Early & Transitional

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Last updated: October 10, 2017

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Legend: BP=Black Powder, 2pc=Two piece lift-top box, Sld=Sealed, Lbl=Label, Pr=Primer HS=Headstamp, NHS=No Headstamp Color Codes: BL, GRN, WH, YEL, BLK, PLD (PLAID), ETC.
Caliber	Description	$
10 Second Fuzes	Frankford Arsenal, 1864. SEALED, drilled wooden packet of five "10-Second" cannon ball fuzes. Great Civil War item, CHEAP!	$85
36 Whitney or Colt	Civil War era wood-block packet, wrapped & SEALED with string-pull intact. For the Whitney or Colt's Mod 1851 Navy revolvers. [From my personal collection]	$525 sold
36 Colt, Whitney or Remington's Navy Pistol	D.C. Sage. Another Civil War packet, these are the desirable "Hotchkiss Patent" (of Feb 11, 1862) "Seamless Skin Cartridges", wrapped & SEALED in a wood-block pkt of six with string-pull intact. [From my personal collection]	$575 sold
36 Colt's Navy Pistol	D.C. Sage. Similar to the above pkt, but calling out only the Colt Navy, these are the desirable "Hotchkiss Patent" (of Feb 11, 1862) "Seamless Skin Cartridges", wrapped & SEALED in a wood-block pkt of 6. HOWEVER, the pull-string is missing and upon close inspection it may be discerned that this pkt has been very skillfully re-sealed and lightly re-coated, looking, to the untrained eye, very much as it did when it left the factory. Truth be told, I have seen this "work" before on Frankford Arsenal boxes from the 1870s. All I can say here is that a trusted dealer has had a hand in it. Can't deny that it's a very displayable item however, and a lot cheaper here, I'm sure, than when it was first sold after "restoration". Fortunately, I have X-rays from all 3 angles (they'll come w/ the pkt) and the contents are absolutely correct. It's just been very nicely re-sealed!	$265
9 m/m Pinfire	Eley Bros., London. This is one of those great English "tins" (actually steel) and it retains 6 original Pinfire ctdgs.	$75
41 Volcanic	Clean, showing some oxidation & no base distortions. (Have more than one, this may not be the one you receive).	$150 inquire
44 Colt Packet (REPRO)	Paul R. Murphy, Boston Mass. This packet of 6 reproduction .44 Colt "Combustible Envelope Cartridges", while not a risk to being passed off as a genuine, "period" packet, it is minty and quite possibly (and feels like) it contains repro cartridges (unlike the phony packets going around). Measures 2-7/8" x 1-5/8" x 1/2". Anybody know anything about these, when they were made or who Paul Murphy was? Neat item at any rate!	$45
44 Colt Army Packet	Hazard Powder Co. Top line: "Pressed Waterproof" (which can't be seen in pic because of reflection on wrap). "Patented March 18, 1862". Nicely sealed soft pack. Has darkening at lower left and missing small bit of upper right label ("F" in "WATERPROOF"), but over-all is in very nice shape for one of these scarcer soft-packs (over 150 yrs old!). The largest of these Colt packets, these 44s are always the most expensive, usually ranging in the $500-600 area for common ones, more for rarer ones. This one priced at the level of a common .36 Colt pkt!	$350
"44 Army Revolver"	*Watervliet Arsenal, 1864. A TRUE* CIVIL WAR PACKET! No BS about this one. If you want a genuine article from that terrible war, this is it! SEALED AND COMPLETE!**	$1100 sold
44 Colt 1861 Army/ Dragoon	Johnston & Dow, NYC. "Waterproof & Combustible / CARTRIDGES / Cal. 46-100, with Percussion Caps, / For Colt's Army Revolvers, Cal. 44-100. / Patented Oct 1st, 1861, Jan 7th, and June 24th, 1862." Early Civil War soft-pack of 6, SEALED. (Scanned, not photo'd.) [From my personal collection]	$650 sold
44 Colt & Rem	Frankford Arsenal, "Martin [primed] Cartridges, For Colt's and Remington's Revolvers". Very early (1st year) SEALED 12-pack, dtd June, 1871. Pull string intact w/ none of the common edge splits. NOT a glued-edge, repaired packet as are so many of these.	950 sold
44 Colt & Rem	As above: "Frankford Arsenal, Martin [primed] Cartridges, For Colt's and Remington's Revolvers. Very early (1st year) SEALED 12-pack, dtd June, 1871. Pull string intact w/ none of the common edge splits. NOT a glued-edge, repaired packet as are so many of these." HOWEVER--as you can see from the close-up photo of the bottom edge of this box (pic below), it was common for box labels, which were coated with a waterproofing like shellac, to stick to one another in the wooden crates in which they were packed & shipped. This box evidently lost several letters of the word "Cartridges" when the box above it in the crate was removed. Then someone with an artistic bent reprinted the word so the labeling looks totally original upon all but the closest inspection. In fact, the previous owner, a very discerning, quality conscious collector, never noticed it during all the years he owned it. You will happy with it as well, especially at this price!	$775 sold
