A Loose Artifact of Jefferson Davis

Inscription reads, "Presented to Gen. Jefferson Davis, Late U.S. Sec. of War,
By the Workmen of Col. Colts Armory, Hartford, CT"

The history and political contributions of Jefferson Davis are well-documented so they will not be recounted here. Instead, attention will be brought to a small object in Rock Island Auction Company's 2016 December Premiere Firearms Auction. This object is rather unassuming in itself. In fact, close attention must be paid to know that it is anything special at all, but once light is shown on a single special feature, a whole new respect comes for the little collectible with a tremendous history. RIAC is proud to offer the presentation shoulder stock for a Colt 1851 Navy revolver, inscribed to then U.S. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis.

For more photos and the full story on this incredible item, please visit our blog on the RIAC homepage.

Buck Taylor: The True King of the Cowboys

If you run a quick online search for "King of the Cowboys" the results are packed with websites featuring Roy Rogers. This is helped, of course, by a film that Rogers made entitled "King of the Cowboys." Capitalizing on World War II, the 1943 film features saboteurs blowing up government warehouses in the United States, with Roy and some associates hot on their trail to foil them. Unfortunately, Rogers was not the first to bear this royal moniker. While Roy is worthy of a lot of praise, he hadn't even been born yet by the time the original King of the Cowboys was living the winter years of his life. That man was William Levi "Buck" Taylor, a Texas-born, real live ridin' ropin' cowpuncher who grew up in the life, and whose talents were so prodigious they pushed him to the very heights of stardom and helped forever change how the public would perceive the very word "cowboy."

Buck Taylor, as he is better known to history, was born in a small east Texas town called Fredericksburgh, located in Gillespie County, in 1857. They moved around Texas some, and his father fought several times to protect his homeland. William Cody in his book "Buffalo Bill's Wild West" wrote that Taylor's family "fought for its [Texas] independence with Crockett and Col Travis at the Alamo, where a grandfather and uncle fell" and "under Sam Houston at San Jacinto..." By the time Buck was born, only he, his father, and a younger brother were the sole surviving males of the family. He was still a child when his dad joined the newly-formed Texas Cavalry and died in one of its early engagements in the Civil War, almost certainly in 1863. Two years later Buck endured the worst tragedy possible for a child, when he was orphaned after losing his mother as well. He then fell under the protective wing of an uncle who owned a large ranch on the rolling Texas plains.

There Buck grew up in the hard life of a cowpuncher. He learned the tricks, the trades, the hard work, all the while growing stronger and more accomplished. Millions of boys growing up decades later would have given almost anything to find themselves in the exact position in which Taylor was thriving. He could ride like the wind, throw a lasso with uncanny precision, understood how to manage a herd, could bust nearly any bronco, and possessed what Cody describes as "general cow-sense." That may sound like a funny word, but it is no small compliment. Buck himself is quoted as saying,

"I was dependent on myself at an age when ordinary children are still in the nursery... There was only one thing to do; which was to be a cowpuncher... By the time I was 14 I was able to ride and rope with some of the best of them and was known around our section as the best cowpuncher of my age that had ever been seen."

He would soon take supervisory roles such as "boss of the outfit" and lead herds along the Chisholm Trail with his brother James Baxter "Bax" Taylor, to the cattle yards and slaughterhouses up north. Those trips would also take him to Nebraska where his skills and "remarkable dexterity earned the attention of Major [Frank] North and Buffalo Bill and they secured his services for several seasons on their ranch by the Dismal River." Cody Ranch (also referred to as "Scout's Rest Ranch") is located about 65 miles north of North Platte and was founded in 1877 when Cody reached out to Major North, then the leader of the Pawneee Scouts for the U.S. Army. The scouts were disbanded that year and Cody proposed a partnership with Frank North and his brother Luther to become cattlemen. Cody's first encounter with the Taylor brothers was when they brought a herd up the trail for Luther, who swore up and down that Bax, not Buck, was the best bronco buster he had ever encountered. Turns out good horsemanship ran in the family. Even their older sister Mary is written about in a local newspaper as apt to "ride the worst bronco, or rope the most refracting old sow in the county." Buck continued to impress Cody with "his feats of strength, easily throwing a steer by the horns or tail, lassoing and tying single-handed," and "his mastery of wild horses," The last of which earned him his nickname, "Buck." It was on the Cody Ranch he also learned to read and write and earned a infamous reputation to down large amounts of biscuits. Once having ate 24 in one sitting, he was enduring some ribbing by his mess mates before finally being sufficiently annoyed and threatening to eat 24 more.

When the Buffalo Bill Wild West show opened on May 19, 1883, Buck was a shoe-in to appear in the show. He had already been auditioning for Cody for several years by way of his performance, but his talents and skills on the range were only part of his appeal. Buck Taylor stood between 6' 3" and 6' 5" depending on what source you read, and was an imposing figure when the average cowboy stood but a scant 5' 8". In addition to skills he had honed nearly his entire life, Taylor was well known to pick up his hat off the ground at a full gallop. If that wasn't enough to impress the crowd, he would often follow it up by retrieving his handkerchief or glove in the same manner. Handsome and with long, curly hair, Buck played a perfect lead in Buffalo Bill's staged recreation of The Battle of Little Big Horn. Buck was also well-liked by his colleagues and those he met. He had a personality that Cody describes as "...a fine representative of his class. Amiable as a child," features Cody never failed to publicize, billing him as the "King of the Cowboys." It was this combination of talent, good looks, and a kind nature that set the stage for the Buffalo Bill Wild West show to rewrite history.

At that point in American history, cowboys were viewed quite differently than they are today. They were considered dirty, gritty, unmannered, uncultured, dangerous, hard men who lived hard lives in the dust, mud and rain with livestock. Even worse, they were sometimes synonymous with outlaws. In his 1881 message to Congress, President Chester Arthur describes a band of "armed desperadoes known as 'cowboys," as a violent faction disturbing the peace in the Arizona Territory. There were some writers who were making heroes of scouts and cavalry men at that time, but the cowboy remained the depraved prairie drifter. Period author Frederick Whittaker even went so far as to write damning articles about cowboys depicting them as unrefined, ruffians and barbarians, violent to all they encountered.

