A Rare Le Matt And Girard's Patent Dual System Second Model Nine-Shot Percussion 'Grape-Shot' RevolverNo. 8717, Circa 1864-65With 60-bore blued octagonal sighted barrel stamped 'LEMAT & GIRARD'S PATENT LONDON' along the top flat, fitted with hinged rammer on the left side and with round 18-bore 'grape-shot' barrel beneath, serial numbered cylinder retaining some blueing, squared action, hammer with pivoting nose, trigger-guard, butt with integral lanyard ring, and party chequered rounded figured grips (some wear, old rust patination and small areas of pitting) 17 cm. barrel Footnotes:First patented in America in 1856 Dr. Jean Alexandre Francois LeMat's famous revolver was ready for production by 1859. A partnership was formed with his cousin by marriage Major, later General, P.G.T. Beauregard who was an enthusiastic supporter of LeMat and his revolver, bringing it to the attention of the Conferate Military and even helping to finance it's production. By 1860 the partnership was over. However, the first production LeMat's were being built under the direction of Charles Federic Girard with whom LeMat had formed a new partnership in 1860. Formerly Assistant Secretary at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, Girard eventually acquired about 80% of the patent rights to the revolver and on his return to France oversaw the production of only about 3,000 of the revolvers between 1862 and 1865. The business became bankrupt following the defeat of the Confederacy. See Marie-Antoinettte and Alain F. Serpette with Valmore J. Forgett, Colonel Francois A. Le Mat, 15 avril 1821-28, juillet 1895, 1995, pp. 52-58For similar examples sold in these Rooms see Antique Arms & Armour..., 2 December 2004, lots 373 and 374; 28 November 2012, lot 363; and 23 May 2018, lot 387For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
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A Rare 120-Bore Percussion Webley Patent Second Model 'Longspur' Single-Action Six-Shot Revolver No. 552, Mid-19th CenturyWith hinged tip-down octagonal sighted barrel rifled with three grooves, replacement cylinder, border engraved frame, butt (swivel missing) and trigger-guard, hammer with chequered spur, the butt with traces of 'By Her Majesty's Royal Letters Patent' inscription, hinged rammer secured by a spring-catch, and chequered figured rounded grips 8.8 cm. barrel Footnotes:See footnote to following lotFor further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare Pair Of 40-Bore Percussion Silver-Mounted Duelling Pistols By Wogdon, London, London Silver Hallmarks for 1771, Maker's Mark Of John KingConverted from flintlock, with re-browned barrels (some light pitting, mostly around the drum and nipple) each signed 'Wogdon London' on individual silver panels on the top flat and with silver spider fore-sight, breeches with engraved gold line and line of beadwork, foliate engraved tangs with folding leaf back-sights, flat bevelled detented locks each signed in script and with safety-catch at the stepped tail, figured full stocks (butts with minor splits and chips) each inlaid with owner's monogram in silver wire scrollwork behind the escutcheon engraved with owner's crest, cast and chased mounts comprising pierced foliate side-plates each with central cartouche engraved with owner's shield of arms, spurred pommels engraved with a foliate rocaille on both sides and with grotesque mask butt-cap, trigger-guards each with acorn finial and decorated with a flower-head on the bow, foliate engraved silver barrel-bolt escutcheons, turned silver ramrod-pipes, silver fore-end bands, set triggers, and horn-tipped ramrods, gold-lined London proof marks (2)28 cm. barrels Footnotes:ProvenanceSold in these Rooms, Antique Arms, Armour & Modern Sporting Guns, 11 May 2016, lot 265Robert Wogdon was apprenticed to Edward Newton, gunmaker of Grantham in Lincolnshire. He is recorded as Gunmaker at Mr. Maw's, haberdasher, Cockspur Street, Charring Cross, in 1764, and at Haymarket between 1774 and 1802. He was in partnership with John Barton at 14 Haymarket from 1794 until 1803, and died in 1813. A poem of 1783 by an Irish Volunteer and subtitled, Stanzas on Duelling, begins 'Hail Wogden! patron of that Leadon death...' See John O'Sullivan & De Witt Bailey Robert Wogdon, Wogdon & Barton, John Barton, London Gunmakers, 2019, passim The shield of arms is that of Bowman of Hethleton, DorsetFor further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare Mahogany Gunpowder MagazineBy Joseph Lang, Gun & Pistol Warehouse, 7 Hay Market, London, Circa 1850Originally lined in green baize and fitted for gunpowder canisters, the interior of the lid with maker's trade label for circa 1825-52, the exterior with circular vacant brass escutcheon centred on a flush-fitting brass carrying handle; together with a later key (2)20 cm. high X 16 cm. deepFootnotes:Joseph 1 Lang is recorded at 7 Haymarket between 1825 and 1852. The business became Joseph Lang & Sons eventually amalgamating with Stephen Grant, and are credited with popularising the pin-fire breech-loader. Lang died in 1869For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare Scottish 25-Bore Flintlock Highland Regiment All-Steel Belt Pistol By John Christie Of Doune, Circa 1760With sighted barrel incised with lines behind the slightly flared muzzle, at the mid-section and at the breech, signed border engraved lock, plain stock with ram's horn butt, threaded pricker, button trigger, belt hook, and iron ramrod, possibly original 20.5 cm. barrel Footnotes:ProvenanceSold in these Rooms, Fine Antique Arms and Armour..., 24 November 2010, lot 362For a very similar pistol, by the same