A superb example of a London Armoury Company, .44 caliber Kerr's Patent Revolver.  The gun is sharp and crisp with 60-70% of the original factory blue blending with a nice, light patina.  The grips have sharp checkering with original finish, no chips and only minor handling marks.  The gun has a minimum of dents and dings with a little light frost on the cylinder from rust.  The action is crisp and it has matching serial numbers.  A very nice fine to excellent condition, JS & Anchor marked, Confederate Revolver.  Click on image for additional views.  SOLD!!

This is a very nice American Flask Company flask, which probably dates to the 1850's or so.  It is beautifully embossed with a central deer motif and foliate surround.  The top of the flask is marked "AM FLASK & CAP CO." which is the American Flask Company's mark.  They were about the best manufacturer of flasks, during the percussion period, in this country.  You will note that this flask still has its original green tasseled carrying strap, not something you don't often find with an old flask.  Click on image for additional views.  SOLD!!

This old Kerr Revolver is right out of the attic.  It has not been cleaned nor messed with.  It has a heavy smooth brown patina with good markings.  The right frame is marked KERR'S PATENT 6887.  The lockplate is marked LONDON ARMOURY CO.  The left barrel flat is marked LAC with London proofs and the left frame bears the London Armoury mark.  It has a very good JS & Anchor mark in the grips.  Overall, the gun is a solid, brown, uncleaned Kerr, which still has one chamber loaded.  It is however, missing the hammer and a screw and a spring.  Now, I have sold enough old junk Kerr revolvers to know that somebody out there has the hammer.  If you've still got the hammer, here's the gun.  Click on image for additional views.   SOLD!!

This little gun looks to be in about .41 caliber, with a barrel length of three inches and an overall length of 6 1/2 inches.  Lightly cleaned, it has a nice look and is complete and smooth.  The action is crisp and there is no burnout in the stock behind the bolster.  The checkering is sharp and the wood has a minimum of dents and dings.  It is a nice looking little gun with engraved trigger guard, lock, hammer, breech, etc.  It is an American made Deringer and strikes me as having the characteristics of an R. P. Bruff, just unmarked.  Click on image for additional views.  SOLD!!

Where were these when I needed them over the years?  They are absolutely authentic, brand new original Colt production percussion hammers for 2nd & 3rd Model Dragoons.  They have all their original case colors and have never been mounted on a gun.  Now you may think I have lost my mind, but hold on and I'll explain.  These are original parts hammers manufactured by Colt.  For all the guns made under contract for the U.S. Government, Dragoons, Navies, Armies, etc., Colt provided crates of replacement parts as a part of the contract.  For Navies, Armies and Dragoons, every thousand guns or so was accompanied, by contract, with a crate of un-numbered replacement parts for every component of the gun.  U. S. Ordnance used these parts to maintain the shootability of these guns.  After the Civil War, most of these parts wound up at Bannerman's in New York.  A firm by the name of Stokes-Kirk bought most of these parts off Bannerman's Island and sold them into the surplus market.  As late as the 1960's, whole guns were being assembled from un-numbered parts.  The un-numbered, or two digit military Navies that were assembled are referred to today as the "Stokes-Kirk" Navy.  That is where these hammers more than likely came from.  From Colt to the U.S. Government, to Bannerman, and finally to Stokes-Kirk.  They have been in somebody's rat-hole for a very long time.  They are new and they are beautiful.   Click on image for additional views.  SOLD!!

Now this is an extremely rare Philadelphia made Flintlock Pistol which has just come out of the woods.  It has a brass, octagonal barrel in about .52 caliber, which is marked CALDERWOOD, PHILA.  The lock is clearly marked Calderwood and is original flint.  There is a roller on the frizzen and the hammer is an early gooseneck profile.  The trigger guard and ferrule are iron.  The inlays on the bottom and back of the grip are sterling silver.  You will note that there are two sterling silver inlays on either side of the grip.  These are normally added to the guns to stabilize a crack in the stock.  On this one however, I cannot find the crack.  Two inches of the fore stock have been lost, along with the forward barrel key and its mount.  There is a grain crack underneath the lock, which runs out at the tail.  Even so, the gun has a nice appearance.  I date the gun to about the War of 1812 period.  William Calderwood was located on the Germantown Road in Philadelphia, from 1807 to 1820.  In 1808 he made a contract of 60 pairs of horse pistols for the U. S. Government.  The books I have indicate that there are only three examples of this U. S. Contract in existence today.  This is not a contract gun but more likely an officer's pistol.  Calderwood's guns are extremely rare and this is a nice example with beautiful markings.  Click on image for additional views.   SOLD!!

