"Canadian Province Edition" Colt Python?
- Thread starter sailor723
- Start date
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
The Alberta edition now resides in Alberta .
From what I have been told there is only one fir each of the Provinces, yes!
Cat
Found some gun forum posts that say they were produced by Colt (someone had contacted the Colt Archivist ). I believe I read produced in 1979?
Kinda wish I had seen this earlier.....OTOH, maybe it's just as well I didn't
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- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
wayupnorth
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Northern Alberta
would be nice to see a detailed pic of each one.
instead of some Gollum hording it in his basement for his own.
but then for 10k i guess a person gets that privilege.
instead of some Gollum hording it in his basement for his own.
but then for 10k i guess a person gets that privilege.
DiabeticKripple
CGN Regular
- Location
- Red Deer, Alberta
Twisted Canuck on AO owns it. It’s a beauty!
Sakoman .308
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nova Scotia
It's a beautiful revolver.
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
Nope as was stated , Twisted Canuck owns it and he is a certified Colt looney !
i just posted some pics fir him there.
i will ask him if I can post them here however .
Cat
Pricing is lower than I thought for how rare they are. If I understand correctly only 1 of each province was made... so a 1 of 1 ... regular nickel guns sometimes 50,000 Were made each year and they are going for 4500-5000
Just happen to have opened my Xmas copy of the book “Seven Serpents” the history of Colt’s Snake Guns and there is a short article on the Canadian Province Python(s) that confirms/lists the existence of factory made Pythons for Alberta, North West Territories and PEI. There is a full size colour spread and description of the Sask. Colt Python on pages 114 & 115. A great picture book if you admire Pythons.
The author Guerney Brown (of Cherry’s Fine Guns) has written a new book that will focus on Pythons only tentatively to be titled Colt Python – King of the Seven Serpents’ scheduled for release in Feb/March of 2018 by Blue Book Publications
The author Guerney Brown (of Cherry’s Fine Guns) has written a new book that will focus on Pythons only tentatively to be titled Colt Python – King of the Seven Serpents’ scheduled for release in Feb/March of 2018 by Blue Book Publications
Neat looking book. Do you recommend it?
Just as an interesting aside, amazon.ca lists it at $320.00 while it's $87 US on amazon.com
Recommend yes. But, first at the <$100 US price so I had mine shipped to the Mich. border and picked it up state side. It is a great picture book, colour, full size pic's and covers all the snake guns. There are written blurbs describing each revolver but not at the detailed level of say the books written by John Kopec "The Study of a Colt Single Action Army" where every change in knurling on the hammer is shown and discussed etc. It does have good coverage of original shipping boxes/grips and grip generations plus the Colt Catalog and advertising for each firearm by the year of manufacture. Better pictures but of a style more like the R.L. Wilson Winchester and Colt coffee table books.
ps I got mine from ebay.com at the Johnsons County Bookstore $99 plus $7 shipping (all US) and shipped to US. It is a heavy book, 350 pages, and make sure you are buying the hard cover issue as opposed to the softcover issue if you like collectible books
ps I got mine from ebay.com at the Johnsons County Bookstore $99 plus $7 shipping (all US) and shipped to US. It is a heavy book, 350 pages, and make sure you are buying the hard cover issue as opposed to the softcover issue if you like collectible books
Hey gents...as mentioned, I do have the Alberta Python, and also the book Seven Serpents (great book, highly recommend for Colt people! Got mine from Amazon.com for $87 USD to my door, good catch there Sailor), and I have spoken to the author twice now regarding my Alberta Edition, as well as the NB and edition which was recently for sale....
Anyway, categorically, there were exactly twelve made, one for each province, and one for NWT and Yukon. Twelve in all. I have spoken to Paul at Colt Archives enough times to annoy him, and he confirmed the figure of twelve from hand written notes from a former and long retired archivist, who did an informal accounting of all the commemorative series made. The actual paper work from the Custom Shop eludes him currently, but he is still looking and if it ever shows up, he will update my Colt Archive letter from 1980. The problem is, the guns were pulled off the regular production line to go to Custom Shop for engraving, and not all at the same time, so serial numbers are not consecutive for the series.
All twelve guns were custom engraved to a level C by a Master Engraver in the Custom Shop. The Sask. edition is signed by the engraver who worked on it, on the frame under the grip, as shown in the photos in the book. The Alberta gun is not, though the grips themselves are marked 'Alberta' in black ink on both sides (G. Brown told me all the Province guns had their grips marked in black ink that way). I found out that if your Colt has any gold work done on it, it is a Master Engraver who did it, not an apprentice engraver.
The series was made and shipped in 1979, there are contradicting stories about where they went. I know mine was originally shipped to a distributor in Arkansas, as was the Sask gun, and I was told that they all went to that same distributor. However, I was contacted by a gent from this forum who has some good inside knowledge of the series, and how they came to be commissioned by a Canadian who had friends at Colt, and he says some were shipped directly to Canada. It's all a little difficult to track back without actual Colt archive paperwork on every one of them, and I doubt that it will ever fully come to light, but you never know. I do know that Guerney Brown, author of Seven Serpents, has been in the Archives on a number of occasions doing research, and still has not been able to find paperwork on the series yet either.
