11/19/2022 9:00 AM EST Closed Starts Ending 11/19/2022 9:00 AM EST Auction Info Lot #184 Colt Factory Engraved Model 1851 Navy Percussion Revolver Presented to Captain Alex Warren Smith by The Men of Indian Company H 53rd New York Infantry Regiment Click image to enlarge PreviousNextSimilar Items Lot closed - Sold Price (Including Buyer`s Premium):$7,200 Estimate: $8,000 - $12,000 Description Description: serial #128238, .36 cal, 7 1/2” octagon barrel with a moderately oxidized bore showing some good rifling throughout. This desirable factory-engraved presentation revolver was made in 1862 and remains in nice condition, showing some character and obviously having seen some honest use. The barrel, cylinder and frame have mostly toned to a deep gray and plum-brown patina showing some scattered old oxidation staining and minor pitting here and there. There are a few trace flakes of original bright blue along the bottom rear protected corner of the barrel and the frame perhaps shows a bit of smoky gray case-hardened patina also in the protected areas. The backstrap and triggerguard are an attractive mix of goldenrod and rich brown ocher patina showing some scattered old minor dings. The revolver bears the expected “E” stamp near the serial numbers and the factory engraving remains mostly intact and strong with just a little bit of softening scattered about and features finely detailed flowing foliate scrollwork throughout with punch-dot shading and wolf’s head hammer. The barrel shows single line Colt New York address and remains strong along with the “COLTS PATENT” on the frame. The cylinder scene is quite faded with a few subtle areas visible and there are a few old period repairs, one along the hammer nose and a brazed repair along the arbor tip. The backstrap is nicely period engraved in script “Presented to Capt. Alex Warren Smith by the members of the Indian Co. H 53d N.Y. Infantry”, the inscription with some mild smoothing otherwise remaining legible and completely honest. The revolver wears a fine smooth antique ivory one-piece grip that shows a thin 2 1/8” repair with a different piece of ivory along the top edge right side. The grip is otherwise very attractive exhibiting a nice patina with some fine crackles, age striations and the expected minor shrinkage. There is no evident ink number on the inside of the grip but it is obviously from the period and no doubt original to the gun. There is no longer any number on the arbor due to the old repair and the remaining serialized parts are otherwise matching including the wedge. The full cock notch was apparently recut too deep at some point as it does not release the hammer properly however half cock is functional and timing and lock-up remain quite good. Alex Smith was first commissioned as a captain into the 35th New York Infantry Regiment on June 11, 1861 ultimately resigning in January 1862 and then re-enlisting as a lieutenant into the 53rd New York Infantry Regiment, second organization, on July 28, 1862 being made Captain once more in August. The second organization of the 53rd Regiment failed to consolidate and he was transferred to the 132nd New York Infantry Regiment in September 1862, serving until August 1864. Research indicates he passed away in Brooklyn in 1886 age 56. The history of the 53rd Regiment itself is rather unusual and infamous, given the moniker “D’Epineuil’s Zouaves”, it was founded under the leadership of Colonel Lionel Jobert D’Epineuil, a French immigrant who apparently had convinced the War Department that he was an experienced officer in the French military and thus fit to lead a regiment. Most of the regimental leadership was French but the common soldier was a mix of New Yorkers including a company of Tuscarora Indians. Attached to Burnside’s Expedition it soon became obvious that the good French colonel was indeed not very good, knew nothing of military strategy and had in fact lied about his service in the French army. The unit was disbanded in February 1862 by General McClellan himself and the colonel was relieved. An attempt was made at reforming the regiment, and it is at this time that our Captain Smith joined the unit, being made captain once more in August, leading Company H, apparently this being the company of Tuscarora Indians who had served in the original unit. As mentioned earlier the reformation failed and Company H was transferred to the 132nd Infantry Regiment in September 1862 with Smith being shortly thereafter reassigned to Company K. The regiment suffered its most grievous losses defending New Berne in February 1864, suffering 91 casualties before retiring from the battle, but was credited for saving the city from capture. It is interesting to consider that there was only an about two month period for this revolver to be presented to the captain during the