"COLT MODEL 1860 ARMY PERCUSSION REVOLVER. SN 4740. Cal. 44. Usual configuration with 8" rnd bbl, German silver front sight, 1-line New York address and 4-screw frame with flat head hammer screw and rnd head replacement stock screws. It has a silver plated brass trigger guard and iron back strap with 1-pc walnut grip. Back strap is engraved in period script "Hon E.O. Perrin / with compliments of Col. Colt". Accompanied by its orig burgundy velvet lined walnut casing compartmented in bottom for the revolver, a single sided Colt's Patent angle spout flask, a blued 2-cavity "COLTS PATENT" mold with sprue cutter marked on right side "K", a packet of skin cartridges, an L-shaped nipple wrench, a tin of Eley's caps and a spare hammer spring. Also accompanied by a very large volume of provenance contained in three binders which includes much information regarding Mr. Perrin's service to the U.S. along with several important CDVs of Mr. Perrin and other famous people. Edwin Oscar Perrin was born Dec. 3, 1822 in Springfield, Ohio and educated at Springfield Academy. He later studied law and was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1842. He moved from Ohio to Memphis, TN and practiced law there and was the Navy agent under Pres. Taylor. In 1857 he traveled to Kansas and took an active part in the canvas against the Lecompton Constitution. He was an assistant to Presidential Candidate Stephen A. Douglass in the State of Maine and apparently very active in the Democratic Party. In 1861 at the outbreak of the Civil War Mr. Perrin was dispatched by Secretary of War Cameron to New Mexico where he served under the famous Col. Kit Carson arranging supplies for the Union Army resisting incursion of the Confederacy led by Gen. Henry Sibley. Col. Carson wrote favorably of Mr. Perrin's brave & honorable service. He was subsequently nominated by Pres. Johnson to become the Chief Justice of the Utah Territory Supreme Court but the Senate rejected his nomination, apparently on political grounds, not for lack of qualifications. He was also rejected by the Senate when he was nominated to be the Internal Revenue Assessor of the First District of New York. Mr. Perrin was the Secretary of five Democratic National Conventions and in 1868 was elected Clerk of the Court of Appeals in New York and was reappointed to the same position by the court in 1870. At this time there is little known of Mr. Perrin's activities after 1870 until his death in Dec. 1888. Also in this auction is another Col. Colt presentation Model 1860 Army which was to F.P. Stanton. Mr. Stanton was also an attorney who practiced law in Memphis, Tennessee until 1857 when he traveled to Kansas and took an active part opposing the Lecompton Constitution. It is ironic that these two revolvers, which are only 42 numbers apart, were presented to two men who were deeply involved in the bloody struggle for state's rights in Kansas at the same time and under the same circumstances who probably had been acquainted with each other for many years prior to their appearance in Kansas. This lot is also accompanied by several extremely important orig CDVs and a large framed copy of a photograph of Mr. Perrin obtained from the Library of Congress. One of the CDVs depicts a seated Edwin Perrin in a suit with a cape and hat with the very famous Kit Carson standing beside him with Mr. Carson's left hand over Mr. Perrin's shoulders. Orig photographs of Kit Carson are extremely rare. Another very important orig CDV depicts a seated Mr. Perrin in a fringed fur coat and wide brimmed hat with a Navajo warrior in large feather head-dress carrying bow & arrows and a Colt percussion revolver. Both CDVs are noted on the back along with their printer being "E. & H.T. Anthony of New York". Another orig CDV is a formal pose of Kit Carson in coat & cravat and another of Secretary of War Simon Cameron also in formal clothes. Still another orig CDV depicts Mr. Perrin with a large group of Navajo Indians with a notation on back that it was taken in Albuquerque, NM in 1862. Another orig CDV shows Mr. Perrin in a studio pose astride a saddled burro with full travel gear, a Ballard rifle, in his fringed chaps and fringed fur jacket, gauntlets and large brimmed hat. Another orig CDV is of Gen. Henry Sibley, the Confederate Commander of Confederate forces in New Mexico. This Perrin CDV is by Anthony and the Sibley CDV is by Brady. There is also a steel engraving reprint of a young Kit Carson in dress clothes. Additionally accompanying is a letter from someone named Lee Burke of Dallas, TX soliciting the purchase of a Perrin CDV to add to his collection. CONDITION: Revolver is very fine, all matching including wedge and retains 60-70% thin orig blue on the bbl, strong & bright in sheltered areas. Rammer handle retains somewhat faded case colors but strong in sheltered areas. Cylinder retains about 30% thin blue in the rebated area. Frame retains 60-70% orig case colors, strong & bright on left side, somewhat more faded on right side and hammer about 50% bright case colors. Trigger guard retains about all of its orig silver plating, slightly thinned on front strap. Back strap is a cleaned metal color with traces of silver near the top. Grip is sound showing light to moderate edge wear and a few nicks & dings retaining most of its orig varnish. Mechanics are crisp, strong shiny bore with scattered light pitting. Case has a couple of cracks in the lid and a few more in the bottom but is basically sound with usual nicks, dings & scratches from handling & storage and retains generous amounts of orig varnish. Interior is moderately faded with a couple of stains in lid with wear from revolver & accessories in the bottom. Flask retains about 50% orig finish with an open seam and a few minor dents. Mold shows little or no use but has been cleaned on outside with a few light spots of rust. Cartridge pack & cap tin are fine. Rare CDVs are all fine, slightly yellowed but with good images. 4-31870 JR149 (30,000-45,000)"
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