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A Cased Pair Of Scottish 50-Bore Percussion Duelling Or Target Pistols By Alex.r Martin, Glasgow, Mid-19th Century
The medals and associate ephemera and uniforms of Arthur Watts, 6th Inniskilling Dragoons
A Pair Of Highland All-Metal Percussion Belt Pistols Signed Paton & Walsh Perth, Mid 19th century
A Silver-Mounted Left-Hand Dagger, probably German, Italian or English Late 16th Century Or Later
FOUR REPRODUCTION CARVED POWDER HORNS/FLASKS.late 20th century.
THREE CARVED COCONUT ITEMS.18th/19th century.
A COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE AND REPRODUCTION POWDER FLASKS AND RELATED SPORTING ITEMS.
THREE VICTORIAN ARMS AND ARMOUR DECORATIVE ITEMS.
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A Fine And Rare Cased Pair Of French 54-Bore Percussion Breech-Loading Target Pistols image 1
A Fine And Rare Cased Pair Of French 54-Bore Percussion Breech-Loading Target Pistols image 2
Lot 282Y

A Fine And Rare Cased Pair Of French 54-Bore Percussion Breech-Loading Target Pistols
By Gastinne-Renette A Paris, No. 3613, Dated 1888

Fine Antique Arms, Armour & Militaria Including property from the Mark and Peter Dineley Collections
27 November 2019, 10:00 GMT
London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £7,562.50 inc. premium

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A Fine And Rare Cased Pair Of French 54-Bore Percussion Breech-Loading Target Pistols
By Gastinne-Renette A Paris, No. 3613, Dated 1888

With blued octagonal sighted barrels sliding forward for loading and each with fluted central section engraved 'Inv.on Gastinne-Renette A Paris' and numbered '1' and '2' respectively along the top flat, the angles with line engraved borders, and rifled with twelve grooves, the bottom flats stamped with the maker's name, serial number and date, case-hardened tangs finely engraved with foliate scrollwork and numbered respectively '1' and '2', signed border engraved case-hardened detented locks, hammers, side-nail plates, barrel-bolt escutcheons and rounded pommels all en suite, the last each with button terminal, highly figured half-stocks each with chequered rounded butt, blued spur trigger-guards, barrel levers engraved with foliate scrollwork and each with encrusted gold foliate 'X' on the bow, gold escutcheons (one missing) engraved with owner's crest and motto, and in fine condition: in original mahogany case fitted and lined in blue baize with full accessories including Dixon & Sons powder-flask with split-ring for suspension and retaining much of its original lacquered finish, and engraved steel bullet mould, the interior of the lid stamped with maker's details in gilt letters, the exterior (some scratches to varnish) with shield-shaped brass escutcheon engraved with owner's crest and motto above 'R.D. Taaffe'
25.5 cm. barrels

Footnotes

The firm of Gastinnne-Renette was probably the leading Parisian maker of target and duelling pistols in the 19th Century and won medals at the Paris exhibitions of 1839 and 1844, as well as holding appointments to Napoleon III and the King of Spain. Up to the outbreak of the first World War duelling lessons were still available at the firm's premises in the Champs-Elysées, where it is still represented to this day. In The Art of Revolver Shooting (1911 edition), champion shot Walter Winans devotes a chapter to 'Gastinne-Renette's gallery in Paris', and concludes 'In regard to galleries where one can get pistol practice, that of Gastinne-Renette in Paris stands easily first, and not only is it lit up in the best style for all sorts of shooting, but the weapons supplied are the best in the world'


The crest and motto is that of the Taaffe family, probably for the descendants of the family branch of Grayfield, Co. Mayo, Ireland

Additional information

Bid now on these items

A Cased Pair Of Scottish 50-Bore Percussion Duelling Or Target Pistols By Alex.r Martin, Glasgow, Mid-19th Century
The medals and associate ephemera and uniforms of Arthur Watts, 6th Inniskilling Dragoons
A Pair Of Highland All-Metal Percussion Belt Pistols Signed Paton & Walsh Perth, Mid 19th century
A Silver-Mounted Left-Hand Dagger, probably German, Italian or English Late 16th Century Or Later
FOUR REPRODUCTION CARVED POWDER HORNS/FLASKS.late 20th century.
THREE CARVED COCONUT ITEMS.18th/19th century.
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