^Lot 3350 FIRST GENERATION COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER

WITH FACTORY LETTER. Cal. 45 Colt. S# 345782. Bbl. 5 1/2". Single Action Army revolver mfg. by Colt in 1924. Left side of the bbl. is marked "45 COLT", with Colt's single line address marked across the top. Left side of the frame is marked with Colt's 2-line patent information, followed by the Rampant Colt logo. Frame, loading gate, and hammer exhibit a case colored finish, with remaining metal components exhibiting a blue finish. Frame is mounted with 2-piece Colt checkered brown hard rubber grips. Standard SAA pattern blade front sight and frame notched rear sight. All serialized parts are matching and include the frame, cyl. (via "82), as well as the trigger guard and rear grip strap (right side, beneath grip panel). Grips are matching via the full S#, which is extremely faintly (almost completely illegibly) etched on the interior of the panels. Matching assembly # "445" is present on the frame and loading gate. UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: Colt factory letter stating: "Serial Number: 345782/ Caliber: .45/c/ Barrel Length: 5 1/2"/ Finish: Blue/ Type of Stocks: Not Listed/ Shipped To: W.H. Hoegee Company/ Address: Los Angeles, California/ Date of Shipment: February 15, 1924/ Number of Same Type Guns in Shipment: 2". CONDITION: frame retains large amounts of its original case colored finish, showing some areas of wear and fading that have turned to a gray patina, with some spots of light pitting. Loading gate and hammer retain traces of their case colored finish, with the balance having faded to gray, showing spots of light surface oxidation. Blued parts retain the majority of their original finish, showing some areas of light to mild edge wear, as well as some superficial handling marks overall. Rear grip strap shows areas of wear fading to gray patina, with some smaller areas of wear present on the front strap and trigger guard bow. Both grip straps show light surface oxidation. Very bright bore, exhibiting scattered spots and patches of very light to light pitting, while retaining well defined rifling throughout. Proper manual mechanics, with tight lock up. Grips show light smoothing, as well as some superficial marks from handling and storage, with the left grip exhibiting a chip at the bottom right corner of the panel. PROVENANCE: Estate Collection of John "Jack" Dhooghe. (25-5518/MLW). CURIO. $1,500-2,250.