In the 1880s, Colt's New Police and New House pistols offered a concealable, lightweight option designed for the civilian and law enforcement markets. An iteration on the company's New Line revolver series, these centerfire chambered, single action revolvers have gained popularity with collectors due to their rarity and the distinct "Cop and Thug" grips worn by many surviving examples.

Rock Island Auction Company's August 15-17 Premier Auction in Bedford Texas features four chances to own one of these desirable Colt revolvers, including the first ever public offering of the finest known example of the genre, an engraved masterpiece inscribed to Morgan G. Bulkeley, the first president of the National League of Baseball. Click on the images throughout this article to learn more about each model.

The Cop and Thug Revolver

The Colt's New Police and House models are extremely similar mechanically to the New Line series. The revolvers are single action, feature half fluted cylinders and a round barrel, and employ a spur trigger design. Instead of the bird's head-style grip of their predecessors, the New Police and New House pistols were produced with a square/flat grip contour.

The New Police and House Colts are often dubbed by collectors as the "Cop and Thug" or "Cop & Thug" revolver for a raised scene that commonly appears on the grips depicting a knife-wielding criminal assaulting a policeman. The officer clutches the ruffian's wrist while pointing a Colt revolver at his attacker, a visual embodiment of the saying "Don't bring a knife to a gunfight."

According to the Connecticut State Library, the policeman and robber figures were taken from a photograph of two Colt engravers, Cuno Helfricht and a "Mr Green." The two engravers rented costumes and had their pictures taken at a Hartford photography studio on Main Street, near the site of today's Bushnell Tower and Plaza. "Cuno Helfricht made the die and the stocks were molded by The India Rubber Comb Company of New York City."

Colt's New Police and House Pistols

Only around 4,000 New Police and New House pistols were manufactured by Colt between 1882 and 1886. The pistols are stamped with their model and caliber on the left side of the barrel.

The New House pistols were a spiritual successor to the Colt "Cloverleaf" revolver, or "Colt House Pistol," the first Colt wheelgun produced specifically for metallic cartridges. While the Cloverleaf revolvers were chambered in rimfire rounds, the New House "Cop and Thug" revolvers were offered in .32, .38, and .41 caliber centerfire cartridges, with .32 being by far the scarcest.

The New House pistols are ejectorless and were chiefly offered in a 2 1/4 inch barrel length, though a few were produced with longer barrels. According to 'A History of The Colt Revolver and the Other Arms Made by Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company from 1836 to 1940,' New Police and House revolvers "with cartridge ejectors were fitted with a short-headed cylinder pin; but the revolvers which had no attached ejector were provided with a cylinder pin on which there was a long checked head."

In a frequent ad Colt ran for the "New Police .38" in the early 1880s, the company stated, "It is like its predecessor in caliber, weight, length of barrel, extractor and shooting qualities, and is like all of the new models of COLT'S PISTOLS in having the double hand or pawl, a new style of bolt, and a new shape of stock. Its weight is twenty-four ounces. The barrels are 4 1/2, 5 and 6 inches in length. Prices $10.00, $10.25, and $10.50."

Before the New Police "Cop and Thug" revolver, Colt had produced the Model 1862 Police. Introduced in 1861, this .36 caliber percussion revolver was a five shot, single action pistol designed as a more compact alternative to heavier military platforms like the Colt Model 1860. Over 20,000 were manufactured, and the Model 1862 Police would find service with soldiers, civilians, and the law enforcement market it was initially advertised to.

The Model 1862 Police revolver's spiritual successor was also marketed toward law enforcement, with its "Cop and Thug" grips and "New Police" name serving to support that advertising effort. While the model ended up primarily being purchased by civilians as a pocket pistol, it also saw limited use with law enforcement agencies. The revolver below, for instance, includes markings on the butt and frame that suggest possible Canadian police issue.  

Both the New Police and New House revolvers were typically furnished with black rubber or wooden grips. Many are found in blue finish, with nickel plated examples being somewhat more scarce. Even rarer are the specialty options such as pearl grips and custom engraving. The finest known Colt New Police revolver includes both of these desirable features and more.

Morgan G. Bulkeley's New Police Revolver

Manufactured in 1882, the Colt New Police revolver presented to Morgan G. Bulkeley is an exceptional example of the exhibition quality deluxe engraving produced by the legendary Cuno A. Helfricht, the previously mentioned creator of the Cop and Thug grip scene.

Noted firearms author R.L. Wilson discovered the gun in the possession of descendants of Morgan Bulkeley. In his included letter, Wilson notes that acquiring this historic revolver was one of the thrills of his career in gun collecting and that the firearm is "the most prized of the 'Cop & Thug' New Police Colt revolvers."