Thankfully, Cody's show was already doing its part to counter the unfavorable image of the cowboy. The Staten Island venue for Buffalo Bill's Wild West show held 35,000 souls with two performances a day. In later years, it would also play prominently outside the 1893 Columbian Exposition (after being denied a place inside the show) on the Midway where he would skim from the over 26 million visitors the World's Fair would attract during its six month run. Cody, ever the marketer, had seen his own stories enjoy immense popularity. What if he took the new-found popularity of the cowboys in his show and gave the people what they wanted? He had already increased their role in his shows with positive results, so why not take the next step? That role fell to the most likely choice: Buck Taylor.

In 1887 Cody's promoter and friend Prentiss Ingraham, who had produced a nearly ceaseless stream of stories on Buffalo Bill, published the first of several dime novels about Buck which was grandly entitled Buck Taylor, King of the Cowboys, or, the Raiders and the Rangers: A Story of the Wild and Thrilling Life of William L Taylor. He would go on to write six more on the King of the Cowboys, and 1887 was arguably the peak of Taylor's career. His dime novel had been released and he was currently on tour with the Wild West show in Europe, performing in front of various heads of state and even royalty. In fact, Queen Victoria herself came to enjoy a show with the public during her Jubilee of that year. It marked the first time she had attended a show in public since the death of Prince Albert twenty-five years earlier. Author and historian R. L. Wilson adds, "Further, the Queen paid homage to the American flag during the performance, the first time a British sovereign had done so since the beginning of the Republic." Unfortunately, Buck Taylor broke a leg or hip during a performance that year, allegedly during a quadrille when a horse collided with his leg while on horseback. The popularity of the show and of Taylor was so great that his recovery was frequently covered in the local newspapers.

Buck Taylor shown at far right. Photo copyright to the Buffalo Bill Museum & Grave

If this were a more tragic story, that might be the end of Buck's career, but it would take more than a busted leg to stop a real cowboy. He would reappear in the show and stayed with it until about 1890 when he would leave for reasons that appear to be undocumented to history. Whatever his reasons, Taylor moved to Wyoming, and worked on a ranch with his brother Bax before the two broke off and started one of their own in the town of Rongis near Long Creek. Even there he never stepped completely away from show business, serving as the superintendent for Denver's Cowboy Tournament and Wild West in 1890. In an unusual twist to any biography, while living in Rongis his death was incorrectly reported by the Ft. Worth Gazette on March 23, 1892. It was said he had been shot in a fight and that two other men had been stabbed, none of which was true. What was truly newsworthy that year was that Buck had started appearing in shows again.  He also found some time to meet a young lady that would eventually become his wife. On September 12, 1893 Buck married Emely Reynolds Allibone Laugton in Carbon, WY.

One of the shows Buck joined was the Wyoming Wild West, a curious name for a show located on the East Coast. The show had a nasty habit of allowing shell-game operators to follow their show and operate outside of it which caused no shortage of problems. In New Jersey swindled college students disrupted and eventually broke up the show. "Fire crackers and other fireworks were thrown under the orator's stand just as Buck was to make his appearance. The buffalo was set loose, steers were freed. Spectators fled the tent." Similar complaints arose from a show in Maine, and in Quebec the show folded so fast that many of the Native Americans working the show were left behind, causing a international question of who was going to pay to get them back home.

Little is known of any other shows, but they must not have been up to snuff for Buck because by 1894 he had started his own western show. Unfortunately, "Buck Taylor's Wild West" was one of no fewer than 242 other western shows that would ultimately attempt to replicate the success of Cody's legendary show. Buck's foray into the business would be a flop, and by 1897 he found himself briefly working in California before moving to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania to assume duties as the superintendent  at the Betzwood Stock Farm. That same year, Buck's brother Baxter was killed when he was thrown from a wagon at their ranch in Rongis. For a man with little remaining family and who had partnered with his brother so frequently, the news must have been a tremendous blow.

The rest of Buck's life was surprisingly quiet, given how storied and exciting it had been to that point. The sole other occurrence in Buck's life that is documented is that he had his identity stolen by an impostor named Barry F. Tatum. A former actor, Tatum pretended to be Buck to the point where he gave a political speech endorsing Teddy Roosevelt, and even made some money by endorsing a 75 proof snake oil medicine called Peruna that claimed to help "catarrh, coughs, influenza, la grippe." Peruna withdrew Tatum's endorsements after he died in 1900 from tuberculosis. Of course, Tatum's death resulted in yet another false death report for the real Buck Taylor. In hindsight, all the identify theft and impersonation Buck endured in life seems an eerie foreshadowing of that which he would endure even after his death, thanks to the number of performers who not only assumed the title of "King of the Cowboys" but even used the Buck Taylor name for their own gains.

Buck Taylor would not pass away for another 24 years at 67 years of age. He died in Downington, Pennsylvania, still living on a ranch, albeit far from the American West he loved so dearly. While never taking part in the cowboy's rise to fame in the movies, Buck was one of the earliest faces of cowboys that the public could admire and embrace as a hero. He was the right man who came along at the right time. Hopefully he took some sort of personal satisfaction in that, though there is no way he could have anticipated the heights the Western genre would finally attain.

The Revolver

In September 2016, Rock Island Auction Company will be offering a Colt Single Action Army that has never left the descendants of Buck Taylor. The legendary cowboy acquired this revolver when he was 39-years of age. That puts it shipping date in 1896 - after his most colorful days in the western shows, but while he still had plenty of ranching and work to do.

The Colt letter for this beautiful sixgun confirms this shipment date and lists its original configuration, which it retains to this day: nickel plated, 5 1/2 in. barrel, and firing .45 caliber hunks of lead. While a true cowboy in every sense of the word, the flashy nature of the revolver likely appealed to Buck thanks to his time spent in the limelight. Judging by the condition of the revolver, it is likely not one that spent a lot of time bouncing around in a holster, but one that he treasured and saved for when the occasion called for some glitz.

