A Plant Front Loading Army revolver, 3rd Model Type 1, made in the mid 1860s and chambered for the .42 cup-primed cartridge that loaded from the front of the cylinder. The barrel measures 5.5 inches and has turned mostly to a gray patina. The frame retains about 50 percent of its original silver, and the grips are very good. Serial number 6298.

The Plant is a Civil War-era oddity: its front-loading cup-primed cartridge was a workaround for the percussion-revolver patents of the day, and surviving examples with this much silver on the frame are what collectors of 1860s American handguns look for. This one belongs in a Pennsylvania collection of Civil War arms rather than anywhere near a holster. The gray barrel and half-silvered frame are described exactly as they are, so you know what you are getting.

Key features

• .42 cup-primed cartridge, 5.5-inch barrel
• 3rd Model Type 1, mid 1860s
• Barrel mostly gray patina
• Frame about 50 percent original silver
• Grips very good

This antique revolver ships to the Pennsylvania FFL dealer you select, who handles the paperwork and PICS check before release.