attempted reformation of the 53rd, but he seems to have carried it for the remainder of the war and obviously had the opportunity to continue serving with his faithful men in the 132nd. This revolver has some wonderful history with its connection to both an interesting regiment and Native Americans serving on the Union side; it would make an excellent addition to any fine Civil War collection. (13E10754-3) {ANTIQUE} (8,000/12,000) Categories: firearm Terms and conditions TERMS & CONDITIONS OF SALE The following paragraphs represent the terms under which all sales by Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. are conducted. Bidding on any item in the sale indicates the bidder’s full acceptance and understanding of all terms and conditions of sale. Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. has taken great care in the preparation of the descriptions in this catalog. Although we believe everything in the descriptions to be true, we do not guarantee any part of any description. We recommend that the bidders view the items in person and form their own opinions as to condition, originality, origin, etc. Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. will consider all requests for refunds. If a customer is unhappy with a purchase, we will be happy to discuss a remedy with them. All requests for refunds must be made within 30 days of the sale date. Therefore, it is important that absentee bidders pay for their items in a timely fashion. All requests for refunds received after 30 days of the sale date will not be considered. Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. reserves the right to reject any bid in order to protect our consignor’s interests. PAYMENT POLICY All invoices are payable upon receipt. Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. will accept cash, check, wire transfer, MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American Express as payment for items purchased. Online payment is available for buyers directly through the online invoicing process. Bidders who fail to pay their invoices in full by the 25th day following the sale agree to have their total invoice amount charged to the credit card listed on file. Credit card purchases are limited to $50,000.00 per customer, per auction. Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. reserves the right to demand cash or hold merchandise until funds are collected in full. There will be a $35.00 charge for all returned checks. A 17.5% Buyer’s Premium will be added to all purchases regardless of price with a 2.5% discount when paid with check, cash or wire transfer. This premium is to be paid as part of the purchase price. Additionally, the 2.5% cash discount will only apply to invoices paid promptly, within 14 calendar days of the auction. Buyers should be aware of common delays in the mail and if that is a concern they are welcome to call our office to receive wire transfer information. No items are to be removed from our facility until paid for in full by the purchaser. GUIDELINES FOR FIREARM DELIVERIES All Federal, State and Local firearms laws will be strictly adhered to. FFL holders may take possession of any firearm on day of sale (excluding Class III) when they present a signed copy of their Federal Firearms License. If an FFL dealer is sending an “agent” to pick up items, that person must be a bona fide, paid employee of the company with a W4 on file. Outside contractors cannot be used as pickup agents. A SIGNED LETTER FROM THE FFL STATING THIS FACT MUST BE PRESENTED AT TIME OF PICK UP. The FFL Dealer will in turn be notified that a transfer was made to you as their agent. New Hampshire residents over the age of 21 may take possession of any firearm, on day of sale, provided the proper paperwork is completed and the transfer has been approved either through the N.H. State Police or the FBI NICS System, whichever is appropriate based upon the type of firearm(s) purchased. Non-resident individuals from states without waiting periods may take possession of long guns on day of sale after completing the proper forms and successfully completing a NICS check. If you reside in a state with a waiting period, your items will need to be shipped to a dealer in your state. No modern handguns will be delivered to non-resident individuals. All modern handguns purchased by non-resident individuals will need to be delivered to or shipped to an FFL holder in the buyer’s home state. Buyer is responsible for any and all shipping charges and all items must be paid for on day of sale. Bidders should be familiar with their local and state laws as Amoskeag Auction Co., Inc. will not be responsible for any parties purchasing items which may not be possessed in, or shipped to their state of residence. Some states have restrictions on transfers to C&R License holders, study