Lot 3078: Documented Historic First Generation Colt Single Action Army Revolver Owned by the "King of the Cowboys" and Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Performer Buck Taylor

The provenance of this gun was nearly lost forever. When Buck passed away in 1924, this Single Action Army came into the possession of his niece, Francis Taylor Hoffmeister, who was given the gun at Buck's funeral as part of her inheritance. She clearly was familiar with her famous uncle because she had kept many newspaper clippings about Buck's life events. Whether the two had any personal relationship is unknown. Francis Taylor had a twin sister, Ruth, who passed in 1926. When Francis passed away in 1984, just a year short of becoming a centenarian, the gun was not passed down her family, but down her twin sister's. Ruth's granddaughter has retained the pistol to this day. Francis was the last remaining relative who knew of the gun's remarkable provenance.  Had she not relayed this history to her grandniece, this might just be any other high condition Colt in our auction, its story permanently erased from memory.


History buffs and any number of knowledgeable Western enthusiasts owe these two ladies a debt for preserving the remarkable provenance behind this piece of irreplaceable Americana. The only other firearm in existence tied directly to Buck currently resides in the Autry Museum of the American West. The revolver at RIAC represents a once-in-a-lifetime chance to own a classic piece of a bygone era and a connection to a man who forever changed the reputation of the American cowboy. It will be auctioned in Rock Island Auction Company's 2016 September Premiere Auction held September 9 - 11.

- Written by Joel R. Kolander







SOURCES:

Harris, Charles W., and Buck Rainey. The Cowboy: Six-Shooters, Songs, and Sex. Norman: U of Oklahoma, 1976. Print.
http://codyarchive.org/memorabilia/wfc.prog.1884.html

http://www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/cody4taylor.html

Murdoch, David Hamilton. The American West: The Invention of a Myth. N.p.: U of Nevada, 2001. Print.

Slatta, Richard W. The Cowboy Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1994. Print.

The Admiral, The King, & The Inventor

Lot 3157: Rare Documented Samuel Colt Presentation English Cased and Engraved London Model 1851
Navy Percussion Revolver

Think of the "action movie cop" stereotype.  You know, the one who refuses to play by the rules, but is so good at his job that his defiance of those rules is generally ignored, much to the chagrin of his immediate superiors and the delight of those who revel in his success.  Oddly, this stereotype didn't arise in the later 20th century Hollywood movies or even with the insubordinate heroes in a variety of sports.  No, this cliché can be traced all the way back to 1775 (and perhaps earlier) with the birth of a man who would eventually be known as, "The Wolf of the Sea" - Lord Admiral Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald.

Lot 1163: A Magnificent and Superb Royal Cased Pair of Lavishly Gold Inlaid Percussion Pistols by Manceaux of Paris Presented to Captain Thomas, Lord Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, by Louis Philippe, King of France

I know that some of you, hearing this long title and the hint of British Naval history, have already become bored.  Rest assured that reading about Cochrane is no ordinary history lesson.  Did you not see the man's nickname?  This also happens to be the man who is the basis for the fictional Capt. Jack Aubrey from "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" as well as Horatio Hornblower.  Cochrane's robust and passionate personality have stealthily worked themselves into 19th and 20th century characters that are still popular and relevant to this day.  That's impressive.  Almost as impressive as Cochrane's career.

"Lord Cochrane" by James Ramsay

Born into a large, Scottish family whose military tradition extended back several generations on both sides of his family, it seems almost a foregone conclusion that Cochrane would himself find a career in the military.  However, he was also descended of Scottish aristocracy and could have also used such means to attain wealth, power, and status.  Thankfully for several nations (we'll cover that later), he chose tradition and to serve his country by joining the Navy.  Technically he was listed on the crew of Navy ships as young as five years old, but this was largely due to his uncle unlawfully listing him on rosters at the young age so that when it would come time for promotion in his career, it would look as if he had more service than he really did - a common practice called "false muster."  Despite his father's best efforts to get him to join the Army, even obtaining him a commission, young Thomas would join the Navy in 1793 at the onset of the French Revolutionary Wars.

In no small coincidence, this was also the same year that his father, an inventor, had squandered the family fortune and sold their ancestral home and land to cover his debts.  It is likely the very thing that pushed Cochrane into the Navy in search of the prize money that would often accompany selling captured ships and their cargo.  It obsessed him, and he is quoted as once telling his brother, "I have every prospect of making the largest fortune which has been made in our days, save that of the Duke of Wellington."  He desperately wished to buy back his family's land as well as secure his own fame and fortune.  Often such ambition often sows the seeds of destruction for the one who bears it, but Cochran's sins lied elsewhere.  All heroes have flaws and Cochrane's was the inability to keep his mouth shut, though often with good cause.  Though this wouldn't happen largely until he was more involved with politics than sailing.

While his military service may have begun in 1793, it would take until his service aboard the flagship Barfleur before his confrontational personality began to be officially documented.  It was then he was court-martialled for the first time for "flippancy" to a superior officer.  However, by early 1800 he already had key roles in capturing prized French ships, which in turn earned him a promotion to commander within a month and he took control of the HMS Speedy.  Initially less than impressed with the ship, calling it "little more than a burlesque of a vessel of war," it was aboard the Speedy that his exploits began to earn him his fame that is still the stuff of movies and books over two centuries later.  There is no way to give a detailed account of all his actions in this small weekly column.  However, if you read them, you will likely smile.  They involve cunning, skill, talent, tactic, intelligence, and an astounding amount of courage.  Here are a few of the highlights:

