Original U.S. Wild West Cased Gambling Set with Poker Chips, Cards, Dice, Miniature Roulette Wheel, Colt M1849 Pocket Revolver Serial 96411 and Accessories

Original Items: One of a Kind Set. If you're a fan of the Wild West, you are sure to appreciate this incredible offering: a Gambling Set in a custom wood case, measuring 12" x 9" x 7", and showing very high quality later 19th century craftsmanship. This would be perfect for a true fan of the frontier Saloon life after the Civil War, where proper casinos had not been established. We have heard that these were often used by the owner to set up shop in a saloon, often offering the proprietor a healthy cut of the take.

The custom inlets in the set contain a variety of different items, and a lovely copy of HOYLE'S GAMES, published by Dick & Fitzgerald of New York City. It has a date of 1868 on the interior, however it is the Seventh Edition, so we assume it is from the 1880s. It would be the perfect guide for the sets contents, which include:

- a miniature Roulette wheel, which still spins freely and has a small bone ball still present
- a deck of cards
- numerous poker chips, most likely composition material, which are colored red, white, and blue.
- a set of seven small six sided dice in a cup for playing dice games.
- a set of 5 ivory dice for use with playing cards

Also contained in the set is a small glass decanter, which we assume would be for some Whiskey, as it is definitely a bit too big for an ink well. Pulling up the small brass knob on the right side of the case unlocks a spring loaded drawer, inside of which is an ivory handled pocket knife, an ivory handled "cutthroat" straight razor in a case, a set of very early glasses in a case, and a lovely tin type or daguerreotype photograph, showing a typical American man in the late 19th century. We have no idea if this person has any connection to the case unfortunately.

Also in these drawers are two items which we were not familiar with until looking online, and discovered that these are two WIZARD brand poker card cuff clips for hiding cards inside a sleeve. Apparently this set was not meant to be used by an entirely honest gambler, if there is such a thing, which leads to last items in the case, under a tray that contains most of the gambling items: a Colt Model 1849 Pocket Percussion Revolver. If things got bad, this would definitely come in handy, and it comes with a bullet mold, screwdriver, and tin for percussion caps.

This would make a fantastic addition to any "Wild West" collection, and would make a fantastic conversation piece. We have never had a set quite like this before, and we do not expect to see another anytime soon!

More about the revolver in this set:
The Colt "Pocket Percussion" Model 1849 revolvers in .31cal are essentially scaled down versions of the larger Navy Model 1851 in .36cal, and were developed concurrently. This is a lovely example that looks to have seen only light service, produced right at the start of the U.S. Civil War. The revolver features Serial Number 96411 on the cylinder, frame, trigger guard, and grip frame, with shortened number 6411 on the loading rammer and cylinder arbor pin. The barrel and barrel wedge do not have any serial numbers we can see, even with a 16X magnifier, so they are most likely replacements.

The serial number indicates indicates the year of manufacture for most components as 1854, only a few short years before the start of the U.S. Civil War, so it almost certainly saw service during the conflict. Five shot percussion, .31 caliber with a 5" barrel, the revolver is in nice tight condition with a very nice aged patina on the steel portions, with no signs of major rusting. The grip frame and trigger guard show a lovely "mustard" patina, with the original nickel plating almost completely gone. Additionally, about 75% of the original "Stagecoach Robbery" engraved cylinder scene can still be seen, which is usually completely worn away. It also still shows the COLT'S PATENT / No. marking clearly next to the serial number. Often we see these with the markings completely removed from the cylinder, so revolvers with this much of the scene intact are a real treat!

The Colt early two line address is marked in two lines across the top of the octagonal barrel, correct for the shorter barrel lengths:-

ADDRESS SAML COLT
NEW YORK CITY

It also has the correct COLTS PATENT on the left frame under the cylinder, though there is no "31CAL" marking on the trigger guard, which is not uncommon. The walnut grip is in very good condition, with a lovely color, and still has about 50% of the original "piano varnish" finish present, with the rest worn away from use. There is wear around the bottom of the grip, as we usual see, but there are no cracks, major chips, or repairs we can see. Just a nice honest used grip. The brass bead front guard is intact and in very nice shape.

The revolver functions very well, with solid indexing and a firm cylinder lockup. We did not notice any of the usual finicky behavior we often see with revolvers of this age. The barrel to frame connection has just a bit of wobble, but does not look to have been adjusted in the past either. The bore is in excellent condition, showing a mostly bright finish with strong lands and grooves. There is just a bit of wear and past fouling, now cleaned away, making this a truly fantastic bore for a Civil War percussion revolver. All five cap nipple cones are clear, showing oxidation and fouling on the exterior from use, so we assume they are original.

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: 1854
Caliber: .31cal
Ammunition Type: Cap and Ball
Barrel Length: 5 inches
Overall Length: 10 inches
Action: Single Action Percussion
Feed System: 5 Shot Revolver