Holland and holland royal grade double rifle

Somewhere around 1905, Franklin Hiram Walker, son of Hiram Walker, founder of Walkertown and Walker distilleries, contracted Holland and Holland to build him a double rifle for an upcoming Chamois hunt in Italy.  The rifle pictured was the result, the story goes that Mr. Walker went to Italy shot his Chamois and put the rifle away, never to be used again.  Apparently, 6 shots were fired.  The rifle was bequeathed to Mr. Walker's house manager, which then passed it along to his son, from whom the rifle was purchased.  The provenance is solid, the condition is impeccable, the rarity of caliber is undeniable 295/300 rook, the grade is of the highest quality, for the double rifle collector this is the holy grail.  Please call for more information.

$85,000

Wheeler and Sons percussion trade gun, I date this gun somewhere around 1820-1840, making it a Hudson Bay Trade Gun, as the North West Company was merged into the Hudson Bay Company in 1821. Wheeler used brass military side plates and butt plates for his trade guns, using up extra parts from military contracts.  Made in England as for trade with native Canadians for fur.  Stamped on the Lock plate with a sitting fox in a circle.  Although at first glance the gun appears to be a conversion from flintlock to percussion I do not believe that to be the case.  First off there would have been 2 extra holes for the frizzen spring and frizzen situated vertically on the plate, they are not there, indicating the gun was made this way, again probably using up older parts, ie. a modified lock from a flintlock.  The wood on this gun is very good, solid mostly, with a crack and repair near the muzzle, overall it has a nice finish smoothed by hundreds of years of handling.  The metal is mostly a brown grey patina and mechanically it functions as it was intended, ram rod is likely a replacement.  Barrel is 37 inches and overall length is 52 inches.  The first use of the term Northwest gun appears in the journal of John Long.  An independent Montreal merchant, Long traded with the Indians north of Lake Superior in 1777-1780. From its beginning in 1670, the Hudson's Bay Company traded guns to the Indians on a large scale.  By 1742, beaver pelts were valued at: one pelt for one pound of shot or three flints; four pelts for one pound of power; ten pelts for a pistol; twenty pelts for a trade gun. The primary source of the Indian trade gun was factories in Birmingham and London, England.  The gun makers in London charged that Birmingham turned out park-paling muskets for the American trade.  The Birmingham manufacturers were often referred to as blood merchants and their factories blood houses by the London group.  There are numerous accounts in journals of gun barrels blowing up when these trade guns were fired (Northwest Journal).  There is no way to determine how many Indians and trader lost all or parts of their hands from these guns.  Still, problems with the Indian trade gun were probably no higher than other Colonial guns of the period.  By the early eighteen hundreds, the trading companies had established rigid requirements for the Northwest guns.  The full-stocked, smooth bore trade guns varied little in shape and style, but underwent changes in barrel lengths.  By the late 1820's, the 30 inch barrel had become popular.  The overall length of a standard Northwest gun with a 30 inch barrel was 45.5 inches.  A distinctive feature of these guns was the dragon or serpent shaped side plate.  Most Indians would not trade for a gun that did not have the serpent plate. 

$3200

This is a first model Winchester model 1894, called a 10 o'clock screw gun.If you look closely at the frame, you'll notice it's a rare 1st Model with the external guide rail screws located at the ten o'clock position next to the loading gate. There were only 2-3,000 of these First Models made...all in caliber 38-55 before Winchester moved the screws inside the frame to a more forward position. Some collectors liken these first models as the closest thing to John Browning's original design which he patented on August 21, 1894. Winchester went with this design at first as they were in a hurry. In fact, it took Winchester only about two months to tool up and start production which commenced in late October, 1894. During the physical year of 1894, several hundred model 1894's were built and shipped from the factory but most 1st Models didn't ship until the following year. These rifles are rare on their own, now add the takedown feature and you are now getting into the extremely rare category,  less than 10 are known to exist at the moment.  Although this rifle does not have the best appearance it has a surprisingly good bore, the wood is solid and mechanically it is functioning as intended.   

$5000  SOLD

Antique percussion two blade knife pistol by James Rodgers, Sheffield, England, with what appears to be an octagonal German silver barrel approximately 30 caliber, 3 1/2", barrel has two proof marks over the stag handles, the drop down trigger between the two blades having the makers mark at the ricassos, a lift cap storage door at the butt would have held tweezers.