maker, see Anthony D. Darling, 'Weapons of the Highland Regiments', Canadian Journal of Arms Collecting, Vol. 8, No. 3, August 1970, pp. 75-82For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Pair Of Irish 36-Bore Percussion Saw-Handled Duelling Or Target PistolsBy W. & J. Rigby, Dublin, Nos. 7108/9 For 1831With etched twist sighted barrels each signed in gothic script along the top flat, case-hardened breeches each with three platinum lines and pierced platinum plug, foliate scroll engraved case-hardened tangs and border engraved detented back-action locks, the former each with back-sight, the latter signed in gothic script on a scroll, foliate engraved hammers, highly figured half-stocks each with characteristic spur and chequered rounded butt with ovoidal pommel, steel mounts comprising border engraved reblued pommel-caps each with retaining screw centred on a flower-head, spur trigger-guards each retaining some blueing and decorated with a martial trophy on the border engraved bow, blued trigger-plates each with finial engraved with a scallop shell, vacant silver escutcheons, barrel-bolt escutcheons and fore-end caps, set triggers, original brass-mounted ramrods, one with powder-measure, the other with threaded cap over the worm, and retaining some original finish: in original lined and fitted oak case (minor damage along the rare partition) with some accessories including brass-mounted three-way powder-flask (cut-off lever replaced) with embossed body, the exterior of the lid with flush-fitting brass carrying handle on a shaped brass plate 21 cm. barrelsFootnotes:LiteratureD.H.L. Back, Great Irish Gunmakers: Messrs Rigby 1760-1898, 1992, p. 70. Recorded as 'Best saw-handled duelling pistols'This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare Bohemian 20-Bore Flintlock Break-Action Breech-Loading Sporting GunBy Joann Georg Polz A Carlsbad, Circa 1730With tapering vertically hinged sighted barrel signed along the raised part of the sighting flat, breech engraved with foliage surmounted by an armoured figure holding a lance against a stand of martial arms, all within a wrigglework border, and fitted with a reloadable iron cartridge equipped with a faceted pan, foliate engraved steel and chiselled steel-spring, all on a border engraved plate decorated with foliage, bright border engraved tang and tang-plates, the former decorated with a demi-figure grasping foliage, the latter each with foliage terminating in a marine-monster, bevelled cock chiselled and engraved en suite and including flush-fitting retaining screw, back-action flat lock with rounded border and engraved with a wildfowling scene in a landscape, moulded highly figured rootwood full stock and butt (the former replaced), the latter with raised apron around the barrel tang, iron mounts comprising side-plate pierced and chiselled as a marine-monster with foliate tail, butt-plate decorated with a figure en suite with the breech and with chiselled foliate finial, trigger-guard incorporating the sprung barrel-release catch and decorated with a moustachioed grotesque mask on the border engraved bow, scrolled trigger, later baluster ramrod-pipes, and later iron-tipped ramrod 99.7 cm. barrel Footnotes:Johann Georg Poltz is recorded in Carlsbad in around 1729For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Very Rare Brace Of 25-Bore Flintlock Brass-Barrelled Service Pistols Designed For Philip D'Auvergne, Prince Of BouillonBy Henry Nock, Circa 1796Similar to the last, each stamped 'Nock' beneath 'Tower' across the tail of the lock, figured full stocks (minor splits and some repairs) each stamped with inspector's mark and dated Board of Ordnance ownership mark behind the tail of the lock, and later brass-tipped ramrods, Tower private proof marks (2)17.8 cm. barrels Footnotes:ProvenanceChristie's South Kensington, Antique Arms, Armour And Collectors Firearms, 26 September 2012, lot 107This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare 54-Bore Percussion Beaumont-Adams Patent Double-Action Five-Shot Revolver With War Department Mark Signed London Armoury, No. B. 5754 And 21, 308.R, Circa 1856-58With octagonal sighted barrel signed along the top-strap, case-hardened serial numbered cylinder and blued border engraved frame, the latter stamped with War Department broad arrow mark on one side, safety-catch, arbor-pin with threaded catch, Kerr-type rammer, trigger-guard and ovoidal butt-cap, chequered figured rounded butt pierced with a hole for a lanyard, and retaining some original finish (areas of old rust patination), London proof marks 14.5 cm. barrelFootnotes:For more information see W. H. J. Chamberlain & A.W.F. Taylerson, Adams' Revolvers, 1976, pp. 81-89For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Very Rare 80-Bore Flintlock Four-Shot Volley PistolBy William Smith, Princes St., London, Circa 1818With four rounded barrels formed in one piece and firing two volleys, single bead fore-eight, the upper barrels signed respectively 'William Smith' and 'Princes St., London' within garlands, and each engraved with a broad band of foliage at the rear, broad tang engraved with a design of symmetrical foliage within a border of repeated leaves, plain locks each with foliate engraved ring-neck cock, rainproof pan and safety-catch engaging with the steel, the latter each with roller on a ramp on the external spring, border engraved trigger-guard decorated with foliage, chequered figured rounded butt with vacant silver escutcheon, and steel ramrod retained by a spring ramrod-pipe (light rust patination), Birmingham proof marks 10.2 cm. barrels Footnotes:William Smith was at 59 Princes Street, Leicester