In 'The Book of Colt Firearms,' R.L. Wilson and co-author Robert Sutherland write that examples of engraving and casings among the New Police Model revolvers are "extreme rarities," making this exceptionally engraved and cased example a true "holy grail" among Colt collecting.

The Morgan Bulkeley revolver is a tour-de-force for Cuno Helfricht, featuring three-quarter coverage floral scroll and punch-dot backgrounds, detailed border, dot, and wavy line patterns, a Saint Andrews Cross at the top of the back strap, and other stunning designs. The revolver is also fitted with a pair of deluxe, smooth pearl grips with the left panel cut with Hartford, Connecticut's coat-of-arms. The carving remains crisp with most of the ink-fill contrast remaining.

The revolver is housed in a deluxe presentation case that Wilson attributes to Alfred Teweles, who is listed in 1889's 'The American Stationer, Volume 26' as a "manufacturer of fancy boxes, Hartford, Conn." A silver presentation plaque is mounted in the lower half of the case bearing the same inscription as found on the revolver:

Morgan G. Bulkeley Mayor
-CITY OF HARTFORD-
From a Friend
Aug.24 "82"

Morgan Gardner Bulkeley

Morgan Gardner Bulkeley was born in East Haddam, Connecticut in 1837 and moved to Hartford ten years later. Morgan's father was a local judge who founded both the Connecticut Republican Party and the Aetna Life Insurance Co., while his mother is noted as being a distant relative of the famous J.P. Morgan.

Bulkeley moved to New York to learn the retail trade and served in the Civil War as part of a home guard unit. He returned to Hartford around 1872. By 1874, he'd become the president of the Hartford Dark Blues professional baseball team as the sport was sweeping the region. The Dark Blues became one of the eight inaugural teams to join the National League when it formed in 1876. Bulkeley was nominated as the league's first president.

In 1879, Bulkeley became the third president of the Aetna Insurance Company, a role he held until his death in 1922. Aetna grew to be the largest insurance company in the nation during his tenure. Bulkeley was elected mayor of Hartford in 1880.

An article from the August 25, 1882 issue of the 'Hartford Courant' details the presentation of Bulkeley's New Police revolver during an annual charitable event he funded, mentioning the inscription and calling the gun "one of the finest of the Colt's manufacture, with chased silver mountings and pearl stock, on which is engraved the city's coat-of-arms."

The presenter of the revolver remained anonymous, but some have speculated that it was Richard Jarvis, then-president the Colt Patent Firearms Company. Colt had a long history of gifting fine firearms to the elite, and Morgan Gardner Bulkeley had set his sights on the highest echelons of American political power.

Bulkeley served as mayor of Hartford until 1888, the same year he won the governorship of Connecticut. In 1890, despite not securing his party’s nomination for reelection, Bulkeley remained in office due to an electoral stalemate and legislative deadlock. When the Democratic comptroller, whose election was approved, padlocked the executive offices to block Bulkeley and other Republicans, the governor took decisive action. On March 21, 1891, Bulkeley used a crowbar to break open the locked door, earning the nickname "the Crowbar Governor."

After leaving the Connecticut governorship in 1893, Morgan Gardner Bulkeley aimed for the U.S. Senate, twice challenging another former governor of the state, Joseph R. Hawley. Hawley defeated Bulkeley on both occasions, though Bulkeley was popular enough to be put forward in 1896 as a candidate for Vice-President alongside William McKinley and would finish third in the balloting. After Hawley's passing in 1905, the Connecticut General Assembly overwhelmingly voted for Bulkeley as his successor, where Bulkeley served as Senator until 1911.

In 'Crowbar Governor: The Life and Times of Morgan Gardner Bulkeley,' author Kevin Murphy writes: "Beyond the dreams of most men—and for the greater part of his long life—he completely controlled his world. With courage and political savvy, Morgan Bulkeley hopscotched from great success in business and laudable accomplishments in community affairs to the realization of some rather robust political dreams."

Since R.L. Wilson obtained the revolver from Bulkeley's descendants, this phenomenal Colt has only changed hands twice privately, first becoming part of the Fred Sweeney Collection, then the esteemed George S. Lewis Jr. Collection. This August, Rock Island Auction offers Morgan G. Bulkeley's presentation revolver to the public for the first time, a treasure closely linked to the history of Colt, Hartford, the state of Connecticut, and the greater American story.

Cop & Thug Revolvers for Sale and More

19th century Colt collecting has never been more popular, and the "Cop and Thug" revolver is one of the rarest and distinctive platforms. Beyond the standout grip motif, the New House and New Police revolvers were an early attempt to design a compact revolver available in more potent centerfire chamberings. From examples that tell their story in grit and honest use to elite masterworks like Morgan Bulkeley's presentation piece, the Cop and Thug revolver appeals to any fan of Colts, 19th century firearms, or classic Americana.

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