2020 September Premier, Volume I

Investment Class Winchester First Model 1866 "Flatside" Rifle - For the Discerning Collector
LOT 28
Exceptional and Extremely Rare First Model
Winchester 1866 “Flatside” Lever Action Rifle -
Serial no. 14987, 44 RF cal., 24 inch octagon bbl., blue
finish, varnished highly figured walnut stock. First
Model 1866 Winchester rifles and carbines fall in the
12000-15500 serial number range and are directly
commingled within New Haven Arms Company Henry
rifle’s production serial range, which is purported to
be approximately 15,000. Very little is known about
the late serial number blocks of Henry rifles and
many believe the actual production figures are more
like 12,000 but were serialized in batches or “blocks”.
The theory is substantiated by reported, known
numbers, and large chunks of the number block are
still unaccounted for today, particularly in the later
series. According to Les Quick’s book “The Henry
Rifle”, the highest reported serial number of a Henry
rifle is 14,312, which is 675 apart from this first model
1866 rifle. The highest serialized Henry rifle this writer
could find was number 14,338 sold by our firm, Rock
Island Auction Company, in September 2015 as lot 17.
Likewise, very little information is known about these
early first model 1866 rifles. The earliest according to
author George Madis in “The Winchester Book” and
confirmed by Winchester dates of manufacture bears
the serial number 12476. The lowest flatside this writer
could find published is a carbine, serial number 12979,
38