Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! This factory-inscribed Colt Model 1889 double action revolver tells two stories: one about Colt’s business practices and another about a remarkable immigrant who climbed America’s economic ladder to its highest rungs. Made in 1891, this .38 caliber revolver bears the backstrap inscription “JESSE SELIGMAN Compliments of Colts P.F.A. Mfg. Co.” – marking it as a direct gift from the company to one of America’s most influential bankers. Jesse Seligman’s life reads like a classic American success story. Born in Bavaria in 1825, he emigrated to America in 1840 and started as a traveling peddler. His fortunes changed dramatically during the 1851 San Francisco fire when his store – the only brick building in town – survived, giving him a virtual monopoly on essential goods. Returning east, Seligman and his brothers secured massive government contracts during the Civil War, profiting enough to retire from the clothing trade and establish a banking house on Broad Street. They became President Grant’s personal bankers and major financiers of America’s railroad expansion. Why would Colt present this revolver to a banker? The company routinely gave inscribed firearms to influential businessmen, politicians and celebrities – essentially 19th century influencer marketing. With pearl grips and light engraving, it was meant as a status symbol for a man who could open financial doors for the company. Presented in a purple velvet-lined case, this revolver represents the intersection of American business, finance and manufacturing at the end of the 19th century – when a handgun was considered an appropriate corporate gift to one of Wall Street’s most powerful figures.
“Factory Presentation Inscribed Colt Model 1889 Revolver.” Rock Island Auction Company, https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/4094/1122/factory-presentation-inscribed-colt-model-1889-revolver. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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