Square, London between 1817 and 1820. He was appointed Gunmaker-in-Ordinary to the Prince Regent in 1817, and to George IV in 1820This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare Cased Pair Of 17-Bore Percussion Officer's PistolsBy Purdey, London, No. 57, Circa 1840With browned twist sighted barrels each signed along the sighting flat, one barrel covered in gold finely punched with meandering foliage over its upper surfaces, case-hardened breeches each with gold line and engraved foliage on the top flat, threaded screw breech plugs, border engraved case-hardened tangs, signed detented back-action locks and dolphin hammers all decorated with scrolling foliage, engraved safety-catches, figured full stocks each numbered '289' on the inside of the fore-stock, finely chequered rounded butts each stamped '57', blued steel mounts comprising border engraved ovoidal butt-caps each with hinged trap cover decorated with a flower-head, trigger-guards each decorated with foliate scrollwork on the border engraved bow, trigger-plates each with pineapple finial, and turned ramrod-pipes, vacant silver escutcheon and barrel-bolt escutcheons, stirrup ramrods, and most of their original finish: in original lined and fitted mahogany case (lining with old wear) with some accessories including powder-flask, the interior of the lid with maker's trade label, the exterior with flush-fitting brass carrying handle on a brass plate, London proof marks 19 cm. barrels Footnotes:LiteratureL. Patrick Unsworth, The Early Purdeys, 1996, p. 80The gold decoration carried out in India during the pistols working lifeThis lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare 120-Bore Percussion Hand-Rotated Seven-Shot Pepperbox RevolverBy Smith, London, Circa 1835With fluted barrel cluster bored from the solid, each barrel with silver bead fore-sight and engraved with a foliate band at the muzzle, at the centre of the barrels a threaded ramrod with knurled finial, border engraved tang-plate and box-lock action decorated with foliate scrollwork, the former signed on a scroll, the latter with dolphin side-hammer decorated en suite, flash-shield with knurled edge and secured by a screw, border engraved trigger-guard decorated with scrolling foliage, and chequered figured rounded butt with vacant silver escutcheon (minor areas of light pitting), London proof marks 8 cm. barrels This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare Cased Pair Of Highland 25-Bore Flintlock Gold-Inlaid All-Metal Belt PistolsBy Marshall & Sons Of Edinburgh, Circa 1820With three-stage barrels each retaining original blueing beneath and engraved with a Scottish thistle along the mid-section, foliate engraved flared octagonal muzzles, and ridged and fluted breeches, the latter each with gold-lined touch-hole, border engraved flat bevelled locks each signed on a rectangular gold-inlaid panel and decorated with foliage involving a martial trophy on the tail, engraved safety-catches, cocks (one top jaw and screw replaced) and steels, rainproof pans and rollers, blued steel three-quarter stocks inlaid with engraved gold foliage along each fore-stock and with symmetrical gold-inlaid scrollwork involving thistles, stars and dots along the underside, ram's horn butts inlaid en suite and including engraved martial trophies representing the Union on each side above silver-gilt escutcheons engraved respectively with owner's crest and initials 'DP', the border engraved horns of silver, vacant gold escutcheons (one replaced), gold acorn-shaped trigger, threaded silver-gilt prickers en suite (probably replaced), belt hooks each with cusped mount, original slender steel ramrods each with turned and pierced tip, and retaining some original blueing (one butt with loss of finish and small repair to one martial trophy): in modern lined and fitted wooden case with some accessories including brass-mounted powder-flask with fluted bag-shaped body 18.7 cm. barrels Footnotes:ProvenanceSotheby's Olympia, Antique Arms, Armour & Militaria, 26 June 2003, lot 288The owner's crest and initials are those of PettegrewMarshall & Sons are recorded as Edinburgh gunsmiths, around 1820. See Martin Kelvin, The Scottish Pistol..., 1996, p. 168This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare 25-Bore Flintlock Brass-Barrelled Service Pistol Designed For Philip D'Auvergne Prince Of BouillonBy Durs Egg, London, Circa 1796Similar to the last, Tower private proof marks 17.8 cm. barrel Footnotes:ProvenanceSold in these Rooms, Antique Arms & Armour..., 18 April 2012, lot 277This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare Cased Pair Of Scottish 28-Bore Flintlock Duelling Pistols By Haugh, Dumfries, Circa 1800With rebrowned twist octagonal sighted barrels each with inlaid silver oval on the top flat inscribed 'HAUGH DUMFRIES', the bottom flat at the breech stamped 'TA' crowned, breeches each with white-metal line and gold-lined touch-hole, sighted border engraved tangs each decorated with a scallop shell and foliage, signed flat bevelled locks (one cock and old replacement) each with stepped tail and roller bearing on a ramp on the steel-spring, the circular bridle on the inside of the lock pierced with ovals forming a flower-head, figured full stocks (old bruising) with rounded flat-sided butts, border engraved steel mounts (some rust patination) retaining traces of blueing and comprising butt-caps each decorated with a flower-head centred on the retaining screw, trigger-guards each with pineapple finial and decorated with a flower on the border engraved bow, turned ramrod-pipes, and original horn-tipped ramrods each with iron worm: in later relined and