An Exceptionally Fine And Rare Cased 15-Bore Percussion Four-Shot Superimposed Load Officer's Pi...

An Exceptionally Fine And Rare Cased 15-Bore Percussion Four-Shot Superimposed Load Officer's Pistol By Boyce & Co., Patent, London, No. 4, Circa 1830 With browned twist octagonal sighted barrel signed in full in capitals along the top flat and engraved with a foliate panel at the breech, fitted with four ridged nipples along one side between engraved foliage (minor area of bruising) and each with threaded vent, case-hardened foliate engraved tang with back-sight, border engraved case-hardened sliding lock signed in capitals and decorated with scrolling foliage, dolphin hammer en suite, and blued spring catch securing the lock in the correct position, the lock operating against a blued steel plate along the underside of the barrel, figured full stock with dark horn fore-end cap and chequered 'fish-tail' butt, blued steel trigger-guard with pineapple finial and decorated en suite with the lock on the border engraved bow, vacant silver escutcheon and barrel-bolt escutcheons, graduated stirrup ramrod, and in fine condition retaining virtually all its original finish: in original fitted case lined in burgundy velvet with accessories including powder-flask retaining its lacquered finish, steel bullet mould for casting drum-shaped bullets, turnscrews, bright steel oil bottle, and graduated brass-tipped ramrod, the exterior of the lid with circular vacant brass escutcheon centred on a circular flush-fitting brass carrying handle, London proof marks and barrelsmith's mark of William Fullerd 25.5 cm. barrel Footnotes: Literature D.R. Baxter, Superimposed Load Firearms 1360-1860, 1966, pp. 321, 339 and 505, pl. 171 No patent by Boyce & Co. is recorded, however a four-shot percussion superimposed load pistol, by Wm. & Jn. Rigby of Dublin, no. 5912 for 1835 (sold Christie's London, 7 July 1964, lot 226) is engraved with the maker's details and 'for the patentees Boyce & Co., London' Baxter notes that 'Previous writers have credited Jacob Mould with inventing this system for which he obtained a patent on the 19th February 1825, but his patent drawing so closely resembles the sliding lock rifle of Isaiah Jennings that it is obvious that he obtained the inspiration for his patent from this weapon. Mould may have been, however, directly responsible for stimulating the manufacture of the percussion sliding lock arms that were produced by various makers in England at this time.' Examples of firearms working on this system and marked Captain Ritso's Patent are known, for example a gun in the Royal Armouries, Leeds (inv. no. XII. 1408), and a rifle formerly in the Noel Corry Collection (sold Christie's London, 18 May 1994, lot 129). No patent under Ritso's name is recorded and it seems likely that Mould may have sold his invention to him and to others. See Claude Blair, Pistols of the World, 1968, p. 36. This appears to be the only cased example extant For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing