Rock Island Auction Company is extremely honored to present this factory engraved, inscribed, full silver plated, and eagle carved pearl grip Colt Bisley Model revolver. The Colt Single Action Army is arguably the most iconic handgun of Americana. In the hands of ranchers, cavalrymen, Native Americans, lawmen and outlaws, the Peacemaker’s legacy was forged out in the hostile American West. Its association with the Wild West has made it one of the most collectible American handguns. The limited factory engraved guns and other rare variations are especially sought after. This Bisley Model no. 308877 checks all the boxes a collector of fine Colts is looking for. The factory engraving alone makes this Bisley a rarity in Colt collecting. As explicitly noted by R.L. Wilson in “The Book of Colt Firearms,” “Engraved Bisley revolvers are very rare, and Colt factory records indicate that less than 60 were made. Styles of decoration confirmed to those found on the decorated SAA pistols made contemporaneously” (265 and 67). With less than 60 officially recorded as factory engraved, there are not enough to satisfy collector demand, leaving examples out of even the most advanced collections. Here is a real opportunity to fill that void in your collection. As to the factory full silver plating, Wilson again confirmed the rarity: “Silver and gold plating were supplied on special order; these are extremely rare, and almost exclusively restricted to engraved arms” (265). The factory carved grip and factory back strap inscription are more rare special order features found on this Bisley. Few left the factory with carved grips, and compared to steer or ox head motifs, an eagle is even rarer. Less than 40 of this model received factory inscriptions or monogram. The inscription “Nabor Pacheco” firmly places this revolver with American frontier justice as this revolver was gifted to an Arizona lawman. Its Western history only adds to its desirability. All together these features make for a one-of-a-kind Bisley that will be a crown jewel to any collection. Until 2004, this Bisley had remained with the descendants of Nabor Pacheco. Per the family, “the gun was a presentation pistol given to Nabor by the City of Tucson in 1909. At that time Nabor was chief of police of the City of Tucson. Prior to that he had been Pima County sheriff, of which Tucson is the county seat.” In the early 1950s the gun was displayed at the Arizona Historical Society. (See the included Pacheco family notarized letter.) The Pacheco family had emigrated from Portugal in the 1790s. Nabor was born in 1859 in Tucson to prosperous farmers. Early in his life he worked as a cattle rancher and went on to hold several positions within the community. He was a city policeman, county sheriff, city marshal, and supervisor of 100 men employed at the Tucson Farms project that encompassed around 1,000 acres of land near the Santa Cruz River. While sheriff he oversaw two hangings in less than a month. This included the last hanging in Tucson, which was performed publicly in the court yard of the county jail. Nabor Pacheco died in 1920. The factory letter states the revolver was sold to F. Ronstadt (address unavailable) and shipped to Wyeth Hardware & Mfg. Co. of St. Joseph, Missouri, on February 27, 1909, and this was a single gun shipment. F. Ronstadt Co. opened in 1888 as a blacksmith and custom wagon shop in Tucson, Arizona, later grew to include leather and hardwood goods, and even automobiles and farm machinery. The business closed in the 1980s. The factory letter also confirms the 4 ¾ inch barrel in .45 caliber, silver finish, pearl grip with carved eagle motif, and “Nabor Pacheco” engraved on the back strap. Although the scroll engraving is not listed by the factory letter, it is most certainly factory. The engraving was executed by Colt Master Engraved Cuno Helfricht and is very similar in style to Colt SAA serial no. 305405 illustrated on page 439 of “The Book of Colt Engraving, Volume One” by R.L. Wilson. Note that the two-piece pearl grips feature a relief carved standing eagle that is identical to the carved eagle on no. 305405. The deluxe engraving consists of tight Germanic scrollwork on punch dot background. As noted in the factory letter, "Nabor Pacheco" is engraved on the back strap. The revolver has the distinctive Bisley Model extended grip, special hammer and wide trigger. The top of the barrel is roll stamped "COLTS PT. F.A. MFG. CO,/HARTFORD. CT. U.S.A." in an engraved panel with scalloped edges and punch dots. "BISLEY MODEL .45 COLT" is roll stamped on the left side of the barrel and surrounded by engraved borders. The left side of the frame is roll stamped with the Colt two-line, three-patent date marking within an engraved panel followed by an encircled Rampant Colt trademark. The Colt triangle "VP" proofmark is stamped on the left front trigger guard bow. The full serial number "308877" is stamped on the bottom of the frame, trigger guard and back strap. The partial serial number "8877" is stamped on the barrel underneath the ejector housing, on the underside of ejector housing, and on the rear face of the cylinder. The inside of the loading gate is stamped with the assembly number "822". The revolver comes with a single loop floral tooled holster marked "THE F. RONSTADT CO/MAKER/TUCSON, ARIZ." Noted Colt historian and author Ron Graham examined this Bisley and recorded his observations in his included letter. Most importantly he confirmed the engraving and silver plating as factory original, noting that the silver “was definitely applied before Cuno Helfricht’s engraving shop began their work." This was also the conclusion by Daniel Cullity of the conservation and restoration of antique weapons Cullity & Son (see his included 2009 letter). Writer believes the silver plating to undoubtedly be factory, though questions the weakness of the verified proof on left forward trigger bow. Nonetheless, this is both a spectacular factory engraved Colt Bisley with extraordinary history! Provenance: Nabor Pacheco and his descendants; displayed at the Arizona Historical Society; The Nick Shannon Collection