refitted brass-mounted mahogany case with some accessories including brass-mounted powder-flask retaining much of its lacquered finish, and a double-ended turnscrew with pricker, the exterior of the lid with shaped vacant brass escutcheon 25 cm. barrelsFootnotes:Haugh is recorded in Dumfries between circa 1800 and 1820This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Very Rare .551 Percussion Wilson's Patent Breech-Loading Volunteer Short RifleBy T. Wilson, Horncastle, No. A199, Dated 1861With sighted barrel retaining some blueing (some scattered pitting), signed and serial numbered at the breech, rifled with five bright spiral grooves and retained by two barrel bands, the forward one with bayonet lug on the right, calibrated folding adjustable back-sight, sliding breech-block engraved 'T. Wilson's Patent' and with hinged chequered grip acting against a spring at the rear and locked into position by a transversally sliding bolt or cottar with sprung catch and also forming a safety-stop, dated border engraved flat lock with crown on the tail, figured three-quarter stock (some bruising, split above the tail of the lock) with chequered grip and fore-stock, steel mounts including chequered spur secured by two screws, sling loops with leather sling, and original steel ramrod, Birmingham proof marks 84.3 cm. barrelFootnotes:Edwin Wilson is recorded at Horncastle, Lincolnshire between 1861 and 1868. He was granted British Patent No. 2488 of 12 October 1860 of which this is an example. See S.B. Haw, 'Thomas Wilson's BL Rifle (Patented)', Gun Review (November 1983), pp. 862-863Cf. another example sold in these Rooms, Antique Arms & Armour..., 25 November 2015, lot 254For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Very Rare Cased Pair Of Irish 32-Bore Flintlock Duelling PistolsBy Wm. & Jno. Rigby Dublin, Nos. 6281 And 6282 For 1827With heavy etched twist octagonal sighted barrels signed in gothic script along the top flat, recessed patent breeches each with three gold lines and platinum-lined touch-hole, foliate engraved tangs each with back-sight, border engraved flat locks each signed in gothic script and decorated with foliage and drums, cocks en suite, engraved safety-catches, rainproof pans and rollers, figured half-stocks (minor old bruising) with chequered flattened rounded butts, border engraved steel mounts comprising spurred ovoidal butt-caps each with retaining screw centred on a flower-head, spur trigger-guards each decorated with a martial trophy and foliage on the border engraved bow, trigger-plates each with pineapple finial, vacant silver escutcheons, barrel-bolt escutcheons and fore-end caps, and brass-tipped ramrods: in their mahogany case, possibly original, fitted and relined in green baize with some accessories including brass-mounted three-way powder-flask re-covered in red leather, the interior of the lid with reproduction maker's trade label, the exterior (slender old split) with circular flush-fitting brass carrying handle centred on a circular vacant brass escutcheon 21.3 cm. barrels Footnotes:ProvenanceSold in these Rooms, Arms, Armour, Aeronautica & Militaria, 28 May 1996, lot 334The Richard Garrett Collection of Antique Firearms & Related Items, sold in these Rooms 28 November 2018, lot 330LiteratureD.H.L. Back, Great Irish Gunmakers: Messrs. Rigby 1760-1896, 1992, p. 46. Recorded as 'Best duelling pistols with case complete' sold to Sir J. Piers for £26.5.0This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare 48-Bore Percussion Webley Patent First Model 'Longspur' Single-Action Five-Shot RevolverRetailed By F. Nobbs, Isle Of Wight, NO. 332, Circa 1853With hinged tip-down octagonal sighted barrel signed and engraved with foliage on the top flat, cylinder numbered from '1' to '5' and engraved around the forward edge, frame engraved with scrollwork and inscribed 'James Webley Patentee' within a scrolled banner on the left side, engraved hammer, foliate scroll engraved trigger-guard and butt, the latter with swivel and split-ring for suspension, back-strap engraved 'By Her Majesty's Royal Letters Patent', and chequered figured rounded grips (detachable rammer missing, some old rust patination), Birmingham proof marks 13.5 cm. barrel Footnotes:ProvenanceThe Bell Collection..., sold in these Rooms, 11 November 1998, lot 106LiteratureA.W.F. Taylerson, R.A.N. Andrews and J. Frith, The Revolver 1818-1865, pp. 251-254, pl. 22 (top)This revolver incorporates James Webley's British Patent No. 743 of 1853. For more information on Webley 'Longspur' revolvers see A.W.F. Taylerson. 'James Webley Single Action Revolvers'. J.A.A.S., Vol. II, 1956-58, pp. 145-157For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare 48-Bore Percussion Webley Patent Second Model 'Longspur' Single-Action Five-Shot RevolverNo. 363, Retailed By J. Veisey & Son, Mid-19th CenturyWith hinged tip-down octagonal sighted barrel signed with retailer's details and engraved with foliate scrollwork on the top flat at the breech, and secured by a barrel-wedge of Colt type, cylinder numbered '1' to '5', engraved around the forward edge and cut with a slot between each nipple, border engraved frame, butt, trigger-guard and hammer (spur missing), the first engraved 'James Webley Patentee' on a scroll on one side, the second with the serial number and 'By Her Majesty's Royal Letters Patent' along the back, and with fixed lanyard ring, hinged foliate scroll engraved rammer secured by a spring catch, and chequered figured rounded grips (some wear and scattered pitting), Birmingham proof marks 17.5 cm. barrel Footnotes:See footnote to preceding lotVeisey & Son are recorded at 105 Moor Street, Birmingham