Allen's Providence Police Revolvers
Commercial era:
E. Allen & Co
Content:
Detailed pictures of collection models
Overview
This revolver is an intriguing example. Although no markings have been found on any known specimens, its construction clearly reflects Ethan Allen’s workmanship and closely follows his patented designs. The Center Hammer Army and Navy models produced during the E. Allen & Co. period were likewise unmarked, suggesting that the Providence Police revolvers were manufactured during the same timeframe. Considering the relatively small production run and Allen’s reputation for frugality, it is plausible that he chose to avoid the added expense of marking dies.
In any case, Ethan Allen’s final percussion revolver was a relatively inexpensive model that offered substantial firepower: a .36-caliber, five-shot design with a spur trigger and no loading lever.
Another curiosity concerns the name of these revolvers. How they came to be known by it remains uncertain. Some have suggested that they were produced specifically at the request of the Providence, Rhode Island, Police Department, but no surviving evidence confirms that the revolvers were ever actually issued or used by that force.
Furthermore, their manufacture in several barrel lengths — 3, 4, and 5 inches — appears inconsistent with what one would typically expect from a standardized police contract.
Early production models feature a small screw between the side plate and the frame to prevent the side plate from rotating.
On later examples, this screw was replaced by an internal pin, presumably as a cost-saving measure in production.
Providence Police Revolver - late type
This revolver is a later variant, identifiable by the internal pin that secures the side plate. One unusual feature of this example is that, although it has a spring latch to retain the cylinder pin, the frame also includes a screw hole on the bottom of the frame, with a matching hole in the cylinder pin itself.
From the P.O. Collection
