2330

*RARE GOLD INLAID PRESENTATION COLT NEW SERVICE TARGET DA REVOLVER.

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:15,000.00 USD Estimated At:30,000.00 - 50,000.00 USD
*RARE GOLD INLAID PRESENTATION COLT NEW SERVICE TARGET DA REVOLVER.
SN 18491. Cal. 44 Russian. Blue finish with 7-1/2" bbl, adjustable front & rear target sights with flat top frame. Mounted with 2-pc fleur-de-lis checkered & carved walnut grips that are numbered to this revolver. Trigger, front & back straps are checkered. Top of flat frame is inlaid in flat gold "WILLIAM LOEB JR." Accompanied by a Colt factory letter which identifies this revolver in caliber 44 Russian with bbl length, finish & type of stocks not listed. Under factory engraved "The name William Loeb Jr. is inlaid in gold on top of the frame". It was charged to the advertising account and shipped to William Loeb, Jr., address unavailable on Aug. 3, 1907. Also accompanied by a 15" x 14" lithograph depicting a cartoonish-type person in Theodore Roosevelt-style hunting garb, festooned with various game, a rifle and holding a net containing a small bear, captioned "WHERE'S YOURS?". The name "LOEB" is written on the front brim of his hat. This character is confronting a cartoonish Theodorer Roosevelt with the mounted head of a bear in the background and an astonished small bear in the foreground. It is inscribed in the bottom right corner "To Mrs. Wm. Loeb, Jr. / With Compliments of C.K. Berry / 1908". Bottom left corner has the printed number "66065". Additionally accompanied by copies of two old photographs which appear to be from the same era depicting Mr. Loeb seated with five other distinguished gentlemen in formal attire with six others standing behind. The second photograph depicts Mr. Loeb with a group of gentlemen all in formal attire on what appears to be, a reviewing stand. Mr. Loeb was born in 1866 in New York and after high school became a newspaper correspondent where he became active in politics and later served as Secretary to the Albany County, NY Republican County Committee. In 1888 he became Official Stenographer of the Lower House of the New York Legislature where he gained political experience & acquaintances serving as private secretary to several highly placed New York politicians. When Theodore Roosevelt became Governor of New York Mr. Loeb was appointed as one of his official stenographers and became Roosevelt's private secretary in 1899. He remained with Pres. Roosevelt throughout the remainder of his political career, becoming extremely powerful and Mr. Roosevelt's defacto Presidential Press Secretary. He was instrumental in the nomination of William H. Taft to succeed Mr. Roosevelt in 1908 and from 1909-1913 he was appointed by Pres. Taft as the Collector of the Port of New York after which he retired to Oyster Bay, NY and died in 1937. It seems likely that this revolver was a presentation from Pres. Roosevelt although at this writing that cannot be verified. CONDITION: Very fine. Bbl retains about 95% glossy orig blue with some light flaking on left side and storage wear on left side of muzzle; frame & cyl are moderately to heavily flaked, with the frame retaining 75-80% glossy orig blue and the cyl about 85% orig blue. Grips are sound showing storage wear on left bottom edge, otherwise only a few small nicks on right side and retain most of their orig varnish. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore, appears to be unfired. 4-48153 JR302