in 1868For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Very Rare 54-Bore Flintlock Rifled Breech-Loading Repeating Magazine Pistol On The Lorenzoni PrincipleBy Grice, London, Indistinct Birmingham Silver Hallmarks, Maker's Mark Of William Grice, Circa 1780With three-stage cannon barrel turned at the muzzle and rifled with eight spiral grooves, octagonal breech with fluted girdle, engraved 'LONDON' on a foliate scroll along the top flat and with a band of beadwork at the rear, border engraved rounded action and bevelled back-action lock, the former finely decorated with rocailles and foliage, and with a basket of flowers forward of the grooved gas-escape, the latter signed on a foliated scroll, later crude cock automatically cocked via a flat bar on the inside engaging with the circular brass breech-block and operated by the curved side-lever with button terminal, hinged priming magazine cover with spring catch and engraved with a flower (steel-spring missing), hinged border engraved magazine cover for balls on the left decorated en suite with the action and with sprung button catch, steel trigger-guard engraved with a foliate rocaille on the bow, figured swelling rounded butt profusely inlaid with fine symmetrical silver wire scrollwork and engraved silver flower-heads issuing from a basket above a silver wire oval, and involving a rocaille on each side, cast and chased silver lion and rampart butt-cap within a border of rocailles, and in fine condition 11.5 cm. barrelFootnotes:The maker is William Grice (1766-90) recorded working at 5 Sand Street, Birmingham between 1774 and 1781 following which date he was in partnership with Joseph Grice (1782-1797) at the same address. He died on 25 July 1790. It is most unusual to find a gunsmith with a registered silver mark as a small workerFor an unsigned example, Birmingham hallmarked for 1785, see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Early Firearms of Great Britain and Ireland from the Collection of Clay P. Bedford, 1971, pp. 122 and 125, no. 129. See also a related rifle formerly in the W. Keith Neal Collection and sold in these Rooms, Antique Arms and Armour, 4 April 2007, lot 371Although the breech-loading magazine system employed is usually termed the 'Lorenzoni System' after the Florentine gunmaker Michele Lorenzoni, it is not certain to which European gunmaker the credit for its invention should be given. A much quoted reference to the system in the diaries of Samuel Pepys dates back to 1662. On 3 July he refers to a 'gun to discharge seven times, the best of all devices I ever saw, and very serviceable, and not a bauble, for it is much approved of, and many made thereof'. Despite this eulogy the incidence of explosion in the powder magazines probably explains the great rarity of such firearms todayFor further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare 25-Bore Flintlock Brass-Barrelled Service Pistol Designed For Philip D'Auvergne, Prince Of BouillonBy Durs Egg, London, Circa 1796With slightly swamped barrel signed along the sighting flat at the breech, iron tang, signed border engraved rounded lock, figured full stock (fore-end with minor split on one side), regulation brass mounts including spurred rounded pommel, interrupted brass ramrod-pipe, and later brass-tipped ramrod (minor surface rust patination), London proof marks 17.7 cm. barrel Footnotes:ProvenanceSold in these Rooms, Antique Arms & Armour..., 26 November 2014, lot 314Philip d'Auvergne, Prince of Bouillon was a Captain in the Royal Navy and was stationed in the Channel Islands with responsibility for communications between the British Government and the French Royalists. Two hundred pairs were made by Durs Egg and Henry Nock at 48s. a pair. It is not known whether they were intended for the Royalists or whether they were for Bouillon's small naval force. See Howard L. Blackmore, British Military Firearms 1650-1850, 1961, p. 64; and H. Kirke, From the Gun Room to the Throne; being the life of Philip d'Auvergne, Duke of Bouillon, 1904This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare Cased Pair Of 28-Bore Flintlock Duelling PistolsBy Prosser, Charing Cross, London, No. 64, Dated 1803With rebrowned twist octagonal sighted barrels each signed in full along the top flat from the breech, silver fore-sights, border engraved case-hardened breeches each with gold line and gold-lined touch-hole, border engraved case-hardened tangs each with back-sight and decorated with a martial trophy and foliage, signed border engraved flat bevelled detented locks each decorated with a starburst behind the rainproof pan and with foliage at the stepped tail, engraved cocks and safety-catches, and rollers each on a blued spring, highly figured half-stocks each stamped '59' on the side-flat and with chequered 'Catalan'-style butt, the latter each with border engraved silver heel-plate engraved 'PROSSER' on a scroll above the date '1803', border engraved blued steel mounts comprising trigger-guards in the French taste each with pineapple finial and decorated with a musical trophy and foliage on the bow, fore-end caps also forming the rear ramrod-pipes and each engraved with a starburst, silver escutcheons engraved with owner's crest and monogram 'RGB', silver barrel-bolt escutcheons, original horn-tipped ramrods, one with iron worm, and some original finish: in original lined and fitted mahogany case with some accessories including brass-mounted three-way powder-flask covered in red leather, the interior of the lid (minor repairs) with maker's trade label (minor damage), the exterior with circular vacant brass escutcheon incorporating a flush-fitting