• A Spanish warship posing as a merchant vessel almost captured the Speedy, but Cochrane quickly raised a Dutch (neutral) flag and stayed the boarding party by claiming the crew had the plague.  He would later use this "false flag" technique many times and with great success.
• Being pursued by an enemy frigate and knowing they would follow the Speedy by any reflection of light, Cochrane fixed a lantern to a barrel and set it adrift.  The ship chased the barrel and the Speedy lived to sail another day.
• After accidentally coming to a ball in the uniform of a common sailor, Cochrane was mistaken for one, which led to an argument and a duel.  He wounded the offending Frenchman and was himself unharmed.
• His most famous feat was the capture of the Spanish ship El Gamo, which held 32 guns and 319 men.  There were 8, 12, & 24 pound cannons which could launch a broadside totaling 190 pounds, dwarfing the Speedy's 14 guns and 54 men.  On May 6, 1801  The Speedy hoisted an American flag, causing critical Spanish hesitation, and rushed El Gamo.  In fact, the smaller Speedy sailed so closely that he tangled his yard arms in El Gamo's rigging.  Being this close the larger Spanish ship could not point its cannons down far enough to fire upon the Speedy's hull, but this did not prevent the Speedy from firing her cannons upward with great effect.  While El Gamo's shots passed through nothing but sail and rigging, the Speedy's shots (often loaded with two or even three cannonballs for even more devastation) struck true.  The cannon fire penetrated both hull and deck, killing the captain and the boatswain on the very first broadside.  The Spanish, not too keen on their current strategy, prepared to board the smaller ship, but the Speedy pulled away quickly and raked the boarding parties gathered on the deck with a barrage of shot and small arms fire.  The boarders would be repulsed three separate times before the Spanish attempted to return to their superior firepower.  At that point Cochrane ordered El Gamo boarded, some of his crew with blackened faces to imitate pirates.  He left no crew aboard the Speedy except the ship doctor, but in the middle of a fierce battle he called to the doctor to send another 50 men aboard El Gamo.  This, in combination with his crew's removal of the Spanish flag, led many of the Spaniards to believe their ship captured and they ceased fighting.  The British had lost 3 and had 9 wounded, while El Gamo's crew lost 14 and saw 41 wounded - more than the Speedy's entire crew!  The Spanish officer who has assumed command of the ship, ashamed at his defeat, requested a letter from Cochrane stating that he had indeed done everything in his power to defend his superior ship.  He obliged the Spanish officer, using the phrase that he had "conducted himself like a true Spaniard," and the letter was later used by said officer to obtain promotion.  This pleased Cochrane greatly upon hearing it.
• In an 1809 attack not involving the Speedy, Cochrane personally led an attack of an explosion vessel (a.k.a. "fireship").  After strategically piloting the ship against a French fleet, he set it afire and escaped via a small boat.  His actions forced the entire French fleet aground, save for two ships, and earned him the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, officially securing his hero status. 
• In the Speedy's 13 month rein of terror, Cochrane used it successfully to capture, burn, or drive ashore over 50 different ships before being captured by three French ships, including the vastly superior Desaix and her 74 guns.  

In the painting, "The Action and Capture of the Spanish Xebeque Frigate El Gamo" by Clarkson Frederick Stanfield, the
HMS Speedy can bee seen in the foreground, British colors hoisted, while the fighting on the decks of El Gamo can
be seen behind her.  This painting currently resides in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

While these incredible battles and feats secured his fame, most of Cochrane's success came from his raids along the Mediterranean coast, destroying and sacking numerous enemy ports and capturing ships still in the harbor.   He did not have the opportunity to take part in major battles like the famed Lord Nelson, so he continued his lifelong pursuit of riches.  On his next two ships he would command, the Pallas and the Imperieuse, he would positively wreck the French coast, earning over £75,000 in prize money from his captured goods and ships. Napoleon himself dubbed him, 'le loup des mers' - the wolf of the sea - and his reputation grew ever larger.



By 1806 he was pursuing a life in politics, while not quite finished with his Naval command.  It was at this time his mouth began to get him into trouble and his anti-social behaviors truly began to shine.  He would speak up for the "common sailor," parliamentary reform, and other ideas popular with the masses, but that did not win him any friends in politics.  This was exacerbated by Cochrane himself, who proved to be his own worst enemy.  He would imagine slights against him, write fiery letters, had little patience for inaction, was blunt to a fault, and often used language more befitting a sailor than a sitting member of parliament.  It is best said in the book, "Cochrane The Real master & Commander" by David Cordingly,

"He imagined enemies where there were none and made enemies of people who should have been his friends. He was frequently out of step with his times and lacked the insight and the humility to understand why this should be and to adapt to it."
 Oddly, this image of a ill-tempered, coarse, firebrand is quite the opposite of how people saw him in private.  In private settings he is several times described as "a gentle, mild man... wholly unassuming," calm, quiet, self-assured, clear, charming, well-rounded, and even a genius. Even the great poet Lord Byron said, "There is no man I envy as much as Lord Cochrane." Unfortunately, it was the "Mr. Hyde" that was seen by his contemporaries in politics and proved to be his undoing.  His 1809 attack using fireships, a large part of his fame, was also a great disappointment to him.  Cochrane always felt that Admiral Gambier missed the chance to swoop in and destroy the grounded French fleet.  In fact, Cochrane's criticisms were so damning, that Gambier requested a court-martial to clear his own name, the Navy closed ranks around Gambier, and Cochrane was fighting alone.  Apparently fireships can be used to burn bridges as well.

This dissonance with his colleagues would culminate in 1814 when Cochrane was charged with stock fraud, found guilty, and expelled from Parliament.  Historians are mixed on whether or not he actually was guilty, but the result is the same: a tarnished name, loss of Knighthood, booted from politics, thrown out of the Navy, and sentenced to the pillory for one hour.  However, his absence from politics was short-lived.  In the resulting election to fill his empty seat, his constituents re-elected him (unopposed), and created such an outcry over his pending pillory punishment, that it was withdrawn lest the people riot.  Unable to take a hint, Cochrane based his subsequent political platform on parliamentary reform.

Once cast out of the Navy, his services were very much in demand in other parts of the world.  The Chileans wanted to rid themselves of Spain in 1817, so Cochrane agreed and helped them do it.  To this day, there are many streets named after him in Chile and an immense bronze statue stands for the man who drove the Spaniards from their coast and land.  Seeing this success, the Brazilians also requested his expertise in naval warfare to earn their independence from the Portuguese, which he obliged in 1823.  These incredible victories abroad, and the many stories behind them, stirred the people back home to accuse those against Cochrane of conspiracy and poor treatment of their hero, though those were largely just accusations with no real substance.  He even fought with the Greeks from 1827-28 to help secure their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but found relatively little success there.  These acts very much tied in with his image in England as a liberator and defender of the people.

His father died in 1831 and by his inherited peerage (10th Earl of Dundonald) he was accepted back into the Royal Navy, though he refused until his knighthood was returned...15 years later by Queen Victoria.  In his winter years, he continued his lifelong hobby of inventing.  During his life he had invented many things: an improved convoy lamp to better allow ships to follow one another in darkness, tunneling devices, in addition to a strong interest in steamships.  More impressive were his innovations in combat, such as using entire ships essentially as large exploding claymores against enemy ports or using ship hulls filled with sulfur and charcoal as "stink vessels" or "smoke bombs" to fumigate and drive out enemy troops to better establish a beachhead.  These tactics were with merit, but the panels in charge of adopting them were so worried that the devices could be used against the British, that they rejected Cochrane's proposal and the inventor promised to never speak of them in deference to the public's safety.  It is one of the first mentions of gas warfare in history.

