Bonhams 1793 : A rare U.S. Navy Elgin cutlass-pistol by C.B. Allen

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6 Dec 2011 10:00 PST San Francisco
Antique Arms and Armor and Modern Sporting Guns
Back to auction 19414

A rare U.S. Navy Elgin cutlass-pistol by C.B. Allen

Serial no. 45, .54 caliber. 5 inch octagonal barrel marked on the top Elgins/Patent and CBA/PM/1837. Frame marked C.B. Allen/Springfield/Mass. Barrel, frame, blade and stock all serial numbered. Underside of barrel affixed with broad 11 inch single edged blade with beveled false edge and forged with integral triggerguard/knucklebow. Varnished walnut grips. Together with original German silver-mounted leather holster, (the leather restored) the throat fitted with frog stud and with rare brass-tipped steel ramrod.
Condition: Very good. Smooth, dark grey metal showing some patches of spotting/light pitting and sharp markings. Wood with few light marks and small split at butt. Scabbard leather replaced.
See Illustration

Sold for US$ 25,740 inc. premium

Footnotes

Provenance: Harry W. Wright Collection.
Note: One of 150 specimens manufactured by C.B. Allen, with blades by N.P. Ames, for a U.S. Navy contract specifically associated with the Wilkes South Seas Exploring Expedition of 1838-42. (Flayderman's Guide, sec. 6A-038)
Authorized in 1828, the expedition was composed of six vessels, with a complement of scientists, under the command of Lt. Charles Wilkes. Leaving Hampton Roads, Virginia the fleet rounded South America, explored the Pacific coast of that continent, proceeded to the South Pacific, where they engaged in combat on Fiji in 1840 and then sailed on the map and explore the west coast of the United States. Nineteen scientific volumes were published after the fleets return and the expedition played a major contribution in the advancement of the U.S. scientific community.

Category: Arms and Armour

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