This incredibly rare cased presentation revolver was manufactured in 1862, the year of Samuel Colt's death, and was presented by Colt's company to Professor J.D. Butler who played an important part in the publication of "Armsmear: The Home, The Arm, and the Armory of Samuel Colt, A Memorial" begun in 1862 and published in 1866. The model is notable as "Col. Colt's Patent New Model Revolving Police Pistol" was the last new design released during Samuel Colt's lifetime and was among the most advanced revolvers of the period, incorporating a sleek round barrel fitted with the improved loading lever also used on the Model 1860 Army and the combination of the Model 1849 pocket sized frame with a rebated and fluted cylinder in .36 caliber allowing for greater power than Colt's prior pocket revolvers. This revolver features extensive factory scroll engraving with floral accents and beaded backgrounds, an eagle head above the wedge on the left, shell and fan accents, wavy line borders, wolf's head motif on the hammer along with eight dots on the spur (often said to represent the number of days the engraver spent on the gun), hand inscribed "COLT'S/PATENT" on the left side of the frame, the one-line New York barrel address in a panel on top of the barrel, the patent marking in one cylinder flute, "2" and "36 CAL" on the left side of the trigger guard, matching visible serial number, very scarce two-piece pearl grips, and the historic factory presentation inscription "Prof. J.D. Butler/From Colt's P. F. A. M. Co" down the back strap. The revolver is in an extremely rare special two-tone maple and rosewood presentation case with a brass lid escutcheon and purple velvet lined interior with a decorative border inside the lid. The case contains an Eley Bro. cap tin, blued ball/bullet mold marked "COLT'S/PATENT" and "36 P.", blued L-shaped combination screwdriver and nipple wrench, two cartridge packs marked "EXPRESSLY FOR/COL. COLT'S PATENT/NEW MODEL/REVOLVING/POLICE PISTOL", a small "COLTS/PATENT" powder flask with the eagle and shield design on both sides, and lead balls and bullets. This revolver has been well-known for many years and is gun number 135 shown on page 214 of "Samuel Colt Presents" (1961) by R.L. Wilson and is also featured in "The Colt Engraving Book Volume One" (2001) on page 188. In the first publication, Wilson wrote: "Professor James Davis [sic] Butler (born 1815); American educator; graduated from Middleburg Collection (1836); was Professor of Ancient Languages at Wabash College in Indiana and the University of Wisconsin; mentioned in Armsmear, a book written for Mrs. Samuel Colt as a memorial to her husband." In "The Book of Colt Engraving Volume One" he wrote, "Butler was instrumental in the publication of Armsmear; he is credited with authoring the section on the company's firearms and their manufacture. The pearl grip is an extreme rarity, as are the engraving on the cylinder, the early style of Young scroll in overall profusion, and the scrolls on the barrel at the muzzle." On page 122 of "Silk & Steel: Women at Arms," Wilson wrote again about the revolver: "Among other gifts of guns presented at" Elizabeth Colt's "direction was a police model to the author of the technical section of Armsmear, Professor J.D. Butler." Although the inscription indicated it was from the factory, he concluded "the impetus for the gift was Elizabeth Hart Jarvis Colt." The revolver is mentioned among the engraved 1862 Police revolvers analyzed in "Colt's Small Frame .36 Caliber Percussion Pistols and 'The Conventional Wisdom': An Examination of the Pistols called by Collectors The '1862 Police' and the 'Pocket Pistol of Navy Size Caliber'" by John D. Breslin. The revolver is also notably the consecutive of 14302 inscribed from the factory for the Metropolitan Fair in New York which also features extremely rare pearl grips. While pearl grips were fairly popular on Colt Single Action Army and other cartridge revolvers, they are very rarely seen on handguns during and prior to the Civil War and have only been found on a select few percussion Colts. Mrs. Colt managed the Connecticut booth at the fair in support of Union troops. In the dedication page of "Armsmear," editor Henry Barnard wrote, "The following tribute to the inventive genius of Col. Samuel Colt with a record of the wonderful change wrought in the Hartford South Meadow by the construction of his dyke, armory and homestead, was projected immediately after his death, in 1862...Its publication now, in the midst of new engagements quite foreign to the work of composition, is made possible only through the hearty cooperation of Prof. J.D. Butler of the State University of Wisconsin, who had in his own felicitous manner described the Colt revolver, and its manufacture, after a visit to the armory in 1863." His description can be found in "The Colt Revolver in 1863" in the book "Colt Guns" by Martin Rywell. This revolver may have been presented to Professor Butler during that visit to the factory as company officials continued Samuel Colt's promotional tactic of presenting deluxe revolvers to influential figures. The 1976 edition of "Armsmear" notes Butler as a co-author and also lists him as one of the "gift revolver recipients." James Davie Butler Jr. (1815-1905) was a clergyman, professor, and scholar who studied a wide variety of subjects. He was born in Rutland, Vermont, and graduated from Middlebury College in 1836 and the Andover Theological Seminary in 1840. He toured Europe in 1842-1843, preached and gave lectures in New England Congregational churches, and taught at Norwich University and Wabash College prior to moving to Wisconsin in 1858 where he became a professor of Greek and the humanities. Among his students and friends was John Muir (1838-1914) one of the most significant figures in the conservation movement in the 18th century. After the reorganization of the university in 1867, he continued to reside in Madison, Wisconsin, and remained a well-respected scholar, writer, and lecturer. He traveled widely and wrote books on a variety of topics, including colonial era history, pedagogy, Shakespeare, and more. Provenance: Professor James D. Butler; The A.M. Allan Collection; The George Repair Collection; The Robert Q. Sutherland Collection; The Fred Sweeney Collection; The George S. Lewis Jr. Collection

Exceptionally fine with 75% plus original blue finish on the barrel, bright original blue in the cylinder flutes, and the balance of the revolver fading to smooth brown patina. The engraving remains crisp throughout. The grips are also very fine and have attractive iridescence and minor flakes. Mechanically excellent. The case lid has some stress cracks but is otherwise very fine with minor storage wear. The accessories are exceptionally fine with minor storage wear.