Ironically, Cochrane's profit-driven life found itself almost exactly in the way it started.  Much of his fortunes were squandered in life, but in his later years remaining funds were also wasted on several inventions, just as his father had done so many years earlier.  His passion and interest in developing a steamship threatened to scuttle his strong lifelong marriage to his beloved Kate.

He served as commander in chief of the North America and West Indies from 1848-1851, make admiral in 1851, and then the honorary title of Rear-Admiral.  His final years were spent penning his rather exhilarating autobiography, which cemented his reputation even further since he had outlived most of his opponents.  He passed away in 1860 during an operation to remove his kidney stones and was subsequently buried in the nave of Westminster Abbey.  The Times of London had this to say about his death,

"History can produce few examples of such a man or of such achievement.  There have been greater heroes because there have been heroes with greater opportunities, but no sailor or soldier of modern times ever displayed a more extraordinary capacity than the man who now lies dead."

To this day, representatives of the Chilean Navy hold an annual wreath laying ceremony at his grave.

A wreath made to look like the Chilean flag rests
on the grave of Lord Cochrane.

The Guns

The following pairs of guns were presented to Cochrane late in his life, far after the apex of his fame, in a sign of respect of a life well lived.  The first to be presented of the two available in Rock Island Auction Company's September 2015 Premiere Firearms Auction was given to Cochrane by Louis Phillippe, the King of France.

These pistols were ordered by the King himself from the Royal workshop in Tulle, headed at that time by Jules Manceaux.  The magnificent gift features intricately raised relief carved European walnut stocks and relief chiseled gold that liberally covers every metal surface of the guns.  Most high art pistols of the time, such as those made by Devisme, Gastinne Renette, Lepage, et al, are etched and then thinly damascened with gold amalgam.  These pistols differ in that they are decorated with true gold inlay.  Besides the vines and scroll which extend down the barrel, a pair of dragons are depicted in gold on the lock,  crowned lions appear on the forend caps, and crowned demonic faces appear on the trigger guards - all done in pure gold.  Even the inscription on the barrel top is in gold, but the words "MANCEAUX" and "A PARIS" appear in a bright platinum.

Our official description says it best when it states, "the case is a work of art in its own right," with its gold and silver inlaid bands, corner embellishments, and a large silver presentation plaque.  It also houses a host of other fine accessories, each one embellished to be worthy of such a fine pair of pistols.

Samuel Colt being the master marketer of his day, was unlikely to miss a chance to get his pistols into the hands of a beloved military man and national hero.  Demand for arms was already high in Europe during the 1850s due to the area's abundant conflicts, and Colt was undoubtedly happy to make a gift to someone who held military influence and was popular with the people.  It is no small coincidence that "the revolver's presentation coincides with the purchase of 23,500 London Model 1851 Navy revolvers by the British government in 1854... Nearly half of these revolvers were issued to the Royal Navy and... Cochrane was involved in the process that generated those orders."

The early production, cased, deluxe, factory engraved, London Model 1851 Navy percussion revolver is quite the gift.  Punch dots on the various parts indicate that this was a presentation gun from the beginning and it has the parts to prove it.  The barrel and cylinder have lavish British scroll engraving atop of a high polish blued finish, while loading lever, frame, and hammer are casehardened. The brass backstrap (seen in early models) and trigger guard are silver plated, and the one piece, highly figured walnut grips have the highly polished "piano finish."  The inscription on the backstrap reads, "From the inventor, To Admiral Sir Thos. Cochrane."

Looking at Sir Thomas, Lord Cochrane from a larger perspective, he arose in the pinnacle of the Romantic era.  A time of education, art, and passionate ideas that would evoke intense emotion proved to be the perfect breeding ground for a man that knew exhilarating victories and crushing defeats.  He was the sailor who became a politician, and the man that would pen love letters to his wife one moment and deliver withering profanities to his opponents the next.  Cochrane was a man of passions and whose juxtaposed excellence and flaws make him just as relatable today as he was popular in his own time.

-Written by Joel R. Kolander





Sources:

http://www.historynet.com/sir-thomas-cochrane-the-british-naval-officer-who-proposed-saturation-bombing-chemical-warfare-during-the-napoleonic-wars.htm

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14505058

http://www.rmg.co.uk/explore/sea-and-ships/facts/explorers-and-leaders/thomas-cochrane

http://www.rockislandauction.com/viewitem/aid/65/lid/1163

http://www.rockislandauction.com/viewitem/aid/65/lid/3157

http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/people/thomas-cochrane

Who Made It Better - PP vs 1911

As gun collectors we love to debate.  AK or AR?  9mm or .40?  Remington 870 or Mossberg 500?  '73 Colt or '73 Winchester?  In that spirit of strong opinions and lively conversations, we wish to bring the following question to the table, regarding the two presentation pistols in this week's article:  who made it better?  You may use any criteria you like, though some suggested ones are: aesthetics, condition with consideration given to age, provenance, historical value, usefulness of the firearm, desirability of model, and of course, your own personal preference.  Without further ado, here are today's contenders.

Exquisite Presentation Grade Factory Engraved Nazi Walther Model PP Pistol with "KB" Initials on the Backstrap In Postwar Walther Factory Presentation Case

Our first contender certainly starts things off on a strong note.  This is an excellent condition, all original, Presentation Grade, factory engraved Walther PP pistol.  It's a worthy opponent in today's competition!  Since its inception, Walther has been universally recognized as having some of the finest European engravers and this gun shows why in classic Germanic style.  The sheer amount of engraving is impressive in itself, but the precision and the depth in the relief sets it apart.  It bears a very traditional oak leaf and acorn pattern on nearly every metal surface and even those that don't are still decorated with fine checkering, punch dots, or small geometric designs.

The backstrap deserves special attention.  While having been also treated to the same phenomenal engraving as the rest of the pistol, it also features a large, framed "KB" monogram.  Those initials are believed (though not proven) to belong to Kurt Buhligen, a top Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II credited with 112 kills and who eventually commanded Jagdgeschwader Nr 2, the "Freiherr von Richthofen" squadron.  Our official description succinctly describes the pilot.









