Mike Dubber
Elite Cafe Member
The Colt Collectors Association has produced their Annual Show Gun since the mid 90's. That gun is held as the final item in their Annual Auction - it's the highlight of the CCA Show. The Show Gun has always graced the cover of the Fall issue of The Rampant Colt Magazine, and that's the issue produced and sent to the membership just prior to the Show, held annually the first weekend in October. Unfortunatley the 2020 CCA Show scheduled for Scottsdale, Arizona next month was cancelled for obivous, if dissapointing, reasons.
Paul Goodwin, Editor of the Rampant Colt, and Earl Whitney, CCA Show Director, opted this year to honor the engravers and Show Guns produced since 2000. Those produced in 2006, 2014 and 2015 are shown on the front cover - engraved by Mike Dubber and Lee Griffiths.
Originally, only Colt Master Engravers working in the Custom Shop were permitted to engrave a CCA Show Gun. That changed in 2003 when, thanks to Doug Turnbull, a sitting CCA Board Member, I was selected to engrave the Tampa, Florida Show Gun. Those guns produced early on were engraved (repeatedly) by Masters like George Spring, Steve Kamyk, Tim George, Andrew Bourbon, Dennis Kies, and Ben Lane Jr. Soon after I became invloved I had the opportunity to assist in selecting new names for these project guns - names of engravers who are not directly connected with Colt Hartford, but never-the-less are Master Level Engravers. My co-chair, Charles Layson and I have named the Show Gun Masters in recent years. Each of these have been successful in producing outstanding works of the Engravers Art. That select group includes, Jim Blair, William Gamradt, Lee Griffiths, Robert Strosin, and Weldon Lister. In 2019 we altered the history of Colt Engraving forever when we named Diane Scalese as Master Engraver for the Frisco, Texas Show Gun. Diane was the first female to have her name listed as Master Engraver on a Colt Factory Letter. Each of this select group has the distinction of possessing two viable Master Engraver titles - those of FEGA Master and Colt Master.
Now, there's always a side-story to tell, and this one brings out the real dissapointment for me in the cancellation of CCA 2020. Charles and I selected another of our fellow FEGA Masters to produce the 2020 Scottsale Show Gun. Brian Powley did a wonderful piece of work and delivered CCA 2020 in June. Unfortunately the show was cancelled but a few days after. If you have ever been a part of a committee that is charged with selecting venues, making down payments, and planning for major gun shows, you will appreciate our delimna. The convention center in Scottdale would not relinquish the CCA pre-payment, and we had already paid another for the 2021 Show. Scottsdale did agree to honor our reservation for a future show, and hopefully we will return there in 2022. We can't just shift these guns around; the engraving is always "themed" to honor the annual host State. Brian created his .45 Single Action themed to the State of Arizona and the Copper Queen Mine....just can't erase those images, lettering and inlays! Brian Powley is a Colt Master, he will just have to wait a while for his engraving to grace the cover of the Rampant Colt.
Paul Goodwin, Editor of the Rampant Colt, and Earl Whitney, CCA Show Director, opted this year to honor the engravers and Show Guns produced since 2000. Those produced in 2006, 2014 and 2015 are shown on the front cover - engraved by Mike Dubber and Lee Griffiths.
Originally, only Colt Master Engravers working in the Custom Shop were permitted to engrave a CCA Show Gun. That changed in 2003 when, thanks to Doug Turnbull, a sitting CCA Board Member, I was selected to engrave the Tampa, Florida Show Gun. Those guns produced early on were engraved (repeatedly) by Masters like George Spring, Steve Kamyk, Tim George, Andrew Bourbon, Dennis Kies, and Ben Lane Jr. Soon after I became invloved I had the opportunity to assist in selecting new names for these project guns - names of engravers who are not directly connected with Colt Hartford, but never-the-less are Master Level Engravers. My co-chair, Charles Layson and I have named the Show Gun Masters in recent years. Each of these have been successful in producing outstanding works of the Engravers Art. That select group includes, Jim Blair, William Gamradt, Lee Griffiths, Robert Strosin, and Weldon Lister. In 2019 we altered the history of Colt Engraving forever when we named Diane Scalese as Master Engraver for the Frisco, Texas Show Gun. Diane was the first female to have her name listed as Master Engraver on a Colt Factory Letter. Each of this select group has the distinction of possessing two viable Master Engraver titles - those of FEGA Master and Colt Master.
Now, there's always a side-story to tell, and this one brings out the real dissapointment for me in the cancellation of CCA 2020. Charles and I selected another of our fellow FEGA Masters to produce the 2020 Scottsale Show Gun. Brian Powley did a wonderful piece of work and delivered CCA 2020 in June. Unfortunately the show was cancelled but a few days after. If you have ever been a part of a committee that is charged with selecting venues, making down payments, and planning for major gun shows, you will appreciate our delimna. The convention center in Scottdale would not relinquish the CCA pre-payment, and we had already paid another for the 2021 Show. Scottsdale did agree to honor our reservation for a future show, and hopefully we will return there in 2022. We can't just shift these guns around; the engraving is always "themed" to honor the annual host State. Brian created his .45 Single Action themed to the State of Arizona and the Copper Queen Mine....just can't erase those images, lettering and inlays! Brian Powley is a Colt Master, he will just have to wait a while for his engraving to grace the cover of the Rampant Colt.
Attachments
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