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May 6, 7, 8 & 9, 2022
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SUPERB HIGH ORIGINAL CONDITION PAIR OF LARGE BORE FLINTLOCK CAVALRY PISTOLS WITH BELTHOOKS IN ORIGINAL CASE BY WILLIAM PALMER OF ROCHESTER, KENT.
01-20582
Cal. .660
This interesting pair of pistols by this noted provincial English maker have been made with unusual spur at top of grip allowing them to be fired with one’s middle finger, most likely made for a person with a damaged or missing trigger finger.
7″ Tapered octagon twist bbls. fitted w/ central fire inset patent breeches are stamped w/ silver poincons on top marked “PALMER” “ROCHESTER” (William Palmer working at 53 High St. Rochester, Kent 1810-26). Bbls. are fitted w/ brass barley corn front sights & steel bridled ramrods. Patent breeches are fitted w/ platinum lined touch holes & bands of geometric engraving are across rear of bbl., breeches & scroll engraved breech irons. Case hardened flint locks w/ flat plates are fitted w/ high breasted serpentine cocks, full water proof pans, & bridled frizzens w/ rollers on feathersprings. Lockplates, cocks & frizzens have feather border engraving. Face of cock is floral engraved. Lockplates are engraved w/ stands of arms in front of cocks and w/ drums & flags at rears above “PALMER”. Case hardened trigger plates have stylized pineapple finials, blued trigger guards have cornucopia & floral engraving on bows. Stocks of dense root walnut have checkered bag grips w/ extreme curve. As mentioned before, tops of grips have well shaped spurs to allow use of middle finger in firing while controlling pistols with one’s thumb and 1st knuckle. Case hardened 5″ steel belt hooks are affixed to left sides & have pineapple finials. Stocks extend to within 1″ of muzzles, have horn tips, and attach to bbls. w/ single side bolts without escutcheons. Vacant rectangular crestplates w/ cut corners are at tops of grips.
1 pistol illustrated on p.48 & pair described on p.49 of “Early Firearms of Great Britain and Ireland, Catalog of the Clay P. Bedford Exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1971”. Consignor states pistols are in the book “Palmer of Rochester”.
STATUS: ANTIQUE
