Here is a wonderful piece of history I sold in 2006 LeMat Revolver Rare 1st Model Confederate LeMat Grapeshot Revolver. Yup, for real… an absolutely honest First Model LeMat, totally original and complete save for the little selector jaw on the hammer.

The First Model is THE LeMat that was produced totally and exclusively for the Confederacy. There were less than 450 first models produced and every single one of them was sent through the blockade to the fledgling Confederacy. There were less of these produced than the famed Walker Colt.

Of extreme interest in regards to this revolver is the fact that it shows the unmistakable Confederate earmark of having serial numbers from 3 different first models…all of which were on the same boat crossing the Atlantic. The number 295 is on the cylinder and barrel. Frame is 405. Rammer is 381. The gun has been mismatched this way since the Civil War when a Confederate armorer reassembled it this way. I would love to hear from other collectors who may have LeMats bearing any of these same numbers. This just surfaced out of an ancient estate in Maine. Many Maine collectors tried to obtain this gun over the past 30 years, but the family finally consigned it to auction where I bought it.

This is a true first model with the loading lever on the right side of the barrel, and the trigger guard having the distinctive spur on the back edge. The gun is about “fine” in terms of Confederate grading with sharp edges, vivid markings, and being totally original and untouched. A very very sharp gun.

There were around 10,000 LeMats produced during the 1860s… but just over 400 1st models. Of note is the fact that in today’s collector market even the late examples with no connection to the Confederacy still fetch $12,000 to $15,000 in this condition.