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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.
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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
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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. |
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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.)
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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.
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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 |
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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.
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More Silver Colt
Photos
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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!
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| Be Sure To Click On The
Thumbnails! |
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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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