HENRY MAUGER SIGNED FLINTLOCK KENTUCKY PISTOL, ONLY KNOWN EXAMPLE, SAM DYKE COLLECTION.

Inv. 01-19978

Cal. 38.
NSN.

14″ overall, 8 3/8″ oct. to rnd heavy brass bbl signed in script “H*MAUGER” w/ silver blade on heart shaped front sight. Frank Klay, who sold this pistol in 1964, describes quite accurately: This Revolutionary [War] pistol is signed, “H. Mauger”. Unusually heavy & only .39 caliber smoothbore. The lock is orig. flint w/ no restoration of any kind. There is a double line engraved border on the brass mountings & the trigger guard has the seldom seen sheet brass construction. This type of construction [nailed & pinned, no screws] is most often seen on silver guards & is absolutely orig to this pistol. The lock is very good quality marked “T. KETLAND & CO”. Especially nice is the stock work in this piece. It has seen very little wear showing much of the orig varnish over a reddish-orange colored curly maple.

Henry Mauger is from Douglass Township in Berks County. A research paper has been written by Mr. Dyke titled “HENRY MAUGER—GUNSMITH OF DOUGLASS TOWNSHIP, 1750-1826” a copy of which accompanies this pistol. The signature on the brass barrel matches a signed mauger Kentucky rifle also in the Dyke collection. This pistol has an extremely rugged appearance & has early characteristics such as, large heavy buttplate & flared butt, curled trigger, & octagonal to rnd bbl w/ the added nicety of a silver “pinched” sight found only on the best Kentucky pistols.

STATUS: ANTIQUE