Sold Gallery
These pages display a number of the rare items that I have had the pleasure of selling. To view more details and a larger photograph please click on the thumbnail picture.
Exceptional cased London Made Navy Revolver.
This is an excellent cased Colt Navy London Revolver in 36 calibre manufactured in the London factory and stamped as such with British proofs. Manufactured in 1856 this revolver was manufactured at the height of the quality of production at Colt's London factory. At this level the set would be difficult to better and in fact is better than the superb cased set I recently sold. Particularly in the USA, Colt collectors collect by quality and extant of finish and this cased set is excellent value, the next level of condition would cost at least twice the price offered. The gun has a crisp action with a bright bore and much original finish. There is an excellent cylinder scene and much original colour with case hardening on the side of the frame and the rammer. The set is in the correct British case and contains the correct accessories including a Dixon Colt Navy stamped powder flask. There is much original varnish on the grips and a very good loading label remains in the lid. The quality of the accessories is commensurate with the quality of the revolver and this is an exceptional set that has not been "improved". This is a handsome revolver with much eye appeal enhanced by correct accessories and all matching serial numbers. Colt believed that his London factory was the most important expansion of his business because of the potential sales throughout the British Empire and it is said that the examples made in the London factory were superior to those made in the USA factories. To research Colt London revolvers read Rosas seminal work "Colonel Colt of London". Superior finish on Colt London revolvers included domed head screws, better cross hatching on the hammer and enhanced London "black" finish. It is little known or advertised that Colt's British aspirations were destroyed when he was caught smuggling Colt Navy revolvers to Britain's enemy - Russia at the height of the Crimean War and became persona non grata to the British Government. Colt closed his London factory never to manufacture in the United Kingdom again. The "official" history is that the British government preferred the Beaumont Adams double action revolver in preference to Colt. Colt cased London revolvers are scarce and becoming difficult to locate at this level of quality. For further information see the lead article on London Colts in a recent Classic Arms Magazine.
Rare Tranter
This is a Tranter Eureka Tranter patent side opening rook rifle in 297/250 obsolete calibre. The rifle was regarded by Stewart in his seminal work on Tranter as being rare with a very low production and very few being noted. The condition of this rifle is very good, possible old refinish but "back in the day", no major flaws, excellent walnut stock and fire blue nitre finish still evident on the opening lever and the trigger. The flip up leaf rear sight calibrated to 100 yards is extant which is nice because this was a vulnerable part and is often missing on rifles. No wear on the nickel but the blacking has some rubbing wear where the rifle was held in the left hand on the barrel in the absence of a forend. The bore on the rifle is very good, no pitting and the mechanics are good. I no longer use the adjective crisp as everyone else seems to now use this as a superlative so lets just say it works as well as the day it was made. Given the overall condition of the plating and woodwork I would say that if I owned this rifle I think I would have it professionally re-blacked to bring it back to 100% condition. This rifle is forendless as are most Tranter rook rifles and Stewart explains that the Eureka is occasionally seen like a large version of Tranter Brothers single shot pistols. The Eureka is a version of the Little Monarch but without the engraving. I have seen very few over the years and they are seen in both factory nickel and blued finishes. I have seen both round and octagonal barrels. Stewart also mentions that these were sold by the Army and Navy CSL and this rifle is stamped as such on the top of the barrel. The makers name and the calibre is also stamped on the rifle. The barrel is 26 long, overall length is 41 and the LOP is 14. There is not a lot that Stewart has to say about them in his book because he explains that there have been so very few noted. Overall an impressive looking and rare rifle that would enhance any collection I doubt if I will ever handle another one.
Lefaucheux patent M 1858 Military revolver circa
This is a good Lefaucheux style M1858 military revolver, chambered for the 12mm pin fire cartridge, based on a design by Casimir Lefaucheux. It was the first metallic-cartridge revolver adopted by a national government. It was first fielded in 1858 by the French Navy, and though never issued by the French Army, it was used in limited numbers by the French Cavalry during their 1862 deployment to Mexico. Models were also purchased by Spain, Sweden, Italy, Russia, and Norway. Along with those countries, both the U.S. Confederate and Federal forces also used them in the American Civil War. During the American Civil War both sides fielded a wide variety of revolvers, including the M1858. The Federal forces purchased over 12,000 M1858 revolvers, primarily supplying them to cavalry forces in 1862. However, these pin fire revolvers were replaced in service later in the war as more Colt and Remington revolvers became available. Among American troops, the pistol was often referred to as the "French" Tranter". This particular example is in the white and with no external markings other than Liege proof marks. The Liege proof house was recognised as having the most rigorous proof testing in Europe, far more extreme than the British proof house at the time. Mechanically this revolver is perfect with a good tight action in both single action and double action. In fact on locked cock there is absolutely no play in the revolver and I seldom encounter modern revolvers which lock with such efficiency! The loading gate which is sometimes missing is extant and has an excellent locking spring. The butt lanyard ring indicates military use and the country of origin would insinuate a Civil War weapon but this cannot be proved. Overall a pleasing representative example of the first military issued revolver to use a metallic cartridge.