This is an authentic .44 caliber Dance Revolver, manufactured in Columbia, Texas, probably in early 1862.  Typical of most Dances, it is well used, with some pits, some dings, metal flaws and even a splice to repair a bad casting on the backstrap.  Even so, the gun has a nice appearance and is tight.  The action works well with a little hit and miss, due to wear.  The bore has some pitting, but the rifling is still distinct and is the typical seven groove, right hand twist, non-progressive rifling used by Dance.  There are a number of characteristics about this gun which lead me to believe it is very early production, maybe within the first ten revolvers made.  First, the gun has no serial numbers and no cryptic marks.  Without doubt authentic, yet devoid of any markings whatsoever.  Gary Wiggins mentions, in his book on Dance Revolvers, that a few have turned up in the surveys which are unmarked.  Second, there is no bearing wheel at the base of the hammer.  The mainspring holds tension directly on the back of the hammer.  Mr. Wiggins indicates that most, but not all Dances have this feature.  Third, there is no capping groove in the frame, to the right of the hammer.  Again he indicates that most but not all Dances have this feature.  There are casting flaws in the trigger guard and the backstrap.  There is an inlay of brass in the backstrap, which looks like an attempt to salvage a bad casting.  These guns are primitive by nature.  This one is about the most primitive one I have ever seen.  That is why I think it is possibly a very early production gun.  Click on image for additional views.  SOLD!!

An interesting, silver mounted Kentucky Pistol with an eight inch .50 caliber barrel and an overall length of 12 1/2 inches.  This gun is made up using a London marked English barrel and perhaps some other components.  However, the wood is tiger striped maple.  No doubt somebody's busted up old English pistol got recycled for the American frontier.  The gun is solid and sound.  The underside of the barrel is stamped H. C. Lamb & Co., Jamestown, N. C.  This mark is on the bottom where it cannot be seen.  That throws me for a loop.  Click on image for additional views.  SOLD!!

A pleasant, all matching, Hartford Navy manufactured in 1860.  The gun has a pleasant patina, good markings with cylinder scene that is worn but visible all the way around the cylinder.  The Hartford address Navies from the 1860 production period were closely associated with the South during the Civil War.  Almost all the Southern states were buying them in 1860 as they armed up, preparing to go to war.  The State of Alabama bought quite a few '51 Navies in 1860 and a number of them have turned up in the 94,000 range.  I have no way of knowing if this specific gun is a part of that purchase or not, but it is certainly closely associated by serial number to many guns which were sold in the South.  Click on image for additional views.  SOLD!!

This 6 1/2 inch barrel 1862 Police is absolutely gorgeous.  It has traces of finish in the flutes of the cylinder, underneath the lever, etc. with the rest of the gun turned the most pleasant, smooth, shiny brown you can imagine.  It has all matching serial numbers except the unnumbered barrel wedge, which seems correct.  The barrel address, frame marking and patent date on the cylinder are all sharp and crisp.  The grips retain 98% of the original varnish with a small toe chip to the left side and a small sliver at the heel on the right side.  A significant amount of silver plating is still retained on the trigger guard and backstrap in the hidden areas.    The action is crisp and the safety pins on the back of the cylinder are still visible.  The serial number of this gun is 3518.  Even though today, we refer to these as Model 1862 New Model Police, this gun was actually manufactured in early 1861.  The backstrap is jeweler engraved, E. L. Pierce from H. L. P. Hampton, Va. July 4 1861.  It is accompanied by a very thoroughly researched portfolio of documentation, assembled by researcher Vonnie S. Zullo of The Horse Soldier Research Service.  Edward L. Pierce was born in Massachusetts and educated in the academies at Bridgewater and Easton and Brown University.  He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1852.  He was a very close associate of Charles Sumner, one of the leading Republican politicians in the nation.  Sumner was a Massachusetts man and one of the strong underpinnings in national politics that supported Abraham Lincoln.  If I remember correctly Sumner was eventually governor of Massachusetts and one of the leading proponents for the abolition of slavery.  Edward L. Pierce enlisted for three months in the 3rd Massachusetts Regiment at the beginning of the Civil War.  In July of 1861, he participated in the destruction of the Norfolk Naval Yard.  In the same month, he seems to be a United States Treasury agent, who was placed in charge of General Butler's contraband at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia.  It seems that this event prompted his brother, Henry L. Pierce to present him with this revolver.  Henry was also a strong abolitionist, served two terms as a member of Congress and as mayor of Boston.  All in all, both Edward and his brother Henry were stand up Yankees.  They are both listed in Who's Who in America and both played a significant role in the direction of this country's history.  Click on image for additional views.  SOLD!!

