Original Items: Only One Set Available. This is a particularly interesting cased pair of Colt Model 1849 Pocket .31 caliber percussion revolvers, manufactured approximately a decade apart and displaying several of the evolutionary changes made to Colt's immensely successful pocket revolver during the 1850s and Civil War period. The earlier revolver, serial number 79643, was manufactured in 1853 and features a 6" barrel with five shot cylinder. The later revolver, serial number 241972, was manufactured in 1863 and has a shorter 4" barrel with the later six shot cylinder. They are accompanied by a fitted wooden case with Colt marked bullet mold, Eley percussion cap tin, eagle decorated powder flask, loose projectiles and paper cartridges, and a period style Colt loading instruction label inside the lid.

These are antique black powder firearms manufactured before 1899. Under federal law, they may generally be owned within the United States without a special license or permit and do not require transfer through a Federal Firearms Licensee. However, state and local laws may vary. These firearms are sold solely as historical collector’s items and have not been test fired or inspected for firing safety by a professional gunsmith. Any mechanical or bore observations provided below describe only their present condition and should not be interpreted as confirmation that either firearm is safe to load or fire. The purchaser is solely responsible for complying with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

The Colt Model 1849 Pocket was one of Samuel Colt's greatest commercial successes and became the most extensively produced of Colt's percussion handguns. Chambered in .31 caliber and offered with several barrel lengths, it was compact enough for personal carry while retaining the familiar single action mechanism, loading lever, octagonal barrel, and roll engraved stagecoach holdup cylinder scene associated with Colt's percussion revolvers. Over its long production life the Model 1849 underwent a number of detail changes, making a pair manufactured ten years apart especially useful for illustrating the development of the design.

The earlier revolver bears serial number:

79643

which falls within 1853 production. It has the desirable 6" octagonal barrel and the earlier five shot cylinder. The barrel carries the two line New York City address used on earlier Model 1849 revolvers, in contrast to the later one line New York U.S. America style marking found on the younger pistol. Its longer barrel and early cylinder configuration give it the classic antebellum Colt Pocket appearance.

The second revolver bears serial number:

241972

which falls within 1863 production. It has a 4" octagonal barrel and the later six shot cylinder. Colt changed the Model 1849 from five to six chambers at approximately serial number 187000, so these two revolvers neatly bracket one of the most significant mechanical changes made to the model during its production life.

The later revolver also carries the later barrel single line address style:

ADDRESS. COL. SAML COLT NEW-YORK U.S. AMERICA.

while the earlier 1853 revolver uses the older two line:

ADDRESS SAML COLT
NEW YORK CITY

address format. Together the two pistols provide an excellent side by side comparison of a pre Civil War Model 1849 and a revolver produced during the height of the conflict.

Both revolvers have developed attractive aged patinas from use, handling, and repeated cleaning over many decades. The metal surfaces show normal service wear and oxidation appropriate to their age, while the walnut grips remain attractive and present well. Both pistols function during careful manual inspection and retain the classic compact proportions that made the Model 1849 such a popular personal sidearm in the mid 19th century.

The case measures approximately:

12 1/4" long x 9 3/4" wide x 1 7/8" high

and is divided internally into fitted compartments lined in velvet. Both revolvers fit within the case, although the two principal pistol recesses appear to have been cut for 6" barrel Model 1849 Pocket revolvers. The 4" barreled serial number 241972 therefore leaves additional space in its recess, indicating that the present pairing may have been assembled after the case was originally made.

The accessory compartments contain a very attractive selection of period appropriate loading equipment. Included is an iron bullet mold marked:

COLTS
PATENT

configured to cast both a conical projectile and a spherical .31 caliber ball. Also included is a percussion cap container marked:

ELEY
LONDON

together with a small bronze or copper colored powder flask marked:

E PLURIBUS UNUM

and embossed on both sides with Federal eagle motifs. Loose round balls and paper cartridges are also present in one of the compartments.

