3449 VERY FINE CASED PAIR OF PERCUSSION TARGET PISTOLS

Category Firearms & Military
Auction Currency USD
Start Price 9,000.00 USD
Estimated at 18,000.00 - 24,000.00 USD
BY A. JANSEN OF BRUSSELS. Cal. 50 multi groove rifling. NSN. Adolfe Jansen was working between 1843-47 and had 4 patents for pistols, targets and bullets. These finely crafted pistols have 10 3/8" octagon bbls. of etched best Damascus. Top three flats are engraved "JANSEN ARQEBUSRER" "A BRUXELLES" "BREVETE DU ROI" on silver rectangles surrounded by gold inlaid line, dot and scroll borders. Gold bands are also at breech ends and guns are numbered "1" and "2" inlaid in gold on breech plugs and breech irons. These parts are also engraved with high quality open scroll. Breech irons are fitted with integral V-notch rear sights. Front sights are steel beads on turned transverse bars. Percussion island locks with deeply rebated tails & paneled serpentine hammers are engraved with more open scroll. Maker's name and address are on silver device surrounded by more gold wire inlay in front of hammers. Stocks of ebony have long fluted grips with steel caps. Stocks are also fitted with set triggers in simple trigger plates and trigger guards with finger spurs. Stocks are embelished with inlet silver wire in scrolling patterns as well as relief carved scrolling acanthus at tips. UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: guns are housed in their original Brazilian walnut veneered case with brass corners and crestplate on top engraved "AT". Case is lined in purple velvet. Pistols and mostly original array of accessories are in French fitted bottom compartment. Accessories include steel ballmold with sprewcutter on tip, fancy embossed copperbodied powder flask depicting scrolling leaves and goats, steel bullet pouring ladle and its ebony handle, ebony loading mallet, steel wadpunch, ebony cleaning rod with white bone tip, ebony loading rod with brass head, steel adj. powder measure, brass and pewter oil bottle and ebony handled nipple wrench. A covered compartment with white bone handle contains key. Case comes with green cloth storage bag. CONDITION: very fine. Bbls. retain essentially all of their attractive gray etched Damascus finish with a few minor spots. Breech plugs, locks and grip caps retain nearly all of their French gray finish. Trigger guards show some light cleaning on finials and staining on grips. Stocks are also excellent with few noted marks in their smooth light oil finish. Raised carving remains crisp. Silver wire inlay shows some minor losses and lifting wires. Bores are bright and shiny with sharp rifling throughout. Mechanically fine. Exterior of case retains about 90% of its original French polish with later overall cleaning and smoothing over some scattered light marks and a few deeper. There are a few minor shrinkage cracks noted on top. Brass is nicely toned. Interior cloth is very good to fine with rubs, compressions and light soiling. It appears that a label has been removed from lid. Bottom compartment is also very fine with some browning of velvet. Accessories are good with some darkening of finish on steel. Nipple wrench appears to be a newer replacement of lesser quality. (01-21610). ANTIQUE. $18,000-24,000.