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String-bound manuscript financial packet for Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company for the 1882 fiscal year, 21 total pages, 9.5 x 14.75, with the cover sheet entitled "Colts Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company, Balance Sheet December 31st 1882." The second page states Profit, Loss, and Dividends from the company’s incorporation in 1855 through 1882 (with supplement sheet), and is followed by the status of "Creditors," "Debtors," and "Property.” The "Summary of Manufacturing Accounts for 1882," includes "Baxter Engines and Parts in hands of Agents," and "Colt Disc Engines in hands of Agents." Among the creditors listed are "Colt, Mrs. Samuel," "Colt, Caldwell H.," "Colt, Sam’l P.," "Union Metallic Cartridge Co.," "Waterbury Brass Co.," and "Winchester Repeating Arms Co." Listed debtors include: "American Rapid Telegraph Co.," "Chester Steel Castings Co.," "City of Hartford," "New Orleans Foundry & Machine Co.," and "New York Sewing Machine Co." Of additional interest, found at the top of the section marked "Summary of Manufacturing Accounts for 1882," is a line that lists the total amount of "Inventory of Arms, January 1, 1883" as "239,943.54." Listed item by item are the sales and profit, or loss, for each product. In very good to fine condition, with some edgewear, rippling, and dampstaining.
The first pages lay out Colt’s profit and loss over nearly three decades, revealing how the company survived and adapted to hard times. Following the Panic of 1873, Colt faced severe challenges as the economy faltered, but the company still paid dividends and kept operations running. What’s truly fascinating is how Colt diversified its production during this period. Colt’s factory didn’t just make firearms—it was producing everything from printers to haylifters, all using the same revolutionary principles of interchangeable parts that would become the hallmark of the American system of manufacture.
