While I am not a large collector, I am intrigued by weaponry that has been used during the course of human conflict. This is primarily based on engineering curiousity. Design has been pivotal in modern conflict and trade offs were made between the AK-47 and M-16.
The attached picture is of a civil war revolver that my Dad and I purchased around twenty years ago. I have tried to briefly reseach it, but have opted to wait until the Tanner Gun Show to identify the revolver in question. It is certainly a civil war era colt and I suspect it is a model 1860 based on the 5.5 inch octagon barrel and rounded trigger guard. There are certain key markings as well. It is identified as "ADDRESS SAM COLT NEW YORK CITY" on the barrel. The cylinder is a replacement as the SN 34223 does not match the SN 234429 on the frame, trigger guard and backstrap. I am uncertain about the loading lever as it is marked SN 0733. The frame is also marked with "COLTS PATENT"
While a handgun in this condition is not worth a significant amount of money, it is remnant of a difficult period in U.S. history and is a testament to black powder technology. Adjusted for inflation a $10 revolver purchase would be $216.59 today. The related value is the vintage nature. If all of the numbers matched and the service history could be discovered, it would certainly make for a more interesting piece.
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