"Major Buhligen joined the Luftwaffe upon its initial conception in the early 1930s, attended flight and fighter school from 1938-1939 and made his first kill in Sept 1940 during the Battle of Britain. He served on all fronts and flew over 700 missions. In 1944 while on a flying mission in Russia he developed engine trouble and was forced to land and was captured by the Russians. He was interned until 1950 when he was repatriated. During the war for his numerous air victories he was awarded the "Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords" the second highest medal that could be awarded to any German serviceman."



A fun history fact is that Buhligen joined the Luftwaffe as a mechanic!  A collector fascinated with this history of the era, would do well to dig up some concrete documentation on this pistol, as it could increase the value nicely.  Also increasing the desirability of this already attractive firearms is its case and accessories.  The case is a postwar Walther presentation version with a blue leather exterior, fiery red velvet and satin interior, and a spare Walther marked magazine with the finger extension base.

Rare Documented Factory Engraved, Gold Inlaid Colt Government Model Semi-Automatic Pistol with Factory Letter

Thankfully, we also know some history on the next gun in our contest.  As the title indicates, it's a Colt Government Model pistol with factory engraving and gold inlay, but there is more to this pistol than its simple description.  It's not just any engraving on this Colt, but "Grade C" engraving.  For those unfamiliar, Colt "A" grade or coverage would cover 1/4 of the gun's surface, "B" would cover half, "C" 3/4, and "D" being full coverage of the firearm, including front, sides, screws, hammer, hammer, etc.  Also, the amount of coverage is made even more impressive because it was performed by Master Engraver William H. Gough.  Featuring his personal style of vines, flowers, and lined backgrounds, the firearm is smothered in his elaborate artwork down to the deluxe checkered grips.

Not only is the gun engraved, but it also has a large gold monogram on the top of the slide.  This exceptional combination of fine engraving and gold mongrams on this particular model make it an extremely rare collector or investment piece.  Noted Colt author R. L. Wilson states in "The Book of Colt Firearms," that around 140 Colt Government Models were factory engraved prior to World War II and that only 160 were inscribed or monogrammed.  However, of those already low numbers only a mere four were monogrammed with gold inlays.

Unfortunately, while collectors have access to some of the Colt's records to determine its origins, the monogram on the slide provides a bit of a mystery.  If only four were produced, who could it have belonged to?  A heroic serviceman?  A dedicated officer?  A Colt employee?  A diplomat or politician?  Maybe even just one of Colts elaborate marketing giveaways?  Research may tell, but for now the initials and their owner remain a puzzle yet to be solved.

Each gun certainly has their advantages.  Both are iconic pistols that have stood the test of time.  Both are finely monogrammed and engraved to deserving individuals. Even if the identity of those individuals is still not 100% certain, such pistols were not just handed out willy-nilly.  The Walther is in better condition (though it is several decades younger) and comes with its presentation case and accessories.  The Colt, however, enjoys gold inlays, comes chambered in the more stout .45 caliber, and has the prestige of being a standard issue service weapon.  The Walther PP, while issued to officers and the Luftwaffe, was not the standard issue of the Wehrmacht, an honor that belongs to the P.38.  Each one was also innovative: the PP was the first truly successful semi-automatic pistol to utilize double action with an external hammer, while the M1911/Government Model employed several of Browning's newly patented inventions such as the slide lock, grip safety, thumb safety, and others (6 in total).

To be sure, it's not an easy call, but one must be named.  Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section below and we'll see who comes out the winner.


-Written by Joel Kolander

Colt Lightnings & Thunderers

Click here to see all the Colt 1877s in this incredible auction!


For those not familiar, Rock Island Auction Company sent out a series of emails containing some of the highlights in our May 2014 Premiere Firearms Auction. These messages covered a number of popular genres and gave a first look at some firearms that are bound to attract the attention of some of the world's foremost collectors and investors. This blog, and the ones to follow, are a reprint of those emails for those who do not receive that type of communication. As an added bonus, these blogs will also include many photos that did not appear in the original emails in order to keep them at a reasonable size. We hope you enjoy these collectible firearms and their multitude of photos!

If you like what you see below, be sure to check out our auction highlights in the Photo Preview, 4-page Sneak Preview, or our full 16-page mailer. To search our entire auction listing please visit www.rockislandauction.com/search. 

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Well, friends this is it. The last article of our 9-part series that shows off the exciting, historic, spectacular, and beautiful firearms that have come to Rock Island Auction Company and will highlight our May 2014 Premiere Auction. The good news is, these are far from being alone in their excellence. Having the enormous quantity of world-class guns that we do in this single auction is a thrill that never loses its kick.  Today's firearms are a model that has been requested by several collectors whose interests have been piqued by items they've seen in our Photo Preview. This email will focus on the impressive selection of Colt Model 1877 Lightnings and Thunderers that will be appearing in our May 2014 Premiere Firearms Auction.  As always, we appreciate all your interest in Rock Island Auction Company.

Many times, when we see a fancy antique gun, we might wonder who it was made for. Some past baron of industry? A beloved sheriff? A politician or head of state? Maybe just someone who was well-to-do? This next revolver is just the type to instigate such questions, but is also gracious enough to provide us with a rather exciting answer.

This exceptional, factory engraved, nickel-plated Colt 1877 has been so well preserved it still has its original factory picture carton. The nickel plating is in remarkable condition and the factory engraving, a "Style 2" or "B" engraving, is likely that of Cuno A. Helfricht, chief Colt engraver in 1889, or possibly his staff. This engraving and nickel finish are accented by fiery blue accents from the ejector rod head, frame screws, trigger, and hammer top. But who would own such a fine and decorated revolver?

That answer comes from the factory letter, which lists the caliber, barrel length, finish, type of stocks, factory engraving, and also that it was shipped to "F.F. Knous, Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Mfg. Company, Hartford, Connecticut" on May 31, 1889. It specifies further that "Mr. Knous was Superintendent of the Colt Company during this time period." Knous began working for Colt in 1861 and by 1890 was recognized by some as one of Colt's most valued artisans and one of the best all around master mechanics in the country, as testified to by the many ordnance officers who had the pleasure of working with him.

