From the collection of Caldwell Hart Colt, the only son of Samuel Colt— a beautifully restored Colt Single Action Army .45 caliber revolver handgun manufactured by the Colt Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company in 1882. Serial #81350, .45 Colt, 7 1/2" barrel, the top of which is marked “Colt’s PT. F. A. Mfg. Co. Hartford, CT, U.S.A.” The revolver's serial number “81350” is found on the trigger guard, grip frame, and frame, and the loading gate bears the assembly number “1350.” The left side of the frame bears the patent stamps, and the left side of the trigger guard shows the caliber as “45 CAL.”
Accompanied by its 2008 letter of authenticity from Kathleen Hoyt, the historian of the Colt Manufacturing Company, confirming the revolver's configuration and listing it as part of a shipment of 12 guns shipped to “C. H. Colt” on August 22, 1882. The remarks section reads: “Caldwell Hart Colt was the son of Sam and Elizabeth Colt. He was born on November 24, 1858 and died on January 21, 1894 at the age of 35.”
Though heir to a firearms empire, Caldwell Colt was drawn to the sea, not the factory floor. A passionate yachtsman and commodore of the Larchmont Yacht Club, Caldwell became a celebrated figure in the elite world of 19th-century American sailing. Yet this revolver, one of a 12-gun shipment sent to him on August 22, 1882, serves as a poignant reminder of his family’s enduring legacy in armsmaking.