brass carrying handle, London proof marks 23.3 cm. barrels Footnotes:John Prosser is recorded at 9 Charing Cross, London between 1796 and 1853. He was appointed Sword Cutler and Beltmaker to King George III in 1795 and to King George IV in 1827Cf. a pair of flintlock carriage pistols (no. 65) formerly in the W. Keith Neal Collection and sold in these Rooms, Antique Arms and Armour..., 22 April 2009, lot 341It is likely that Prosser serial numbered only his 'Catalan'-butted pistolsFor further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Fine And Rare Pair Of 22-Bore Flintlock Silver-Mounted Duelling PistolsBy John Twigg Of London, London Silver Hallmarks For 1763, Maker's Mark JAWith slightly swamped two-stage barrels (one with traces of original blued finish, the other reblued) each turned at the girdle and with silver spider fore-sight, the top of each octagonal breech with gold-lined maker's stamp in the Spanish manner, bright border engraved tangs decorated with foliage, flat bevelled locks each retained by two side nails and with stepped tail and first form of signature (one cock, jaw screws and one steel all expertly replaced), figured full stocks (minor old bruising) each faceted at the rear ramrod-pipe and carved in relief with a shell behind the barrel tang, rounded flat-sided butts each with characteristic flute on both sides, border engraved trigger-guards each with first pattern acorn finial and decorated with a flower-head on the bow, engraved close-set ramrod-pipes, and original horn-tipped ramrod with iron worm (the other ramrod replaced, one pistol with areas of old pitting): in modern lined and fitted wooden case with some accessories including three-way powder-flask (worn) and steel combination tool, the exterior of the lid with brass handle of Chippendale form, London proof marks 20.3 cm. barrelsFootnotes:ProvenanceW. Keith Neal CollectionChristie's London, Fine Antique Firearms from the W. Keith Neal Collection, 9 November 2000, lot 239LiteratureW. Keith Neal and D.H.L. Back, Great British Gunmakers 1740-1790, 1975 pp. 46-7, 133, pls. 95-98 (one pistol only)This is the earliest firmly datable pair of Twigg pistols recorded (the next being two pairs each hallmarked for 1768, respectively in the Royal Armouries, Leeds (inv. nos. XII. 1663/4), and the collection of the Duke of Buccleuch at Boughton House). Their distinctive flat-butted style influenced other makers of duelling pistols, especially Robert Wogdon and John MantonThis lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare 70-Bore Wheel-Lock Holster PistolEarly 17th Century, German Or NetherlandishWith slender swamped three-stage barrel (scattered surface pitting) with three applied moulded brass bands, the forward section octagonal, the breech section rounded then fluted, stepped at the rear and struck on the upper side with a mark, an 'S' within a shield, plain tang incised with old armoury number '16', large flat lock with brass pan and wheel-retaining bracket, and slotted iron pan-cover release button, fruitwood full stock (minor bruising and repairs) with hooked butt and inlaid with brass lines enclosing panels of interlaced brass wire nearly all bearing mother-of-pearl roundels engraved with ball-flowers and enriched with brass pins, and at intervals with oval and circular mother-of-pearl panels (two replaced) engraved variously with birds and scrollwork, swivelling iron safety-catch opposite the lock, later iron trigger-guard, brass fore-end band, and white staghorn butt-plate, spirally pierced single brass ramrod-pipe, and later wooden ramrod with spirally engraved brass tip 54.5 cm. barrel Footnotes:ProvenanceAnon. sale, Wallis & Wallis, Connoisseur Collectors' Auction, 3 November 2000, lot 170 (£5,400 plus premium) Fine Antique Arms and Armour from the Henk L. Visser Collection, sold in these Rooms 28 November 2007, lot 277LiteratureG. De Vries and B.J. Martens, The Visser Collection, vol.1, part 4, cat. no. 853, 2007, pp. 398-399 and dust-jacketThis lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare English Silver-Mounted Hunting HangerThird Quarter Of The 17th Century, Silver Maker's Mark Of William BadcockWith slightly curved blade (some old pitting) double-edged towards the point and stamped with bladesmith's mark, a male profile bust in an oval, on both sides of the forte, hilt comprising recurved quillons punched with scales and each with double dog-head terminal in the round, pommel formed as a bear's head, and natural staghorn grip with silver basal ferrule punched and chased with foliage 45 cm. bladeFootnotes:LiteratureLeslie Southwick, London Silver-hilted Swords..., 2001, p. 276, pl. 17 (right) and p. 38, fig. 2 for what is thought to be his marks stamped on the copper mark-plate at Goldsmiths' Hall, in use between 1682 and 1697William Badcock (?1630s-1698) was apprenticed to and made free of Ann Simmons of the Longbowstringmakers' Company in 1656. He was elected Upper Warden (effectively Master) in 1669 and between 1673 and 1685 his name appears regularly in the records of the Goldsmiths' and Cutlers' Companies. For a full account of his career see Leslie Southwick, idem, pp. 35-39For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Group Of Accessories Mostly Relating To Antique FirearmsMostly 19th CenturyComprising a rare double-ended turnscrew and nipple-wrench fitting into each other and with brass-mounted turned figured handle of tapering octagonal section, one threaded for a pricker; another, with reversible turnscrew/nipple wrench, and figured octagonal handle with rounded dark horn cap; three other nipple-wrenches; thirty-five steel bullet moulds, each for