Rare Allen and Wheelock Single Shot pistol circa 1860.

This is a very rare example of an early Allen & Wheelock Centre Hammer Pistol made at the beginning of the Civil War. This pistol is unusually in very nice condition, retaining some traces of its finish and significant varnish on the grips. According to the Flayderman Guide on antique American firearms, there were only 500 to 1,000 units during the early 1860s. The calibre is obsolete .32 Rimfire which had just been introduced for the Smith and Wesson No. 2 Army Revolver in 1861...making this one of the very first cartridge pistols you could buy in the early 1860's. This particular example has the automatic shell ejector which works perfectly. Allen & Wheelock were prolific designers and manufacturers of firearms and in respect to this particular model H H Thomas wrote on page 76 in his standard work “The story of Allen and Wheelock Firearms” published in 1965 that “The pistols mentioned at the top of this chapter (Centre Hammer Single Shot rimfire pistols) are indeed a scarce item. You will attend many collectors meetings without seeing a single specimen”.
The pistol is loaded and unloaded by drawing back the hammer and swinging the breech to the right and a clever device attached to the frame is actuated which allows the ejector to move in and out in a slot. There are several variants of this pistol; all are scarce if not rare.

Code: 50385