Along with the box, which bears a large black and white "ENGRAVED" label, are a pink label glued to the inside of the carton lid entitled "DIRECTIONS for using COLT's .38 in & .41 in cal RELOADING TOOLS," the original tissue paper instruction sheet, a wire cleaning brush, and copies of patents issued to Franklin F. Knous. It's yet another gun that provides a powerful combination of enticing traits for collectors: excellent condition, factory engraving, desirable make and model, original box, special finish, and an impressive provenance - a direct link to a valued and important employee at the Colt factory with a tenure extending nearly three decades.

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Our next look will be at this outstanding, Gustave Young Master Engraved, gold and nickel-plated Colt Model 1877 Sheriff's Model 1877 Lightning double action ejectorless revolver. The gold covers the cylinder, hammer, trigger, and cylinder pin and the nickel-plating covers the barrel, frame, trigger guard, and backstrap. All of the visible serial numbers match on this rare two-finish Colt which enjoys Gustave Young's American style scrollwork factory engraving, equivalent to Colt "B." The two-piece, black, hard rubber, bird's head grips are checkered and in excellent shape. Manufactured in 1878, this revolver shows that it has been impeccably kept for the last 136 years.

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This 1877 revolver was manufactured in 1895 and has profuse Nimschke engraving covering its surface in a wondrously well done floral scroll pattern. This Sheriff's Model 1877 in addition to the master engraving that covers 95% of the gun, has a nitre blue hammer top, a checkered, one-piece walnut grip, and a lanyard ring mounted on the bird head grip.

This gun, unlike our first gun, does not do us the favor of telling us its former owner, though this handsome engraved monogram at the top of the checkered backstrap does give us quite a clue. It is touches like this and the scalloped border around the caliber designation on the barrel that make an already alluring gun all the more so.

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The final gun we'll look at today, though not the final 1877 in this auction, is yet another excellent chance to own a rare combination finish Colt! This documented, gold and nickel-plated, factory engraved, etched panel, pearl handled Lightning double action reads like a checklist for everything collectors want.

In addition to all the special features listed above, the revolver is further embellished with nitre blue trigger and back of its hammer, a 'bulls eye' head ejector rod, and bordered knurling on the hammer spur. All of the visible serial numbers match. Given the timeframe, this gun's American style scrollwork and punchdot background is another likely candidate as the work of Master Engraver Cuno A. Helfricht or his shop.

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There you have it Colt 1877 collectors! Ask and you shall receive. We hope that these 4 choice examples have whetted your appetite to see the remaining 1877 revolvers in this sale as well as the 530+ other Colts appearing in this auction! We'll have everything from Walkers and Patersons to Gatling guns and a remarkable selection of M1911/A1 pistols, including every wartime manufacturer. This amazing selection will also include Single Action Army revolvers, Armys, Navys, Gustave Young engravings, Tiffany grips, rare long arms, fluted cylinders, special finishes, historic provenances, Dragoons, 1849 Pockets, gorgeous grips, known military histories, and so much more. Stay tuned for future announcements. You'll be glad you did.

Click here to see all the Colt 1877s in this incredible auction!

1911s of the Second World War

As we all know, when American decided to enter World War II after the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor it was "all hands on deck."  Everyone in the nation was contributing through whatever means necessary: rationing of goods, rubber drives, saving fats, Victory gardens, nylon drives, tin can collection, carpooling, blackouts, women joining the workforce en masse, and hundreds of thousands of War Bonds were sold.  However, John and Jane Q. Public were not the only ones to contribute to the war effort.  Corporations across America were tooling up to help meet war needs and to beat back the Axis powers.  The Kaiser Corporation, which had seen great growth in the 1930s building dams under federal contracts, began building ships, planes, and other vehicles.  Ford Motor Company has been producing airplane engines for the British before America entered the war, but soon switched over to full-time military production making B-24 Liberators, superchargers, generators, military gliders, tanks, armored cars, jeeps, grenades, bombs, landing crafts and more.  Chrysler was making tanks, anti-aircraft guns, the Martin B-26 bomber and B-29 Superfortress, fuses, shells and more!  Countless companies dropped what they were doing before the war, refocused, and turned the full industrial might of a nation on toward the war effort.

If a country is saving its pan drippings to beat you, that's a bad sign.

The 1911A1 was not immune to this boost in production from multiple sources.  Part of this precipitated thanks to the War Department not allowing many contractors to finish their World War I contracts.  By cancelling those productions, the United States found itself short of sidearms, much like it did at the beginning of World War I.  This lack of produced firearms was exacerbated by the slashed military funding after WWI.  Since soldiers were not needed in their WWI quantities, the government limited the Army 144,000 officers and men!  If that's the limit they placed on personnel, you can imagine the financial restrictions placed on munitions, arms, parts, repairs, and other military essentials.

With multiple manufacturers required to build the United States' arsenals to appropriate levels for war, it would give collectors of the legendary pistol quite a bit to focus on in future decades.  1911 production models during World War II were manufactured by five different companies - ALL of which will be appearing in Rock Island Auction Company's May 2014 Premiere Firearms Auction.  1911s will be generously represented as will many of the U.S. military arms, Class III firearms, and an extraordinary collection of German WWII military items known simply as The Von Norden Collection.

We will also be auctioning M1911 pistols from every manufacturer during the first World War, but that's an article for another week.  Back to the topic at hand.  It was the aforementioned shortage of military funding that led to the most desirable of all 1911A1s: the Singer.


Singer
The Army's cash shortage was notable.  Then Captain George S. Patton is said to have used his own funds to pay for parts to keep his successful tank brigade up and running.  The M1 Garand, while still adopted, had to compromise and be made in the existing .30-06 cartridge instead of the superior .276 Pedersen round.  The new round would have taken massive funds to be developed and produced as well as required the conversions of vast amounts of the Army's machine guns.  To help its financial burden the Army had to get creative as is best described in Patrick Sweeney's book 1911: The First 100 Years.

"Despite this situation, the Army was able to make some progress in the late 1930s and early 1940s before Pearl Harbor.  They were able to issue "educational contracts" to manufacturers, contracts that paid for the costs of setting up to make small arms, and to produce a small run as proof of performance.  One such contract went to the Singer Sewing Machine Company in April of 1940.  Singer was able to produce the 500 test pistols required.  but with delivery of the 500 right at Pearl Harbor time, the government's contract offering of 15,000 more pistols was turned down, Singer's board of directors feeling that their company's skills, knowledge, and factory were better put to use manufacturing ship and artillery fire control directors.  So the 1911A1 tolling was boxed off to Remington Rand.  Those 500 Singer 1911A1s are the perhaps the Holy Grail of 1911 collecting." 