As for posting pictures....I'm not against it in principle, and I actually have just taken a whole bunch of pictures of my collection for insurance and appraisal purposes. The problem is since Photobucket went all corrupt on us, I gave up trying to post pics, I'm a bit challenged that way. Let me think on the matter. All I can say for sure is, photos don't do the engraving justice. It's a beautiful gun, and having spoken to a number of collectors in the USA (including a fellow who owns the only mint unfired SS Wilson Combat 3" Python)....it's worth a lot more in the USA than here. I've heard numbers all over the map for it, and watched a couple auctions for rare engraved Pythons that have gone in the $30K+ USD range. I'm a bit surprised at what the NB was listed at (and I was told that the asking price was 'too high' as well, so collecting is in the eye of the beholder). All I know is, the Alberta gun is worth what I'd sell it for (and conversely, I wouldn't have paid as much for any of the other provinces. I just had to have the Alberta gun).
When you have the only one of something, you don't let somebody else set your selling price. If somebody really really wanted it, they only have one place to get it. So any 'values' that get put on it are pretty arbitrary, since I don't have to sell it. Now, if I really needed to sell it, well I guess the market would decide. But I would auction it in the USA at that point. Rock Island would be the place for me to sell. Even that would be interesting, as I've had two stories on exporting back to the USA. One says I can't because of the ivory, another says that because it originated in the USA, and I have archival letter to prove it, it can go back to the USA. So much confusion! Anyway, I'm not selling it any time soon. It really belongs in a museum someplace, it's such fine quality.
Regards, TC
Edit: here is a recent auction at Rock Island for a Python engraved by Howard Dove, who also engraved the Sask edition Python. Obviously this one is a bit more elaborate, and a one of a kind as well...though the presentation box and accessories is very similar. I'd love to get the paperwork from Colt Archives showing who engraved mine!
https://www.rockislandauction.com/d...-howard-dove-signed-exhibition-quality#detail
Anyway, categorically, there were exactly twelve made, one for each province, and one for NWT and Yukon. Twelve in all. I have spoken to Paul at Colt Archives enough times to annoy him, and he confirmed the figure of twelve from hand written notes from a former and long retired archivist, who did an informal accounting of all the commemorative series made. The actual paper work from the Custom Shop eludes him currently, but he is still looking and if it ever shows up, he will update my Colt Archive letter from 1980. The problem is, the guns were pulled off the regular production line to go to Custom Shop for engraving, and not all at the same time, so serial numbers are not consecutive for the series.
All twelve guns were custom engraved to a level C by a Master Engraver in the Custom Shop. The Sask. edition is signed by the engraver who worked on it, on the frame under the grip, as shown in the photos in the book. The Alberta gun is not, though the grips themselves are marked 'Alberta' in black ink on both sides (G. Brown told me all the Province guns had their grips marked in black ink that way). I found out that if your Colt has any gold work done on it, it is a Master Engraver who did it, not an apprentice engraver.
The series was made and shipped in 1979, there are contradicting stories about where they went. I know mine was originally shipped to a distributor in Arkansas, as was the Sask gun, and I was told that they all went to that same distributor. However, I was contacted by a gent from this forum who has some good inside knowledge of the series, and how they came to be commissioned by a Canadian who had friends at Colt, and he says some were shipped directly to Canada. It's all a little difficult to track back without actual Colt archive paperwork on every one of them, and I doubt that it will ever fully come to light, but you never know. I do know that Guerney Brown, author of Seven Serpents, has been in the Archives on a number of occasions doing research, and still has not been able to find paperwork on the series yet either.
As for posting pictures....I'm not against it in principle, and I actually have just taken a whole bunch of pictures of my collection for insurance and appraisal purposes. The problem is since Photobucket went all corrupt on us, I gave up trying to post pics, I'm a bit challenged that way. Let me think on the matter. All I can say for sure is, photos don't do the engraving justice. It's a beautiful gun, and having spoken to a number of collectors in the USA (including a fellow who owns the only mint unfired SS Wilson Combat 3" Python)....it's worth a lot more in the USA than here. I've heard numbers all over the map for it, and watched a couple auctions for rare engraved Pythons that have gone in the $30K+ USD range. I'm a bit surprised at what the NB was listed at (and I was told that the asking price was 'too high' as well, so collecting is in the eye of the beholder). All I know is, the Alberta gun is worth what I'd sell it for (and conversely, I wouldn't have paid as much for any of the other provinces. I just had to have the Alberta gun).
When you have the only one of something, you don't let somebody else set your selling price. If somebody really really wanted it, they only have one place to get it. So any 'values' that get put on it are pretty arbitrary, since I don't have to sell it. Now, if I really needed to sell it, well I guess the market would decide. But I would auction it in the USA at that point. Rock Island would be the place for me to sell. Even that would be interesting, as I've had two stories on exporting back to the USA. One says I can't because of the ivory, another says that because it originated in the USA, and I have archival letter to prove it, it can go back to the USA. So much confusion! Anyway, I'm not selling it any time soon. It really belongs in a museum someplace, it's such fine quality.
Regards, TC
Edit: here is a recent auction at Rock Island for a Python engraved by Howard Dove, who also engraved the Sask edition Python. Obviously this one is a bit more elaborate, and a one of a kind as well...though the presentation box and accessories is very similar. I'd love to get the paperwork from Colt Archives showing who engraved mine!
https://www.rockislandauction.com/d...-howard-dove-signed-exhibition-quality#detail
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- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
C'mon TC, let's see that Alberta Python!
Cat
Cat