A gorgeous little Henry Deringer "Peanut", agent marked N. CURRY & BRo, SAN FRANCISCO, CALa. which has one single pit that happens to be in the edge of the agent marking.  The .41 caliber barrel measures approximately 2 1/8 inches and the gun overall is just under 5 inches.  It is untouched and very handsome.  The lock and breech are sharply marked Deringer, Philadela with the "P" proof in Sunburst.  The barrel is marked N. CURRY & BRo, SAN FRANCISCO, CALa, AGENTS.  Even though there is a small pit distorting the word Curry, it is fully legible.  The trigger guard, barrel key escutcheons, lock screw escutcheon and shield at the rear of the tang are all of Sterling/Coin silver. The breech has two silver bands, which have oxidized black.  That means they too are of silver, not German silver.  The gun has a deluxe butt insert with cap holder.  The stock retains most of the original varnish.   A really handsome little gun which is really set off by the silver mountings.  Click on image for additional views.  SOLD!!

A superb little Deringer with a 3 1/8 inch barrel and overall length of 6 1/4 inches, in about .41 caliber.  This gun is unmarked but not of European origin.  I don't think there is any doubt but that it is the product of George Gillespie of New York.  Page 104 in The Deringer in America by Eberhart presents a number of Gillespie Deringers.  The mountings on a Gillespie Deringer are very similar to an R. P. Bruff, but Gillespie does not checker the inside curve of the grip on most of his guns and there is a slightly different contour in the stock at the muzzle.  At any rate, it is certainly an American product made in New York.  It is German silver mounted with a considerable amount of original finish in the wood and the metal lightly patinaed. The stock checkering is sharp and crisp.   A fine condition gun with no fiddling around.  Click on image for additional views.  SOLD!!

Now this is a rare gun.  It is a Lancaster's Patent, oval bore, small caliber, long range rifle.  This gun is a contemporary of the famous Whitworth Rifle, probably built between 1859 and 1862.  It was a close competitor to the Whitworth in long range accuracy at the British military trials.  It has a 36 inch barrel, two bands, checkered wrist and original brass tip cleaning rod.  It has a long range rear sight, a rail for mounting the front sight and at one time was mounted with a tangent rear sight.  Overall the gun is very pleasant.  The wood is smooth with minor dings and abrasions, the checkering is sharp and there are no repairs or refinishing.  The lock is marked Lancaster and the barrel is marked Lancaster's Patent.  The metal surfaces have a smooth brown patination with a little freckling on the barrel.  The bore is absolutely mint, brand new and gorgeous.  The bottom of the barrel has .50 bore Birmingham proofs, yet it surely looks as though it would have fired a .451 cylindrical hollow based bullet.  I suspect this is due to the oval nature of the bore.  There are two dimensions, one large and one small.  The bore is not round and is not rifled, it is an oval (ovoid), which spirals to the end of the barrel, thus imparting rotation to the bullet.  A tricky piece of work, to say the least.  I do not know what the original front sight would have looked like, but I rummaged around in my junk box and found a modern sight, which will slide on the rail and lock down (see in detail photo).  I'm sure it is not correct but it is better than nothing and I will throw it in.  Click on image for additional views.    SOLD!!

These two .36 caliber Colt's Patent Bullet Molds are for 51 Navies or perhaps the Pocket Models, like the 62 Police.  They are authentic, showing wear & tear.  One has been cleaned, the other has not.  Both have the Colt's Patent mark on the sprue cutter.  Click on image for additional views.   SOLD!!

How many factory deluxe engraved, Sharps Sporting Rifles have you seen with gold banding?  This gun is deluxe engraved, with full coverage, probably by Gustave Young of Hartford, Connecticut.  It has a heavy, deluxe barrel, which is 24 7/8 inches in length and is in .52 caliber.  The wood is deluxe grade, with deluxe checkering.  The butt is a shotgun butt with a beavertail cheek piece, made from flame grain wood.  As you will notice from the photography, the engraving coverage is about the most Sharps ever put on a gun.  There is a single gold band at the rear of the barrel and two gold bands at the muzzle.  It has double set triggers and is big bore.  I am pretty sure this gun was made for the Sharps Rifle Company's participation in the 1856 Paris Exposition.  It probably was brought back as inventory and sold to someone.  The gun was not put up, it was used.  While it is in very good condition, I swear, I believe someone took it off to war.  Some of the gold has popped off the forward band, which could easily be replaced.   It is solid and honest with a little rust damage here and there, matching serial numbers and overall, this is one sexy gun.  In my experience, gold banding and a custom shotgun butt are virtually unknown on an early Sharps Sporting Rifle.  But the size of the barrel, the overall length, coupled with the appearance of the shotgun butt, give this gun unique dimensions which are very attractive.  Click on image for additional views.  SOLD!!