44 Colt & Rem	Frankford Arsenal "For Colt's and Remington's Revolvers". Early SEALED pkt of 12, dtd January 1873. Pull string intact. Spot on upper rt edge (visible in scan) is a drop of the original shellac coating. Rare in any condition, especially so this nice! From my personal collection.	950 sold
44 Henry	New Haven Arms (predecessor to Winchester). Circa 1863-65, these rare New Haven labelings are the "true" Henry boxes. Winchester evolved from New Haven Arms in 1866 at roughly the same time they introduced their new Model 1866, the Company's successor to the Henry Rifle. This particular box is reportedly from an original (partial) case found in the basement of the Browning Bros' Ogden, Utah building in the 1870s. The outstanding condition of this box does nothing to belie that claim. The cartridges also appear entirely native to the box. This is the exact box pictured at the top of pg 31 of Giles & Shuey and has been in my personal collection since the 1980s. Similar boxes in less condition have sold at auction in recent years for in excess of $12,000. Own the best for display with your Henry! [More pix on request but there are no other labels on these boxes.]	sold
44 S&W	National Armory. "For Smith & Wesson's Army Revolver". Very scarce early (April 1871) SEALED box of "Martin-primed" cartridges. The National Armory, founded in Spfld MA in 1777, was George Washington's concept designed to safeguard our young nation's armament from the British. The last dated ammo I have seen from Nat'l Armory is 1871, the year of this box. Thereafter everything is from Frankford Arsenal. Virtually perfect: no tears or splits, pull string intact. This is a real piece of our country's history! [This packet is virtually identical to 2 other such packets sold during the past two years off this very page. You may recognize that I have not changed the description from the original listing: it is reprinted here exactly as it appeared then, including the price]. (click to enlarge)	$975 sold
45 Colt Nov 1873	Frankford Arsenal. While Oct 1873 is the earliest of these packets, it is virtually unobtainable making this Nov offering the earliest of the dates that (occasionally, at least) come on the market. Sealed, with pull string and all seams intact. Nice!	$1250 sold
45 Colt Nov 1873	Frankford Arsenal. As stated above: While Oct 1873 is the earliest of these packets, it is virtually unobtainable making this Nov offering the earliest of the dates that (occasionally, at least) come on the market. While still full, this one however appears to have had its string pulled and then skillfully pasted back. Fortunately, the appearance of this packet is exceptionally nice and bright and it displays beautifully with a couple barely noticeable seam or edge splits that lack the varnish or lacquer that would normally fill them in. A real bargain at...	$695 Sold
45 Colt Dec 1873	Frankford Arsenal. These early Benet-primed "Colt's Revolver, Cal; .45" (pre-Schofield) packets were month-dated from Oct 1873-Aug 1874 only. Thereafter, the .45 "Revolver Ball" cartridges, which were shorter and less powerful to accommodate use in the S&W Schofield as well as the Colt, were year-dated till 1882. This box is dated December 1873, the 1st month of actual Colt SAA shipments from the factory. This box is still SEALED w/ string-pull intact! This is one of the most sought-after of ALL Colt packets! [Photo'd in shrink-wrap]	$1150 sold
45 Colt	Frankford Arsenal, April, 1874. These early Benet-primed "Colt's Revolver, Cal; .45" (pre-Schofield) packets were month-dated from Oct 1873-Aug 1874 only. Thereafter, the .45 "Revolver Ball" cartridges, which were shorter and less powerful to accommodate use in the S&W Schofield as well as the Colt, were year-dated till 1882. Sealed, excellent original condition.	$835
45 Colt	Frankford Arsenal, June, 1874. These early Benet-primed "Colt's Revolver, Cal; .45" (pre-Schofield) packets were month-dated from Oct 1873-Aug 1874 only. Thereafter, the .45 "Revolver Ball" cartridges, which were shorter and less powerful to accommodate use in the S&W Schofield as well as the Colt, were year-dated till 1882. Great early box, CLEAN & SEALED!	$895 sold
