Please let me know any information regarding this revolver. By SN manufactured in Dec, 1964.
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Exquisite Remington NMA
Exquisite Remington NMA
This is believed to be a rejected Civil War revolver by the Army Ordinance inspector.SN 1515X only flaw on the revolver is a light stamping on top of barrel. Rejected revolvers were either destroyed or sent in for engraving and enhanced grips, used has presentation piece or auctioned off. This piece is beautifully engraved and has carved Mother of Pearl grips, both sides are carved with an eagle.
Please let me know any information regarding this revolver. By SN manufactured in Dec, 1964. Thanks Tim
Please let me know any information regarding this revolver. By SN manufactured in Dec, 1964. Thanks Tim
Re: Exquisite Remington NMA
Hi Tim,
First, Is the cylinder engraved, or is it etched? If engraved it is a fancy pistol which was a special order, and may have been a presentation piece, but presentation pistols were usually given a 1 or 2 digit serial number.
The engraving is not the best quality, so it was probably done by an apprentice engraver on a customer's order, or done by a business that did engraving..
If the cylinder is etched, it is an ultra rare Sanitary Fair pistol. These were pistols that were engraved, etched, often plated and with ivory grips. They were also cased with accessories, and then donated to the Sanitary Fair Commission to b used as fund raisers.
Second, pistols rejected by the government were sold on the civilian market. They were never destroyed, and they were never used for presentation pieces.
Dan
First, Is the cylinder engraved, or is it etched? If engraved it is a fancy pistol which was a special order, and may have been a presentation piece, but presentation pistols were usually given a 1 or 2 digit serial number.
The engraving is not the best quality, so it was probably done by an apprentice engraver on a customer's order, or done by a business that did engraving..
If the cylinder is etched, it is an ultra rare Sanitary Fair pistol. These were pistols that were engraved, etched, often plated and with ivory grips. They were also cased with accessories, and then donated to the Sanitary Fair Commission to b used as fund raisers.
Second, pistols rejected by the government were sold on the civilian market. They were never destroyed, and they were never used for presentation pieces.
Dan
Re: Exquisite Remington NMA
Dan,
The cylinder is engraved, I do have a cased sanitary fair NMP also. Why do you refer to poor quality engraving? This revolver is beautiful, no defects in the engraving. I own several engraved revolvers. Also from my reading and researching Remington did not sell NMA or NMN to civilians until the end off the civil war, later around 1870 or around that year, they opened up there own special order dept. I do think this was made for combat and probably failed the Army Ordinance quality test.
Thoughts?
Tim
The cylinder is engraved, I do have a cased sanitary fair NMP also. Why do you refer to poor quality engraving? This revolver is beautiful, no defects in the engraving. I own several engraved revolvers. Also from my reading and researching Remington did not sell NMA or NMN to civilians until the end off the civil war, later around 1870 or around that year, they opened up there own special order dept. I do think this was made for combat and probably failed the Army Ordinance quality test.
Thoughts?
Tim
Re: Exquisite Remington NMA
Hi Tim,
Sorry for the very late reply, but I just came across this. I have to restate that Rem NEVER destroyed anything! They even took pistols stamped with a capital C, for contemned and then sold them It seems very illogical to on the civilian market. Yes, even during the Civil War, Rem soled guns to civilians. This is proved by the number of Beals, Old Model, and New Model pistols that are found without any inspectors marks on them.
Rem was the first company to offer conversions of their pistols in 1868, when the converted over 4,500 NMAs to 5-shot, 46 rf, for Kiteridge in Cincy, OH. They stopped making the MNA in March of 1865, but continued making the NMN until 1873. It is unknown how many NMNs were made as conversions after 1870, maybe as many as 10,000. After 1870, Rem had to get un-issued MNAs from the US Gov. because they didn't have any, and the stopped production of the MNA 5 years earlier!
Where did you find that Rem created a Special Order Dept? I'm not aware of any such dept until after the bankruptcy in 1886, and the following new company in 1888. Up until the, Rem always made any gun to a customer's order, as long as the customer paid the extra money.
As a side note, So many pistols failed inspection, that Rem set up theitr own inspection process, to inspect the pistol BEFORE they were inspected by the Gov. inspectors. Even with this extra effort by Rem, their own internal reports state that there was a 10% failure rate.
I also dispute that Rem took guns that failed inspection and engraved them and made them into presentation pieces.It seems very illogical to take a failed pistol, and spend the time and money to turn it into a fancy pistol. Plus it is very dangerous practice that would have damaged Rem's reputation, and future sales if it ever became known! I have never read this anyplace, nor have I ever heard anyone make this claim.
Don Ware's book on the large frame Army & Navy revolvers is the "bible" on these pistols, and he never mentions any of the things that you mention in his book.
Daniel
Sorry for the very late reply, but I just came across this. I have to restate that Rem NEVER destroyed anything! They even took pistols stamped with a capital C, for contemned and then sold them It seems very illogical to on the civilian market. Yes, even during the Civil War, Rem soled guns to civilians. This is proved by the number of Beals, Old Model, and New Model pistols that are found without any inspectors marks on them.
Rem was the first company to offer conversions of their pistols in 1868, when the converted over 4,500 NMAs to 5-shot, 46 rf, for Kiteridge in Cincy, OH. They stopped making the MNA in March of 1865, but continued making the NMN until 1873. It is unknown how many NMNs were made as conversions after 1870, maybe as many as 10,000. After 1870, Rem had to get un-issued MNAs from the US Gov. because they didn't have any, and the stopped production of the MNA 5 years earlier!
Where did you find that Rem created a Special Order Dept? I'm not aware of any such dept until after the bankruptcy in 1886, and the following new company in 1888. Up until the, Rem always made any gun to a customer's order, as long as the customer paid the extra money.
As a side note, So many pistols failed inspection, that Rem set up theitr own inspection process, to inspect the pistol BEFORE they were inspected by the Gov. inspectors. Even with this extra effort by Rem, their own internal reports state that there was a 10% failure rate.
I also dispute that Rem took guns that failed inspection and engraved them and made them into presentation pieces.It seems very illogical to take a failed pistol, and spend the time and money to turn it into a fancy pistol. Plus it is very dangerous practice that would have damaged Rem's reputation, and future sales if it ever became known! I have never read this anyplace, nor have I ever heard anyone make this claim.
Don Ware's book on the large frame Army & Navy revolvers is the "bible" on these pistols, and he never mentions any of the things that you mention in his book.
Daniel