casting spherical bullets and with integral sprue-cutter, three with arm also forming a ramrod, three with arm forming a nipple-wrench, and two with barrel wrench; two steel bullet moulds for casting conical bullets; three short ramrods, one with leather-faced mallet head (chipped); and various other items including four empty tins of F. Joyce & Co. percussion caps, six various oil bottles, three modern bullet moulds including two of Colt revolver type, and a K. Steggles brass bore gauge (a lot )Footnotes:ProvenanceThe first and second item ex W. Keith Neal Collection, Christie's London, Antique Arms and Armour..., 18 July 2002, lots 61 (part) and 68This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare Cased Pair Of Irish 40-Bore Flintlock Travelling Or Overcoat PistolsBy John Rigby, Dublin, Early 19th CenturyWith browned twist octagonal sighted barrels each engraved 'DUBLIN' along the top flat and engraved with a foliate line at the rear of the breech, gold-lined touch-holes, border engraved case-hardened tang decorated with foliage, signed border engraved case-hardened flat bevelled locks each with a starburst behind the pan and a petalled design on the stepped tail, foliate engraved cocks, blued safety-catches, and rollers each on a blued spring, figured full stocks with chequered rounded butts, the latter each with hinged border engraved blued steel cover along the back decorated with foliage, secured by a spring catch and opening to reveal three cavities for balls, silver butt-caps each engraved with a flower-head centred on the retaining screw, blued steel trigger-guards each with pineapple finial and decorated with foliage on the border engraved bow, stirrup ramrods, and retaining much of their original finish: in contemporary lined and fitted mahogany case with accessories including brass-mounted powder-flask in fair condition, the cap also forming a powder-measure, the exterior of the lid (minor old split and scratches) with circular vacant brass escutcheon centred on a flush-fitting circular brass carrying handle 9.7 cm. barrelsFootnotes:See footnote to proceeding lotThis lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare 60-Bore Wheel-Lock Holster Pistol Stocked By The So-Called Master Of The CastlesCirca 1600, Almost Certainly NurembergWith shortened two-stage barrel engraved with symmetrical foliated scrollwork at the girdle and at the rear of the breech, the latter with raised moulding and struck with the Nuremberg mark on the bottom flat (Neue Støckel, p. 1656, 1603), flat lock struck with unidentified maker's mark, crossed swords between 'S' and an obscured letter, and engraved with foliated scrollwork retaining faint traces of gilding on the pointed tail, external wheel retained by a small brass bracket with scallop shell finial, sprung manually operated pan-cover with release button (replaced), and chiselled cock and spring between a baluster bridle secured by two screws, fruitwood full stock veneered in ebony incised with scrolls enclosing mother-of-pearl plaques finely pierced and engraved with hounds and hares along each side of the fore-stock, and opposite the lock with a prone hind and a winged figure firing his longarm at a bird, the underside with a mask, and with panels of scrollwork and ball-flowers on the butt, all within staghorn borders engraved with foliate scrollwork and cabling, ovoidal pommel en suite and inset at the rear with a small gilt-copper filigree plaque, sprung iron safety-lever opposite the lock within a foliate engraved staghorn panel, iron trigger-guard, later scroll engraved horn fore-end cap, and later ramrod 39.2 cm. barrelFootnotes:ProvenanceRobin WigingtonChristie's South Kensington, Antique Arms and Armour..., 9 December 1998, lot 256Thomas Del Mar Ltd In association with Sotheby's, London, Antique Arms & Militaria, 28 June 2006, lot 433 Other firearms with stocks attributed to the unidentified 'Master of the Castles' are to be found in major collections including the Bargello, Florence (nos. R/64 and M. 235); the Odescalchi Collection, Rome (nos. 11 and 12); The Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor (nos. 104 and 130-132); the Victoria and Albert Museum (no. M 1082-1910); the Hermitage, St. Petersburg (nos. 6611 6613); and the Collection of the Princes of Liechtenstein, Schloß Vaduz (no. 3822)See Claude Blair, The James A. de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor, Arms, Armour and Base-Metalwork, 1974, pp. 319-322This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare Cased Pair Of 38-Bore Flintlock Duelling Pistols By John Manton & Son, Dover Street, London, No. 6019 For 1813With rebrowned twist octagonal polygroove rifled barrels each with silver fore-sight and engraved with maker's address along the top flat, case-hardened recessed patent breeches each with platinum line, touch-hole and rectangular platinum-lined maker's stamp, border engraved tangs each finely decorated with a martial trophy and foliage, large blued back-sights, signed border engraved case-hardened flat detented locks decorated with foliage on the tail and each with blued safety-catch, engraved 'French' cock (both with old repair at the neck), rainproof pan, border engraved steel, and roller on a blued spring, lightly figured maple half-stock (one with minor old chip and slender split in the front of the lock) with chequered rounded butts, reblued steel mounts including spur trigger-guards each decorated with a martial trophy incorporating the serial number on the border engraved bow, trigger-plates each with pineapple finial, vacant silver escutcheons and barrel-bolt escutcheons, dark horn fore-end caps, and