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The Silver Colt was the 3rd in the series of Nichols Industries cap pistols. I don't know why they kept adding the word, "Silver" to all of the cap guns, but that was coming to a screeching halt. Again plastic grips were used and now were going to be standard on most models. By this time, Nichols Industries was going strong and was in a great position to really move forward.

This particular Nichols Cap Gun was the only one ever made that had its type of scrollwork all over the gun. On the other guns, it was limited to certain areas, but here it is almost everywhere. And it is RAISED too! You probably ought to blame Robert my cousin for that. (See story below.)

Of course, if you're still interested in the other "Silver" Nichols Cap Guns, go back to the Main Menu and see the Silver Pony and the Silver Mustang.







Well, as they say, "If that don't beat all!!!" Ed Manes has presented all three of the "Silvers." The Silver Pony, the Silver Mustang and the Silver Colt. And if that isn't enough, he has both versions of the Silver Mustang: the one with the ruby and the one without—AND, he has both versions of the Silver Pony. Of course, to be completely fair, the Silver Pony with the grips was made much later. I would give nearly anything to have a display just like this one! Some people have all of the luck. Well, luck didn't have anything to do with it, but timing and money sure did. And just look at those MINT BOXES!!! Am I jealous? Well, maybe just a bit. Now all he needs is a Silver Colt like the one below that Jamie has.



This is one of the rarest Silver Colts in the world. Notice that it doesn't have the scrollwork on it that is the trademark of this particular cap pistol. Talley Nichols said that he hadn't realized that any of these had "escaped" from the factory until he was told about this one! You will also note that it doesn't have the "Circle N" on the handle.
(Click on photo to see larger photo of same gun.)
Photo by Jamie Linford


Here's the same basic gun (but not Jamie's) from the right side.
Photo by Rich Hall



Call it pure vanity (of course), but this is the Silver Colt that I just got back from Mr. Ed Manes, who took it and made it look sharp. It's not DEAD MINT, but it's mine, so I don't really care. A special thanks to Karen Quinn for selling it to me!


And, of course, here is the same gun with its innards exposed. Notice that this version of the Silver Colt also doesn't have the Circle "N" in the grips that was later used.
Photos by Mike Nichols


There is an interesting story about the gun shown above. Apparently it was a common practice for Uncle Talley to show off his guns to his kids. (What kid wouldn't want to see— A NEW TOY!!!) So he brought a prototype home just like this one and showed Robert, who was just the right age and size to be "The Potential Customer." Talley: "Robert, would you change anything?" Robert: "Yes. You need to make some with red grips, and it would look more fancy if it had scrollwork on the barrel." So, a few days later his dad brought home the new Silver Colt with the scrollwork and the red grips. And he still has it! This also explains why this is the ONLY Nichols Cap Gun in which the scrollwork is raised quite like this. It's because it was done AFTER the dies were already made.


Though not as rare are the Silver Colt pictured above this
is what the cap pistol looked like that was offered to the public.
Really the best part about this gun is that IT'S MINE!!!
Note the rearing horse with cowboy in the grip. The right grip has
a Longhorn just like on the next Nichols offering, the Stallion 45.
(Click on photo to see larger photo of same gun.)


On the Silver Colts (vast majority!!!) with scrollwork, you will notice that the scrollwork is raised. This is because Uncle Talley went in with his men, and they milled the dies, which are the "negatives," and thus the "positive," which is the gun half, has raised scrollwork. The Silver Colt is the only gun in the entire Nichols series that has this particular kind of simple scrollwork and is a great prize.

The side opens up by pressing the red button on the left. It shoots roll caps. Nichols Industries pioneered newer faster ways to manufacture the roll caps so that the machines could turn them out at an extremely rapid rate. This cap pistol can also be found with white or black grips.


Close-up of the scrollwork around the trigger area and also shows the button that opens the roll-cap chamber


CLICK ON THUMBNAIL
This is a rare Silver Colt Box.
Photo by Robert Nichols



Here is a nice holster set with Nichols Pasadena Silver Colts! I just love the early days in Nichols Industries—not because the first three Cap Gun were really anything to brag about, but because I WAS THERE! I easily remember those days and know all about the company from those years. I remember when the Quonset Hut was built to handle the increasing sales. It's gone now, and Richey Street runs through where it used to be, but the original "block house" is still there—unoccupied. Fond memories. Ed said that the guns didn't originally come with this holster set.


More Silver Colt Photos
Well, I decided that this Silver Colt needed more photos, so I just spent 2 hours taking these and trying to get everything just right. You might check out my suggestions on the Photography Page of this website.
CLICK HERE TO SEE!
I'm no expert, but a lot of you are trying to sell your stuff on auctions and I think you would make more money if you would concentrate more on your photos and your descriptions. And for goodness' sake, use a tripod!
Be Sure To Click On The Thumbnails!




The Silver Colt "In Black" is even more rare than the red-gripped one. Of course, you could simply swap grips, but you're cheating. Besides, there is no such thing as a set of original grips (probably) without the gun itself. So how are you to swap? Simple: You swap your Stallion 45 for a Silver Colt.

These photos by Rich Hall.



Here's a wonderful little set from Ed Manes. The Nichols Silver Colt is one of my favorite Cap Guns because it comes from Pasadena and represents the very early years of Nichols Industries. On my side of the family I am the only one who remembers those years—kids of course, for my parents were co-founders of the company with Uncle Talley and Aunt Ruth. I used to love to go over to their house and play with my cousins. The Nichols factory was right across Vince Bayou from their backyard and Daddy, Uncle Talley and Mr. Bill Simpson built a little bridge over that bayou. I think Mr. Simpson did most of the work! What a man. Read his mini-bio in the history section. Ed says that this set was titled, "Western Corral" on the box lid. Ed also said that the guns came with the box in the set.


This is a great comparison photo showing the original red-gripped Silver Colt (without scrollwork) and the black-gripped Silver Colt with the scrollwork.

Photo by Thomas Lynn



Here's another series of photos of the rare Silver Colt box from Jamie Linford. If you click on this photo, then you will see a series of photos.



As you can see, I am a sucker for a good representation of Cap Guns. Here are all three versions of the Silver Colt. The middle one is the original version without the scrollwork. Robert Nichols suggested the scrollwork to his dad, Uncle Talley. And while they were at it, they added the famous Circle "N." Nice photos by Richard Strom.





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