May 28 & 29, 2020 Extraordinary, Sporting, & Collector Firearms
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/28/2020
Margaret Prince is recorded as working at 68 High Street, Portsmouth, Hampshire from 1829-1836. Originally flintlock, and breeches cut away and converted to patent breeches. Locks with lined borders engraved simply engraved "Prince" in front of the hammer; under the hammer and behind the hammer are sprays of acanthus and florals. English push on safeties. Dolphin form hammers engrave with florals. Spurred trigger guards with border fencing and more sprays of florals, pineapple finials. Set triggers. Checkered grips with a single silver strip decorated with florals, butt with Irish registration numbers (WI 626) for Wicklow. Massive barrels with single gold inlay at newer section of breech and decorated with scroll and florals on two straps, top strap with what appears to be a crest. Further barrel section marked "Portsmouth" and stamped with Irish registration numbers commensurate with butt. Ramrods appear to be the originals and are retained by two ferrules. CONDITION: Very good and having escaped the normal refinish that guns of these type undergo. Barrels are very good, with evidence of old Damascus browning, more in protected areas. Bluing has largely flaked away to gunmetal grey, good evidence of bluing on the insides of trigger guards. Wood has scattered nicks and dings, but intact. Pistol (A) has one section of silver strip missing at butt, and trigger guard is considerably softened. Pistol (B) shows evidence of being used as a hammer at one point, with several nail head impressions in the butt. An attractive pair of English pistols that made their way into Wicklow sometime after 1843. EW
Caliber/Bore
(BOTH) .65 Smoothbore
Manufacturer
(BOTH) Prince