2334

RARE CASED PAIR OF DERINGER PERCUSSION PISTOLS.

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Firearms & Armory Start Price:7,500.00 USD Estimated At:15,000.00 - 20,000.00 USD
RARE CASED PAIR OF DERINGER PERCUSSION PISTOLS.
Cal. 45. Mid-size pocket pistols with 2-7/8" ovoid shaped bbls, dovetailed German silver front sights with "DERINGER / PHILADELA" markings on top of breech plugs and lockplates. Breech plugs also have the "P" proof on left top flats and have silver bands around the breech plugs. Mounted in checkered 1-pc walnut stocks with German silver furniture that is typically engraved. Top of the wrists have a small empty inlaid silver shield thumb plates. Trigger guard finials are elongated pineapple shaped and key escutcheons are bowtie shaped. They each have an orig brass tipped wood ramrod in bottom front of the stocks. Accompanied by an orig black leather-covered, purple velvet lined casing, recessed in the bottom for the two pistols, a single cavity nutcracker ball bullet mold with sprue cutter, a double sided zinc powder flask with foliate decorations, a wood handled turnscrew, a wood handled nipple wrench, a tiny tin powder measure and a brass 2-pc cleaning rod with jag on one end with a concealed worm. Covered corner compartments are empty. Deringer pistols were the concealment arms of their day and were very popular throughout all walks of life well into the 1870's until the advent of self-contained cartridge handguns. Single pistols are scarce, pairs are rare and cased pairs are exceedingly rare. CONDITION: Pistols are fine retaining about all of a fine browned restored finish to the bbls and lightly restored wood finish. Mechanics are fine, strong bores with light rust. Mold is fine. Flask retains about 60% orig brown lacquer finish with the balance exposed zinc. Case is missing one small spot of leather on the lid with several light cracks in the leather covering but overall is sound. Interior is lightly to moderately faded, altogether a fine and complete set. 4-49388