Thomas Shaw-Owens
Associate Specialist
Lot 121*
A Fine And Rare Cased Pair Of 38-Bore Percussion Duelling Or Target Pistols By Forsyth & Co., Patent, London, No.s 4200 And 4201, Circa 1838
24 June – 8 July 2025, 12:00 BST
Online, London, KnightsbridgeSold for £5,120 inc. premium
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A Fine And Rare Cased Pair Of 38-Bore Percussion Duelling Or Target Pistols
By Forsyth & Co., Patent, London, No.s 4200 And 4201, Circa 1838
By Forsyth & Co., Patent, London, No.s 4200 And 4201, Circa 1838
With heavy browned twist slightly swamped octagonal sighted barrels (light rust patination) each signed in capitals along the top flat and with bright bore, border engraved case-hardened breeches each with two platinum lines and pierced platinum plug engraved with a flower-head, border engraved case-hardened breech-plates and tangs decorated with foliate scrollwork, border engraved case-hardened serial numbered detented back-action locks each signed in capitals, decorated with foliate scrollwork and with blued safety-catch, hammers en suite with the locks, figured rounded butts (some old bruising) each with chequered grip, the latter with silver oval engraved with a starburst, blued trigger-guards each decorated with foliate scrollwork on the border engraved bow, blued serial numbered trigger-plates, blued set triggers, vacant silver escutcheons, and retaining much of their original finish: in original lined and fitted mahogany case (keyhole escutcheon missing) with accessories including Sykes patent brass-mounted powder-flask with cylindrical body, steel bullet mould, nipple-key and turnscrew, patch-cutter, blued oil bottle and ramrods, the interior of the lid with maker's trade label (minor damage) of sixth design for 1828-38, the exterior with circular vacant brass escutcheon centred on a flush-fitting circular brass carrying handle, London proof marks
21.3 cm. barrels
21.3 cm. barrels
Footnotes
Provenance
Clay P. Bedford Collection, 873
Anthony Chappell Collection
Exhibited
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1971, cat. no. 181
Literature
W. Keith Neal & D.H.L. Back, Forsyth & Co.: Patent Gunmakers, 1969, p.76
Clay P. Bedford and Stephen V. Granscay, Early Firearms of Great Britain and Ireland from the Collection of Clay P. Bedford, exhibition catalogue, The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, New York, 1971, pp. 162-163, no. 181 (one pistol illustrated)
D.H.L. Back, Great British Gunmakers, Forsyth & Co: Patent Gunmakers 1806-1852, 1995, p. 54