45 Colt	Frankford Arsenal, August, 1874, the last month these "Long Colts" were produced. While the pull-string has broken off (or been cut) at the corner, it's obvious that it has never been pulled to open the box as the underlying imprint of the string remains "under the skin" (see pic). These early Benet-primed "Colt's Revolver, Cal; .45" (pre-Schofield) packets were month-dated from Oct 1873-Aug 1874 only. Thereafter, the .45 "Revolver Ball" cartridges, which were shorter and less powerful to accommodate use in the S&W Schofield as well as the Colt, were year-dated till 1882. Great early box, CLEAN, SEALED and CHEAP!	$750 sold
45 Colt & Schofield Blanks	Frankford Arsenal. Packet of 12 blanks, date stamped on side: "Sep 28 1889". Am told they were used primarily for horse training in the cavalry. SEALED!	$85 sold
45 Colt & Schofield 1875	Frankford Arsenal, 1875, sealed. This is the toughest date in this series except for 1876. String-pull is intact. Nice!	$565 sold
45 Colt & Schofield 1876 !	Frankford Arsenal, 1876, Colt & Schofield. This, the year of Custer's demise at the Little Bighorn, is by far the most sought after, and least encountered, date in the series, 1875-1881. While the right end edges show some glue touch-up and there are traces of tape residue at the right end of the top, it is not significantly detracting (see pix). The pull-string has definitely never been pulled and the long-side edges are unquestionably original & intact as is the left end. A great, eminently displayable example of this extremely historic, 1876-dated box! [All 6 sides of the box shown, click to enlarge]	$925 sold
45 Colt & Schofield 1877	Frankford Arsenal, 1877, Schofield & Colt. Harder date than any but 1875 & 1876. SEALED.	$525 sold
45 Colt & Schofield 1878	Frankford Arsenal, 1878, sealed. Completely original, "no excuses" box. Cheap!	$340
45 Colt & Schofield 1879	Frankford Arsenal, 1879, Schofield & Colt. The last year of the coated/shellacked boxes. Much less common than the 1878 packets. Nice--sealed, clean and tight!	$395
45 Colt & Schofield 1880	Frankford Arsenal, 1880, Schofield & Colt. 1880-1882 are the only years of this original 1870s style of these packets that were not shellacked. Velocity/date stamp on side ("Velocity 779 Feet. Dec 16 1880") is very clear. Much less common than the 1878 packets. Nice, SEALED!	$425 sold
45 Colt & Schofield	Frankford Arsenal, Schofield & Colt, date-stamped "June 1887". Sealed and tight, pull-string still in place. None of the common seam separations. These later Boxer-primed dates are far harder to find than the 1877-81 packets.	$465 sold
45 Colt & Schofield 1891	Frankford Arsenal, "Nov 2 1891" (stamped on lid top), Schofield & Colt. This the last type packaging by the Arsenal in this caliber, a style which ended in 1892. Cartridges by this time were externally ("Boxer") primed and labeled "Reloading" or reloadable. Sealed, with string pull in place. Scarce!	sold
45 Rifle & Carbine Blank	Frankford Arsenal. Date stamp no longer discernable but thought to be 1870s/early-'80s. SEALED!	$110 sold
50-70 Govt	Frankford Arsenal. String-pull box dated Oct 1873. When I got this box the string had been pulled and the ends were loose. I have since repaired the box but a small gap exists at the top of both ends. However, the Benet-primed cartridges are clean & nice and the integrity & color of the box make it eminently displayable. Much nicer box than some of the still-sealed boxes I encounter which have label chips and serious edge damage & splits. [Add'l pix on request.]	$750 sold
50-70 Govt	U.M.C. From an original factory case dated Dec 24, 1873 (will send photo of crate to buyer). THIS BOX IS FLAT OUT MINT! Nothing more needs be said!	$950
56-50 Spencer	J. Goldmark (NY). This rather fragile "soft-pack" contains 42 rds with the label on the end of the wrapper. According to John Barber's book, The Rimfire Cartridge 1857-1984, this company was only in the cartridge business from 1864 to 1866. Later, the name is found on Winchester percussion cap tins indicating that Winchester acquired the Goldmark business at some point after the Civil War. Obviously a very scarce packet that, unlike most Goldmark pkts I've seen, has somehow held together this very heavy load in a rather delicate wrapping for 150 years!	$650 sold
56-50 Spencer	Sage Ammunition Works. Ca mid/late-1860s, this square box contains 42 ctdgs in 6 sealed, unmarked packets of 7 rds each (the magazine capacity of the Spencer). While the label shows scuffing and there are small tape removal stains at the lid corners, the box is very solid with none of the usual bottom seam splits. A great early & historical display item--CHEAP!!	$595 sold