Outstanding Webley Mk 2 Target Pistol
I don't normally sell air weapons but in this instance I couldn't pass this by. This is a Webley Mk 11 "new target model" in .177 calibre in the original box. The story here is that the person I acquired it from explained that it belonged to his uncle whose own Uncle had given it to him as a gift but his mother would not let him use it. Consequently the gun is in mint condition and I have never seen a better one. This model was only made between 1925 and 1930 and as a consequence is scarcer than some of the other models and in this condition rare. The box is tatty from 90 years of house moves and could do with some attention but it still has the original box of pellets in a box built into the box and it has its original instructions leaflet.The pellets are the original supplied with the gun so are oxidised and the box also contains the original waxed paper packet containing the spare seals supplied with the gun People of an age ( like me) would have owned a Webley and it is an iconic gun that was used hard by their owners. Its a privilege to be able to offer such a great gun.
Good Marlin Model 1893 rifle in obsolete calibre.
The Marlin 1893 underlever rifle was the first Marlin that was manufactured in excess of 50,000 units, in fact a million rifles were made until the design was superceded in 1935 by the model 1894 which had a shorter action to allow the chambering of pistol cartridges. The model 1893 was an improvement on the previous model underlever rifle as it could handle much larger cartridges. The iconic Marlin 1893 was a direct competitor to the Winchester 1894 but had the advantage of side ejection which allowed easier mounting of scopes on top of the receiver. This particular good looking rifle is in obsolete 32-40 calibre so can be owned as an object of curiosity without a license. The rifle has a good tight action, nice bore and excellent wood with no major issues. The rifle features an octagonal barrel, steel crescent butt plate and is a special factory order length for this calibre of 30” which is scarce in a “safety” (high grade steel) barrel. Usual maker’s marks and patent marks are nicely stamped and in the correct place where they should be and the rifle has toned to a nice even colour as can be seen. This rifle is set up with a Lyman tang sight and the owner told me it was set up for long distance prairie dog hunting and bench rest shooting. Overall a pleasing example and somewhat scarce with an octagonal 30” barrel. For further information on this model read the excellent Marlin Firearms History by Lt Col William S Brophy.
Good Marlin Model 1893 rifle in obsolete calibre.
The Marlin 1893 underlever rifle was the first Marlin that was manufactured in excess of 50,000 units, in fact a million rifles were made until the design was superceded in 1935 by the model 1894 which had a shorter action to allow the chambering of pistol cartridges. The model 1893 was an improvement on the previous model underlever rifle as it could handle much larger cartridges. The iconic Marlin 1893 was a direct competitor to the Winchester 1894 but had the advantage of side ejection which allowed easier mounting of scopes on top of the receiver. This particular good looking rifle is in obsolete 32-40 calibre so can be owned as an object of curiosity without a license. The rifle has a good tight action, nice bore and excellent wood with no major issues. The rifle features an octagonal barrel, steel crescent butt plate and is a special factory order length for this calibre of 30” which is scarce in a “safety” (high grade steel) barrel. Usual maker’s marks and patent marks are nicely stamped and in the correct place where they should be and the rifle has toned to a nice even colour as can be seen. This rifle is set up with a Lyman tang sight and the owner told me it was set up for long distance prairie dog hunting and bench rest shooting. Overall a pleasing example and somewhat scarce with an octagonal 30” barrel. For further information on this model read the excellent Marlin Firearms History by Lt Col William S Brophy.
Good Winchester Model 1901 10 Gauge Shotgun
This is another nice Winchester 1901 Shotgun. The gun has a pretty good bore, original finish on the receiver, and has the original steel butt plate which was often removed and replaced with a rubber pad. The rest of the finish is faded as can be seen but the woodwork is good with no problems. This is a pretty good representative gun. The model 1901 was basically a redesign on the earlier 1887 model. Both 10 and 12-gauge models were offered in the Model 1887. It was soon realized that the action on the M1887 was not strong enough to handle early smokeless powder shot shells, and so a redesign resulted in the stronger Winchester Model 1901, 10-gauge only, to handle the advent of the more powerful smokeless powder. No 12-gauge chambering was offered, as Winchester did not want the Model 1901 to compete with their successful 12-gauge Model 1897 pump-action shotgun. Other distinguishing characteristics of the Model 1901 are: a two piece lever the Winchester trademark stamp was moved to the upper tang, behind the hammer serial numbers between 64,856 and 79,455 This particular shotgun has a serial number of 66855 and can be dated to 1902 and would have been one of the first ones manufactured. A real “Cowboy” gun. This is a good 1901 I have seen and would be considered scarce in the USA but rare in the UK. I am finding these increasingly difficult to source in the USA as there are actually more registered Winchester collectors than the number of these guns that were manufactured! This shotgun is chambered for the short 10 gauge cartridge and does not require a license to own it in the UK.