A paper label headed:

DIRECTIONS FOR LOADING COLT'S PISTOL

is affixed inside the lid. Similar Colt loading and cleaning instruction labels are known in period cased percussion sets, and the overall form of the case and accessories is entirely appropriate to the Model 1849 era. However, because the two pistol recesses are both configured for 6" barrels and one revolver is a later 4" example, we would describe the case as an old fitted case with associated period appropriate accessories rather than state definitively that the entire set has remained together since the Civil War.

The later revolver, serial number 241972, is accompanied by an old provenance tag reading:

COLT 31 cal m. 1849
6 SHOT PISTOL #241972
MANUFACTURED IN 1862
CARRIED BY LIEUTENANT
ISRAEL E. JONES OF
Co. C, 10TH ILLINOIS
VOLUNTEER INFANTRY

This attribution is historically intriguing but remains unverified. Official Illinois records do confirm an Israel Jones of Sandwich, Illinois, serving as First Lieutenant of Company C, 10th Illinois Infantry during the regiment's three month 1861 service. He entered with the company in the spring of 1861 and was mustered out on July 29, 1861. We have not located documentation tying revolver serial number 241972 directly to Jones, and the revolver itself was manufactured in 1863, approximately two years after his documented service with the three month 10th Illinois Infantry.

The provenance tag therefore cannot be accepted at face value without additional evidence. It may preserve an older family or collector tradition, but its stated 1862 manufacture date is inconsistent with published Colt serial tables, which place number 241972 in 1863. Likewise, the documented officer appears in official records simply as Israel Jones; we have not independently confirmed the middle initial “E.” The attribution should therefore be regarded as a potentially valuable research lead rather than proven ownership.

There is, however, surviving historical context for the man named on the tag. A contemporary Sandwich newspaper account from April 1861 records Lieutenant Israel Jones speaking at a Union meeting shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War, expressing strong support for preservation of the Union and willingness to risk his life in the conflict. This confirms that the named officer was a real local military figure, even though the connection between him and this specific Colt remains undocumented. 

The article reads:

REMARKS OF LIEUT. ISRAEL JONES
And Mr. A. Adams, at the Union Meeting on Monday evening April 22d

He expressed his unbounded gratitude that all partisan feeling, so prevalent six months ago, had vanished like dew before a morning sun, when liberty was jeopardized. He felt assured that slavery was waging a wicked and unholy war, and ultimately the North would triumph, and that to aid, he was willing to peril his life. And that ere these prairies should be cultivated by slave labor, the Mississippi would run red with human gore. Lieut. Jones was much applauded and cheered, and we only regret that no more of his remarks could be preserved.

As a pair, these revolvers are especially appealing because they illustrate the evolution of Colt's Model 1849 Pocket across a decade of production. Serial number 79643 represents the earlier five shot, long barrel antebellum configuration, while serial number 241972 represents the later six shot Civil War production pattern with shorter barrel and updated address. Combined with the fitted case, Colt mold, Eley cap tin, eagle flask, paper loading instructions, and the intriguing but unproven Israel Jones attribution, this set would make a particularly engaging addition to a collection of Colt percussion revolvers, Civil War era sidearms, cased firearms, or 19th century American personal weapons.

Specifications (79643):-

Year of Manufacture: 1853
Manufacturer: Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company
Model: 1849 Pocket
Serial Number: 79643
Caliber: .31cal
Ammunition Type: Cap and Ball
Barrel Length: 6 inches
Overall Length: 11 inches
Action: Single Action Percussion
Feed System: 5 Shot Revolver
Federal Classification: Pre-1899 Antique

Specifications (241972):-

Year of Manufacture: 1863
Manufacturer: Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company
Model: 1849 Pocket
Serial Number: 241972
Caliber: .31cal
Ammunition Type: Cap and Ball
Barrel Length: 4 inches
Overall Length: 9 inches
Action: Single Action Percussion
Feed System: 5 Shot Revolver
Federal Classification: Pre-1899 Antique

NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.

IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.

Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.