3382

SUPERB PAIR OF FANCY DECORATED WESTLEY RICHARDS

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:2,500.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 10,000.00 USD
SUPERB PAIR OF FANCY DECORATED WESTLEY RICHARDS

SCREW BARREL FLINTLOCK FOLDING TRIGGER MUFF PISTOLS IN VERY HIGH ORIGINAL CONDITION. Cal. 36. NSN. Westley Richards who started his gunmaking business in Birmingham in 1812, had origins in the jewelry trade and this fine pair of pistols harkens back to that lineage. They have 1 1/4" bright blued turn off smooth bore barrels engraved with feather decoration around muzzles. Round bodied boxlock type flint actions have reinforced cocks, with sliding safetics that lock both cocks & frizzen in position at half cock. Frizzens have external springs. Bringing pistols to full cock allows triggers to extend. Pistols have bag grips with silver caps, and are highly decorated. Actions are engraved with large shaded scrolls which terminate in sea monsters on right sides. Front portions of actions under pans are engraved "WESTLEY RICHARDS", on left sides & "LONDON" on right sides (Westley Richards opened his new Bond Street showroom in 1815). Stocks are of dense European walnut and have extremely well done silver inlay consisting of fine tendrils of scroll accented by floral and foliate motifs along with acorns and wheat ears on left sides, right sides present a grape and grape leaf theme. Vacant crest plates are on tops of grips. CONDITION: exceptionally fine, barrels retaining 80-90% of their beautiful peacock temper blue. Actions appear to be originally polished bright and remain so. They have the look of being silver plated but no darkening is noted. Frizzen springs, top jaws, & screws along with safetics & triggers retain most of their original temper blue. Stocks are also excellent, silver inlay retains nearly all original details and shows some light tarnish. Bores are very fine, frizzens show few flint strikes, pistols are mechanically fine. (01-21991/MGM). ANTIQUE. $5,000-10,000.