Wheelgun Wednesday: A Colt 1851 For El Presidente

Guns, politics and bling go together like bacon, lettuce and tomato—just ask Bond Arms, where they release a derringer every few months featuring some political tie-in. But this is nothing new; fancy-pants weapons have been floating around politics for years, and this highly customized Colt 1851 is the perfect example. It was originally presented to Mexican president Benito Juarez, and it is coming up for sale at Rock Island Auctions in the coming weeks.

Sam Colt’s Masterpiece @ TFB:

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A gun that meant business

Colt has a long history of affiliation with the American military, and the Colt 1851 was one of the revolvers that set that pattern early on. A single-action .36-caliber cap-and-ball pistol, the Colt 1851 was a so-called Navy revolver (Navy revolvers were .36-caliber, Army revolvers were .44-caliber). It split the difference between the pocket-sized Model 1849 revolvers and the larger Dragoon revolvers, and the Goldilocks-just-right size made it very popular in the years leading up to the Civil War, and through that conflict, along with many other wars around the world. It was one of the most popular handguns of the 19th century.

Colt made about 272,000 of these revolvers from 1851 through 1873, and other reproductions have numbered in many thousands since. Many, many famous soldiers and gunfighters used these revolvers. In real life, the Colt 1851 was famously used by Wild Bill Hickock well into the era of cartridge revolvers. In the world of film, the revolver was most famously used by Clint Eastwood in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly as well as actors in dozens of other oaters.

And, in the case of this pistol, maybe the most famous owner of all, Mexican president Benito Juarez, who defeated Emperor Maximilian I and set Mexico on a path of republican government.

A finish fit for the chief

The Colt here was not intended for frontier shootouts or even heroic cavalry charges. This revolver was factory-engraved and presented to Benito Juarez by Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada, himself a future president of Mexico. And the seller isn’t whistlin’ Dixie on this, as they say in the old Westerns; they’ve got plenty of provenance to back up that claimed ownership.

This revolver was manufactured in 1860, with the left side of the grip bearing an inscription of its presentation to Juarez. The lid on the revolver’s case also bears the name Benito Juarez.

Here’s how Rock Island Auctions describes the engraving:

The revolver features stunning factory engraving composed of elaborate interlacing foliate scrollwork with beaded backgrounds and floral accents … Unlike many of the factory engraved Colts of the era, the scrollwork features interesting foliate designs in a wider variety of shapes giving the revolver a particularly distinct look and appeal. The hammer features the classic dog or wolf head motif …

The right side of the grip has a large rendition of the Mexican coat of arms in heavy gold featuring the distinctive golden eagle clutching a rattlesnake in its beak and claws while perched on a cactus. The snake and eagle have turquoise eyes. The left side of the grip is inscribed "Al siste/Lic. Benito/Juarez/respetuosamente/Sebastian/Lerdo de/Tejada" with black enamel providing contrast. The inscription translates to "To Lic. Benito Juarez respectfully Sebastian Lerdo of Tejada." "Lic." is an abbreviation for "Licenciado" (Graduate/Bachelor/Licensed) reflecting his law degree. The rosewood presentation case's lid features an inlaid brass plaque inscribed "Benito Juarez."

Somewhat ironically, considering the revolver was presented to a Mexican leader, the cylinder still bears Colt’s standard engraving of the Naval Battle of Campeche. In general, this is a very flashy shooting iron, done in a style that was made popular by Gustave Young in the late 1850s, with other engravers from Germany following in his footsteps. The listing does not speculate as to which craftsman was personally responsible for the work, though.

If you head to Rock Island Auctions’ listing for this revolver, you can check out their provenance for this piece, with lots of interesting history, including references in old collector books. The write-up includes a note that the Colt with a serial number consecutive to this piece was sold by RIA in 2019. That revolver had similar engraving, but it was not identical.

In the case of this piece, RIA expects it to sell for a lot of money. It will go under the gavel August 17 in Bedford, Texas, with an expected price in the range of $45,000 to $70,000. For more information, check the listing here.

Images courtesy of  Rock Island Auction Company,  www.rockislandauction.com