Truly outstanding pair of USFA guns...

[yahoody]

"Cattle Brands of Jackson Hole, WY"
Serial Numbers: 3JH and 4JH



More here if you haven't seen them.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=534419162

Seems there were 3 pairs made up, one in each traditional barrel length.
And the ones for sale now were at some point refinished......or the guns serial numbers don't match the presentation case.
Speculation on my part from the pictures alone.









The French fitted case alone costs more to duplicate than many of my USFA guns would sell for now.

[Pangaea]

Just my personal opinion, but they look like they were engraved with a machine.  And at 25K, buy it now price, as much as I have paid for some of these weapons, these are just plain nuts.

[yahoody]

Cattle brand guns are certainly an acquired taste and not one I have acquired.  Some hate them, some love them.  I'm generally unmoved (nice guns but the engraving left me uninspired as well) but do appreciate the art style.

I believe these were either done by Adams & Adams or Dennis Kies.  May be Gary can fill us in on the details?  All master engravers.  But it was Cole Agee the real master engraver who taught Weldon Bledsoe the cattle brand style.  I suspect the photos don't do them justice.

Nice guns but not up to Agee's skill level from what I can see.  This gun below is one of Agee's on a 1st Gen 1906 Colt with nice pearl that sold a year or two ago for $5500.   Likely go for twice that price today.   USFA pair of guns price wise?  Silly asking price of course.  We all know "asking" doesn't mean they will ever get that price....but nice guns none the less.

Vintage carved ivory, French fitted cases....may be 7K per gun tops if the engraving is that good by a noted artist.  14 or 15K would be stretching it IMO.  I'd want to know a lot more about them before I'd venture into the 10K range for the pair.  Refinish history of this pair would be a place I'd start as would be the details on the engraving and by whom.   Bullet block for the case?  And the period dbl gun leather rig that was suppose to go with each set of guns.





and another artist's variation coming after Agee.
"This is an example of a cattle brand and scroll custom engraved Colt Single Action Army revolver originally manufactured in 1918, and subsequently embellished by Master Engraver David Wade Harris. Harris was taught the art of cattle brand engraving by Weldon Bledsoe, who had in turn learned the art from Cole Agee. "

Estimated value @ auction $6500 to $9500.

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[John Barleycorn]

I passed on a pair of 1st gen Colt SAA's said to be done by Cole Agee. The seller had Colt letters, for the pair, they left the factory as 44-40's but at some time they were converted to 45 Colt. They were fully engraved but the seller could not get them authenticated as Agee's work. He also had the tuned by Bob Munden. A respected Colt dealer and collector advised that the action work killed the collector value, but if I wanted them as pretty shooters for light BP loads only then to go ahead and buy them for the $6k. The pard did eventually put them in a high end gun auction house, and they brought $6500 but he paid a pretty penny in commission to the auction house.

Years later I found if I could have gotten them authenticated the would have been worth $20-40k each.

[yahoody]

Yes the action work.   Munden's signature cut and lightened bolts, shaved firing pins, wire springs and thinned main springs have come back to bite more than one Colt owner.

@ $20K each you could have them rebuilt internally and not loose anything.    Wisha coulda woulda

I do like hearing the story though...thanks John Barelycorn.
Hard to image a $40K SAA isn't it.

[GaryG]

Numbers 1 & 2 were 7 1/2", 3 & 4 were 5 1/2", and 5 & 6 were 4 3/4".  The picture of the 5 1/2" in CB with the gold cylinder was taken at USFA in the conference room.  As it was suggested, somewhere along the line they were nickeled.  I believe the seller is Doug Donnelly