Classic WInchester Model 1894 Rifle mfg 1894
The Marlin 1893 underlever rifle was the first Marlin that was manufactured in excess of 50,000 units, in fact a million rifles were made until the design was superceded in 1935 by the model 1894 which had a shorter action to allow the chambering of pistol cartridges. The model 1893 was an improvement on the previous model underlever rifle as it could handle much larger cartridges. The iconic Marlin 1893 was a direct competitor to the Winchester 1894 but had the advantage of side ejection which allowed easier mounting of scopes on top of the receiver. This particular good looking rifle is in obsolete 32-40 calibre so can be owned as an object of curiosity without a license. The rifle has a good tight action, nice bore and excellent wood with no major issues. The rifle features an octagonal barrel, steel crescent butt plate and is a special factory order length for this calibre of 30” which is scarce in a “safety” (high grade steel) barrel. Usual maker’s marks and patent marks are nicely stamped and in the correct place where they should be and the rifle has toned to a nice even colour as can be seen. This rifle is set up with a Lyman tang sight and the owner told me it was set up for long distance prairie dog hunting and bench rest shooting. Overall a pleasing example and somewhat scarce with an octagonal 30” barrel. For further information on this model read the excellent Marlin Firearms History by Lt Col William S Brophy.
Good cased Beaumont Adams 54 Bore revolver circa
This is a very nice example of a cased Beaumont Adams in 54 bore. The BeaumontAdams revolver is a muzzle-loading, double-action, percussion revolver. Originally adopted by the British Army in .442 calibre (54-bore, 11.2mm) in 1856, many were later converted to use centrefire cartridges. It was replaced in British service in 1880 by the .476 calibre (actually 11.6mm) Enfield Mk I revolver. On 20 February 1856, Lieutenant Frederick E.B. Beaumont of the Royal Engineers was granted a British patent for improvements to the Adams revolver which allowed them to be cocked and fired either cocking the hammer as in Colt single-action revolvers, or by just pulling the trigger. It was the first true double-action system. Beaumont was granted a US Patent (no. 15,032[on 3 June of the same year. At that time there was intense competition between Adams and Colt, which was rapidly expanding its sales and had opened a London factory competing with the British firearms trade, manufacturing firearms with interchangeable parts. The older 1851 and 1854 Adams revolvers were self-cocking, also known as double-action. The Adams revolver was favoured by British officers in the Crimean War and colonial conflicts due to the stopping power of its larger 54 bore (.442 cal) bullet (compared with their main competitor, the smaller .36 cal Colt Navy revolvers), and the speed of the Adams trigger-cocking action for close-quarters fighting (over the more cumbersome Colt action) In partnership with George and John Deane, the company of Deane, Adams & Deane produced the new revolver in a variety of calibres and sizes, from pocket pistols to large military versions. The United Kingdom officially adopted the 54-bore (.442 calibre) BeaumontAdams in 1856, Holland and Russia following soon after. To meet the growing demand for its weapons, Deane, Adams & Deane contracted companies in Birmingham and Liége to manufacture their weapons under licence. The new revolver gave Robert Adams a strong competitive advantage and Samuel Colt shut his London factory due to a drop in sales and in the knowledge that he had been discovered illegally shipping arms to the Russian Government at the height of the Crimean War and consequently would not be awarded British Government contracts. This particular cased revolver is in excellent mechanical condition and cocks and locks excellently in both single and double action. Unlike many of these revolvers who appear to have damaged nipples, this revolver is in great shape and evidently was not dry fired like many. The case has a full set of accessories with even wear matching the wear on the revolver which is in very good condition with a high percentage of original finish. This revolver was privately retailed by G Edwards of Plymouth whose name is engraved into the top flat. An attractive piece of British history that has been untouched and is new to the market after several decades.
Fantastic Philadelphia Derringer
When I was first offered this at a trade show in the Southern States of the USA I thought ,Hmm very nice Italian reproduction. I was then told it was original so I took it apart and to my amazement it is! This is a mint condition, museum quality Philadelphia Derringer or Palm pistol circa 1860 more than likely from comparison made by Slotter and Co of Philadelphia. This percussion pistol is .41 calibre and designed to kill or maim "close and personal" as proved by the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by a virtually identical pistol made by Henry Deringer. The pistol exudes quality, It has 18 carat gold bands on the barrel complimented with an 18 carat gold foresight. Silver pineapple filial on the trigger guard with a silver escutcheon ( clear ) on the rear grip. This is a quintessential derringer and could not be bettered. Certainly you could pay three times as much for a mediocre Henry Deringer pistol but as an example of the gun makers art in respect of miniaturisation this is a museum quality piece that cannot be bettered.