Those original 500 pistols were distributed to Army Air Corps personnel.

Rare World War II U.S. Singer Manufacturing Company Model 1911A1 Semi-Automatic Pistol

Remington Rand
Remington was so busy making rifles, that they really didn't have a lot of time to dedicate to side arms.  This despite the fact that they had already made about 22,000 pistols during WWI before the government shut down its production line, due to interchangibility issues with the pistols made by Colt and Springfield (however, it was this issue that led to Colt producing a new set of production specs in 1936 which would greatly aid production in WWII).  Perhaps it was a still a sour taste in their mouth from that previous wrist-slapping that led Remington-UMC to send their government contract to their subsidiary formed in 1886, Remington Typewriter.  The spin-off's merger with Rand Kardex and Powers Accounting in 1927 left it renamed Remington Rand, but they soon began manufacturing 1911A1s in addition to the glut of typewriters that were also needed for the war.  After some brief production issues that required the attention of President James Rand, Jr. to fix, Remington Rand manufactured slightly less than 878,000 1911A1 pistols between the years 1942 and 1945, making them the leading wartime manufacturer of the pistol.

Side note:  Remington Rand received part of their tooling from Singer, who declined their government contract, but they also received tooling from Harrison & Richardson.  H&R at that time was going through a bankruptcy was only able to produce 20 pistols, not even enough for a successful "test batch" as Singer had produced.  None of H&R's 20 pistols were accepted and the government rescinded their contract in June 1942.  Some of the 1911 tooling at H&R went to Remington Rand, but most of it went to our next 1911 manufacturer.

Unique Very Early Production Second Contract U.S. Remington-Rand Model 1911A1 Semi-Automatic Pistol without FJA and Ordnance Proof

Ithaca
Despite their financial troubles in the late 1960s, Ithaca Gun Company was a prominent firearms manufacturer when America became involved in WWII.  The government didn't require many of their popular shotguns (yet did ask them to make several thousand 12-gauge riot shotguns with M1917 bayonet attachments), but did offer them a contract to produce 60,000 1911A1s in 1942.  After receiving some of the necessary tooling from Harrington & Richardson, Ithaca began rapidly producing the desperately-needed pistols - even going as far as to assemble pistols from parts shipped to them by other manufacturers.  Some of these parts were from surplus WWI production, including about 6,000 Colt receivers!  Soon Ithaca would have all the manufacturing equipment in-house and would ramp up production to total 335,000 - 340,000 pistols between late 1943 until the end of the war.  Ithaca could have produced many more of these pistols had the government not cancelled the contract in its post-war fund cutting.

Fun Fact:  Ithaca was invited to produce a "test batch" of pistols in the Army's fund raising efforts, but the Army discontinued the program before they could submit a batch.

Excellent U.S. Ithaca Model 1911A1 Semi-Automatic Pistol

Colt
Colt's story of WWII production 1911A1 pistols is a little different than every other manufacturer here for the simple fact that they were assembling them readily before WWII.  In fact, once the government contracts increased due to war, Colt discontinued making their Government Model 1911 pistols (which is what Colt called the 1911 made for the civilian market) in 1942 so that they could focus all of their pistol manufacturing efforts toward military sidearms.  They even took 6,575 existing, unsold Government Model guns, re-stamped, and Parkerized them for the Army.  The parts for these civilian guns were also used to satisfy military contracts.

In the story of 1911A1 pistols, Colt is more often mentioned as a reference for all the other companies that were contracted to also make the pistols.  Colt was often helping provide technical assistance (as was Springfield), to these newly contracted manufacturers.  One would think that between providing all this help and its status as one the government's primary machine gun producers, Colt could have used the same excuse as Remington and said it had "no time" to make the 1911 pistols that it already knew so well how to produce.  However, it still turned out around 629,000 1911A1 pistols, making it the second leading producer of the beloved sidearm in addition to having a mandated priority of producing the United States' machine guns (M1919, M1919A6, & M2HB).

World War II U.S. Army Colt Model 1911A1 Pistol

Union Switch & Signal
Union Switch and Signal, referred to more commonly as just "Switch & Signal" was the last company to be offered a M1911A1 contract.  As one can infer from the name, this subsidiary of Westinghouse Air Brake Company was accustomed to making railroad equipment.  In 1942 they received their first contract and began producing, but just after they had begun, the government realized they had ordered too many pistols and asked US&S to make M1 carbine parts instead.  The next month their contract for pistols was officially cut from 200,000 to 30,000.  US&S agreed to make the M1 parts and just when they almost finished with the initial slashed order of pistols and were to begin manufacturing the carbine parts, the government reneged again and instead increased their original M911A1 order by 25,000.  US&S ended up producing 55,000 pistols for their indecisive client.

U.S. Union Switch & Signal Model 1911A1 Semi-Automatic Pistol

The 1911, despite being firmly entrenched in the hearts of American collectors, suffered after World War II.  Colt was actually losing money toward the end of the war and with thousands of veterans returning home with guns, they didn't have as many people looking to buy.  In fact, no M1911 or M1911A1 pistols have been produced after 1945.  Even with the Korean War providing a new source of income, Colt had to sell in 1955 to the Penn-Texas Corporation, setting in motion a long string of mismanagement and apathy.  In 1985, the the Beretta 92F was officially adopted and replaced the M1911A1 as the sidearm of the Army.  1911 pistols are not without their detractors, but they have served the United States longer than any other military arm, thus cementing themselves and their inventor into the history and lore of this country.













SOURCES

Clawson, Charles W. Colt .45 Service Pistols: Models of 1911 and 1911A1: Complete Military History, Development, and Production 1900 through 1945. Fort Wayne, IN: C.W. Clawson, 1991. Print.

http://www.coolgunsite.com/pistols/colt%20production.htm

http://www.m1911.org/full_history.htm

http://www.nramuseum.org/the-museum/the-galleries/ever-vigilant/case-64-world-war-ii-us/us-colt-model-1911a1-semi-automatic-pistol.aspx

Sweeney, Patrick. 1911: The First 100 Years. Iola, WI: Krause Pubns, 2010. Print.