April 27-30, 2021 Extraordinary Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/27/2021
John Blanch and Son are recorded at 29 Gracechurch Street between 1850-1900. Both pistols in identical configuration with diminutive blade front sights and small tang mounted notch sights. Brass tipped ramrods retained by a single ramrod with reinforcement at mouth, with ferrule browned and reinforcement blued. Browned Damascus twist octagon barrels Signed "LONDON" across top strap. Hooked patent breeches with case colored breeches and decorated with dual gold bands, geometrics, and rays. Silver forearm tips and silver escutcheons which hold barrel keys. Drum with platinum blowout. Stepped beveled locks converted from flintlock, possibly by Blanch, with original fences and old slots for frizzen screw visible, and decorated with engraved florals, geometric borders, and color case hardening. Dolphin form hammers engraved with florals en suite with lock. English style sliding safeties. Spurred trigger guard with pineapple finial and engraved with stands of arms and geometrics. Single set triggers. Vacant silver lozenge at wrist. Bag grip with wave and point checkering. Housed in an appropriate sized and partitioned case with Blanch trade label (Gracechurch address) in case and containing accessories comprising Sykes combination ball, powder, and wad flask, mainspring vice, bullet mold labelled "17", Eley Bros cap tin with a few caps, poured lead balls, old wads, cleaning rod with worm under tip, and combination nipple wrench and nipple needle. CONDITION: Excellent, retaining the vast majority of the vibrant browning on barrels with some old pits, primarily on left side, and some silvering to high edges. Silver is pleasingly tarnished through and unmolested. Case coloring is excellent and nearly all present with some minor losses. Trigger guard and ramrod reinforcement retain the vast majority of their high polish English blue with some silvering to high edges and light storage marks, more noticeable on pistol B. Stocks are very good with scattered marks from handling and storage, most visible on sidepanels; polish appears to be the original with sharp edges. Pistol "B" has a few light chips at sidepanel, and a small area of rash on front strap. Actions work appropriately when cycled by hand, with exception given to set trigger on A, which needs attention, and bores that are smooth and clean. Accessories are very good with some age related staining the bullet mold and mainspring vise, ramrod is excellent with a few light storage marks, wrench also with a few minor marks. Flask is excellent, with a few minor marks and some loss of fire blue at top edges. Case is excellent, with some marks from handling and storage and some buildup on edges. Lining is excellent, trade label is excellent with a little foxing and two impressions from contact with drums, one rubbed through the label. This is a truly excellent pair of English duellers in rarely encountered high condition. EW
Item Dimensions: 19" x 4" x 9"
Barrel Length
(BOTH) 9 - 3/4"
Caliber/Bore
(BOTH) .65 Smoothbore
Manufacturer
(BOTH) John Blanch and Son
Model
(BOTH) Percussion Duellers