original brass-tipped ramrods (some areas of light rust patination): in original lined and fitted mahogany case with some accessories including brass-mounted three-way powder-flask retaining much of its original lacquered finish, the interior of the lid (minor moth damage) with maker's trade label for circa 1815-1820, the exterior with circular vacant brass escutcheon centred on a folding brass carrying handle 23.8 cm. barrels Footnotes:LiteratureW. Keith Neal & D.H.L. Back, The Manton Supplement, 1978, p. 58D.H.L. Back, Great British Gunmakers: The Mantons 1782-1878, 1993, pp. 41-42This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare 60-Bore Percussion Four-Barrel Box-Lock Turn-Over PistolBy J. Lang, Haymarket, Circa 1840-50With hand-rotated browned twist barrel-block of one piece with four integral ribs and engraved with a waved line around the muzzles, the top and bottom ribs each with silver fore-sight, engraved 'London' and decorated with foliage between the breeches, the latter each with pierced platinum plug, case-hardened border engraved action and dolphin hammers all decorated with scrolling foliage, the former signed on the tang, engraved safety-catches, blued trigger-guard decorated en suite with the action, chequered figured rounded butt with border engraved blued rounded butt-cap with hinged circular butt-trap cover decorated with a flower-head, vacant silver escutcheon, later steel ramrod, and some original finish, London proof marks 8.9 cm. barrels Footnotes:Joseph 1 Lang is recorded at 7 Haymarket, London between 1825 and 1852For a cased example by W. Parker and sold in these Rooms, see Antique Arms and Armour, 4 April 2007, lot 398This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare German Composite 'Maximilian' Full ArmourCirca 1520 And LaterOf bright steel with characteristic fluting between incised double line borders, the main edges mostly turned and roped, comprising close-helmet with one-piece skull rising to a roped comb between lines of small etched triangles, pierced with two pairs of small holes for lining laces at the back, around the flanged rear with a line of dome-headed lining rivets, and struck with an indistinct armourer's mark to the left of the tubular plume-holder, the latter incised with pairs of diagonal lines, neck-guard of two articulated plates en suite with the skull and with recessed roped borders etched with running foliate scrollwork against a granular ground, the bevor and prow-shaped visor pivoting at the same points on each side and both with fluting en suite with the skull, the former shaped to the chin (minor old holes) and throat, the latter matching the neck-guard and with bevelled borders, pierced with horizontal vision slits above a raised projection, and with small pierced ventilation holes, on either side at the front with a line of further ventilation holes between keyhole piercings, replacement lifting-peg, and two sprung button-catches on the right, gorget of four plates front and back, hinged together on the left and secured together by pin-catches on the right, breast-plate (minor internal patch at the neck-turn, rivetted repair along the left armhole gusset, small repair on the right) with hinged curved lance-rest, later fauld of four plates and tassets of four plates each, back-plate en suite (rivetted internal repairs) with culet of four plates, full arm and leg harness incorporating earlier elements, the former comprising pauldrons each of six plates, the upper plates extending over the front and back, and three plates over the upper arms linked by a turning joint to the upper cannon of the vambrace, couters each with heart-shaped haute-piece, and tubular lower cannons each hinged together and secured by a pin-catch, the latter comprising cuisses each with heart-shaped poleyns, detachable greaves each hinged on one side and with pin-catches on the other, and articulated 'bear-paw' sabatons each with central roped ridge down the front and slotted at the rear for spurs, and mitten gauntlets: on a wooden stand mounted on a wooden plinth, the latter carved in relief on the front and sides with a differing trophy of armsFootnotes:ProvenanceBy repute the W.R. Hearst Collection, USAJoe Kindig Jr., York, Pennsylvania, USASee Dr. A Lewis Katzowitz, 'Thoughts on Joe Kindig, Jr.', American Society of Arms Collectors, Bulletin (Spring 1977), pp. 3-8This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A Rare 54-Bore Percussion Harvey's Patent 1854 Second Model Self-Cocking 'Hammerless' Six-Shot RevolverNo. 4032, Mid-19th CenturyWith octagonal sighted rifled barrel stamped with the serial number and engraved 'Harvey's Patent Breech Loading Revolving Pistol' along the top flat, serial numbered cylinder numbered from '1' to '6' and engraved around the forward edge, foliate scroll engraved action with enclosed hammer and safety-stud on the left side, detachable combination tool and rammer, scroll engraved trigger-guard and hinged butt-trap cover, vacant silver escutcheon, and chequered rounded butt (old pitting), Birmingham proof marks 13.5 cm. barrel Footnotes:This revolver incorporates Harvey's British Patent No. 2602 of 1834. For more information see A.W.F. Taylerson, R.A.N. Andrews and J. Frith, The Revolver, 1818-1865, 1968 p. 305, pl. 34 (lower)For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
![A rare silver wine label for 'Sherry'. Chester 1832. By George Lowe. [Jacksons page 401]. Approx. 11 grams. Est. £150 - £200.](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/05e469f3-e34a-432e-a6a2-adc200c382a2/2bd4f49c-d53c-4ad2-b5ed-ade500b66d0f/468x382.jpg)
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