your state and local laws before bidding. If you are the winning bidder of an item that you find does not comply with your state’s laws, you will still be required to pay your invoice, Amoskeag Auction Co. will then re-offer the arm on your behalf. FIREARM CLASSIFICATION: ANTIQUE - no paperwork required MODERN - Post-1898 firearm which requires an FFL or 4473 with corresponding successful background check in order to be delivered. C&R - for firearms that fall under the ATF Curio & Relics licensing and if purchased by a person with a “C&R License” no paperwork is required. NOTE: Items that meet the age requirements but have been altered from their original configuration may NOT be delivered on a C&R License. ABSENTEE/TELEPHONE/ON-LINE BIDDING • As a service to our buyers, Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. will accept absentee bids from bidders who cannot attend the sale. Bidders without prior credit approval are required to submit a 20% deposit prior to bids being accepted (credit cards may be used for absentee deposits). Absentee bids will be bid in a competitive manner and an absentee bidder needs only to outbid another buyer i.e. bidding will not be opened at the maximum bid unless that is the next competitive bid. Because we do not open at the absentee bidder's top bid (unless that is the next competitive bid) there is a chance that the absentee bidder's bid may tie with a bidder using a different bidding method (live, Proxibid or telephone bidder). If an absentee bidder wishes to guard against this occurring, they may complete an absentee bid form with a "+" after the bid amount and forward that bid sheet to our office to be entered by Amoskeag. When a "+" is added after the bid amount, the bidder authorizes Amoskeag Auction Co., Inc. to make one additional bid in order the break the tie. Buyer is responsible for any and all shipping charges. Properly registered Amoskeag On-line bidders may use this service free of additional charges as an alternative to telephone or absentee bidding, at their election. On-line bidders should be aware that the sale sometimes proceeds at a very rapid pace and should plan their bidding strategies accordingly. • Amoskeag Auction Co., Inc. will not be held responsible for errors or omissions of any type that may occur during these services. • All absentee bids must be received by 8:00pm on the day prior to the auction. If you plan to attend the sale but will not be staying until the end and want to leave a bid on an item that will be sold after you leave, we must have those bids in by 8:00am on the morning of the sale. No bids will be accepted after that time. Please do not call the gallery once the auction has started (after 9:00am) as we will not be able to accept bids or make changes to bids. • Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. will also accept telephone bids on a limited basis. Telephone bidding is reserved for seriously interested bidders. In order to bid by telephone, the bidder must be willing to pay at least the low estimate of the item being bid on. NOTE: Phone bids MUST be arranged by 5:00pm ON THURSDAY prior to the sale. • All absentee/telephone bidder invoices are issued by end of business on the Tuesday following the sale; all invoices are due upon receipt. Invoices are to be paid either by cash or check, or by credit cards listed above. All items not paid for within 20 business days from sale date shall be considered abandoned as well as any deposit that was made on those items and Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. shall have sole discretion as to their disposal. SAFETY WARNING Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. does not warranty the safety of any article it sells. Therefore, it is imperative that, before you use any firearm, purchased here or anywhere else, you have it examined by a qualified gunsmith to determine whether or not it is safe to use. SHIPPING • Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. will make every effort to ship items in a timely fashion. All items, with the exception of modern handguns, are shipped via UPS Ground unless other arrangements have been made. All merchandise is shipped Signature Required. • All modern handguns are shipped via UPS Next Day Air service. • Buyer is responsible for any and all shipping charges and for insurance on the items being shipped. Purchasers who self-insure can forego insurance charges if Amoskeag Auction is notified of your intent to self-insure. PICKING UP MERCHANDISE • Pickup will be by appointment only. • OUR OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED MONDAY AND TUESDAY FOLLOWING THE SALE. No merchandise will be delivered on those days. We will resume normal business hours on Wednesday. • Our office hours are Monday through Friday - 8:00 am to 4:00pm.
