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THB[ANTIQUE FIREARM] Colt Revolver to Mexican Army Colonel
![[ANTIQUE FIREARM] Colt Revolver to Mexican Army Colonel](https://s1.img.bidsquare.com/item/xl/3599/35996827.jpeg?t=1W4H4T)
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About Auction
LiveApr 25, 2026
Featuring rare artifacts, documents, ephemera, photography, and weaponry relating to the American Civil War. Fleischer's Auctions info@fleischersauctions.com
View Full Catalog (361)
- Lot Description
.36 caliber. 7.5" octagonal barrel. SN: 40435 (mfg. ca. 1855). Originally blued and color casehardened finish, silver plated brass backstrap and triggerguard, one-piece varnished smooth "slim-Jim" walnut grip. Single action percussion revolver with six chambered unfluted cylinder, toggle link loading lever, hammer nose notch rear sight and brass cone front sight. Barrel roll marked with a crisp one-line "New-York City" address, lower left of frame with clear two-line small font "COLT'S/PATENT" marking. Cylinder retains much of the roll engraved naval engagement scene and retains a partially legible "ENGAGED 16 MAY 1843" mark along the front edge, a partially legible Ormsby signature and with the usual "Colt's Patent" marking and serial number. Visible serial numbers match, including the loading lever, wedge and cylinder arbor. Grips were not removed as their fit is such that little doubt exists they are original to the gun. Backstrap is engraved "Luis Groso" in a clear period script.
Contemporary newspaper reports from papers in New York, Washington, D.C., Lynchburg, VA, and New Orleans all reported on the March 1856 death of a "Luis Groso," identified as a colonel in the Mexican Army who had been in the United States for a period of several months "charged with the purchase of arms and ammunition for his Government." The Daily Delta of 24 March 1856 recorded the "Suicide of a Mexican Officer," reporting that "Don Luis Groso, "a Commander in the Mexican Artillery Ordnance Department committed suicide at his boarding house, Walker Street, New York...the deceased has been in the city for several months, purchasing supplies for the Mexican army, and had at various times shipped large quantities of ammunition and other implements to the port of Vera Cruz." Sam Colt and his company were well known for presenting inscribed guns to those who could potentially influence the acquisition of Colt firearms by government contract. More than likely this gun was a gift from Colt and the company to Colonel Groso that was intended to influence the colonel's purchasing decisions. Assuming that our Col. Groso was the owner of the gun offered here, his unfortunate death in 1856 just about one year after the gun was produced may account for the crispness of the gun overall.
[Guns, Firearms, Revolvers, Rifles, Longarms, Handguns, Arms & Armor]
Condition
Very Good. Bore good to very good, moderately oxidized with some pitting and strong rifling. Metal with essentially no finish remaining and a mostly dull pewter patina with some darker mottling on the frame that suggests the original case coloring, some scattered oxidation and freckling and some areas of minor pitting. Some minor traces of blue are present in the protected areas of the lower portion of the barrel. Brass with some strong traces of silver. Markings remain mostly clear and crisp. Mechanically functional action. Safety pins battered and worn with only traces present. Grip with light to moderate wear, showing scattered bumps, dings and mars, retaining much of the varnish and showing some high edge wear at the lower flares.
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