The Colt Model 1861 Navy revolver, officially the "New Model Navy or Belt pistol," is among the hardest to find of the Colt percussion revolvers, even more so in exceptional condition. Only 38,843 were manufactured compared to approximately 200,500 Model 1860 Armys. They are justly considered to be among the most attractive of all Colt percussion revolvers if not the most attractive and are a streamlined version of the iconic Colt Model 1851 Navy, which was one of Colt's most popular percussion revolvers. This exceptional example was previously in the Norm Flayderman collection and was manufactured in 1863 for the commercial market. Many commercial Colt revolvers are believed to have been purchased for use as private sidearms during the Civil War. Some were also used in early police departments, and of course many Colt percussion revolvers saw extensive use in the West, even well-after Colt's Single Action Army and other popular cartridge revolvers debuted. The Single Action Army continued to use the "Navy" sized grip frame. It has the matching serial number on the barrel, frame, trigger guard, back strap, cylinder, cylinder arbor pin, and handwritten in the back strap inlet of the grip. "2" is above or below the serial number on the barrel, frame, trigger guard, and back strap and on the left side of the trigger guard bow at the front. The trigger guard also has the correct "36 CAL" stamp on the left shoulder. The barrel has a blade front sight with dovetailed German silver base and "-ADDRESS COL. SAML COLT NEW-YORK U.S. AMERICA-" on top. The frame and cylinder have the standard patent markings. The initials "DB" were also marked on the left side of the front strap under the grip followed by "1868" and inside the front strap inlet by an earlier owner. Provenance: The Norm Flayderman Collection; Property of a Gentleman

Exceptionally fine with 95% plus of the original silver plating on the grip frame exhibiting an attractive aged patina and slight loss primarily at the heel, 70% of the bright original blue finish on with loss almost exclusively due to flaking and not actual use, smooth patina on the exposed surfaces, 75% plus original vibrant case colors with some silvering on the recoil shield and around the hammer, minor scratches and marks, and slight spotting. All but one of the cylinder safety pins are intact. The grip is excellent and has glossy original varnish, light scratches, and slight edge wear. Mechanically excellent.