$2000

I believe this is a 3rd type Wesson Carbine, based on the fact that the slotted barrel stop has moved to left side of the rifle and the extractor is now on the right side.  This rifle has an adjustable hammer for use with rimfire or percussion ammunition.  It is chambered in 38 long, the bore has black powder corrosion throughout the length but has significant rifling and should shoot very well.  It has a beautiful piece of wood as a butt stock and it is in extremely nice condition.  Mechanically everything works as expected.

$1200

The Model 64 was introduced in the January 1933 catalog specifically as a replacement to the Model 55.  As it was originally cataloged, it was available in the same 25-35 W.C.F., 30 W.C.F., and 32 W.S. cartridges as the Model 55.  Like the Model 55, the Model 64 was never officially offered or cataloged in either the 32-40 or 38-55 cartridges, but there were a very small number of each that were made up through the year 1937.  They are very rarely encountered, and many of them that are found today are fakes!  Production of the Model 64 began in late 1932, and two variants were offered; (1) the standard Rifle, and (2) the Deer Rifle. Many collectors refer to the Deer Rifle as a “Deluxe”.  Throughout its entire production, the Model 64 was serialized in the Model 94 serial number range.  Production of the Model 64 ended in late 1957, with an estimated at 66,783 manufactured, but that estimate may be too low.

In 1934, a 20-inch barrel was offered for both the standard Rifle and the Deer Rifle, with collectors commonly referring to them as “Carbines”.  In 1937, the 219 Zipper was added to the production line.  Other than different rear sight arrangements, very little else was offered for the Model 64.  This rifle has exceptional wood for a standard rifle, it is very solid without any cracks or chips.  The metal finish is overall 85%, it sports and excellent bore and is a very accurate rifle.

$1200

Antique percussion two blade knife pistol by James Rodgers, Sheffield, England, with what appears to be an octagonal, German silver barrel, approximately 30 caliber, 3 1/2" and is missing a front sight.  The barrel has two proof marks over the horn handle, the drop down trigger between the two blades having the makers mark at the ricassos, the horn grips are slotted to hold two sets of  tweezers.

$2000

Maker of this fine pistol is Edward Bond of London, England who worked 1746-1790, is also listed as a viewer to the Hudson Bay Company 1771-1789.  Wood has the usual dings and scraps from hundreds of years of use but is still overall solid.  The metal has turned different shades of patina with the lock plate, trigger guard and hammer being the darkest.  This pistol functions as it should and would likely shoot just fine (although not recommended).  Ram rod is period correct.  

$2400

Wheeler and Sons flintlock trade gun, I date this gun somewhere around 1790-1820, making it a North West Company gun as they were still operating as the North West Company until 1821. Wheeler used brass military side plates and butt plates for his trade rifles using up extra parts from military contracts.  Made in England as for trade with native Canadians for fur.  Stamped on the Lock plate with a sitting fox in a circle.  The wood on this gun is very good, overall it has a nice finish smoothed by hundreds of years of handling.  The metal is mostly a brown grey patina and mechanically it functions as it was intended, ram rod is likely a replacement.  Barrel is 37 inches and overall length is 52 inches.  The first use of the term Northwest gun appears in the journal of John Long.  An independent Montreal merchant, Long traded with the Indians north of Lake Superior in 1777-1780. From its beginning in 1670, the Hudson's Bay Company traded guns to the Indians on a large scale.  By 1742, beaver pelts were valued at: one pelt for one pound of shot or three flints; four pelts for one pound of power; ten pelts for a pistol; twenty pelts for a trade gun. The primary source of the Indian trade gun was factories in Birmingham and London, England.  The gun makers in London charged that Birmingham turned out park-paling muskets for the American trade.  The Birmingham manufacturers were often referred to as blood merchants and their factories blood houses by the London group.  There are numerous accounts in journals of gun barrels blowing up when these trade guns were fired (Northwest Journal).  There is no way to determine how many Indians and trader lost all or parts of their hands from these guns.  Still, problems with the Indian trade gun were probably no higher than other Colonial guns of the period.  By the early eighteen hundreds, the trading companies had established rigid requirements for the Northwest guns.  The full-stocked, smooth bore trade guns varied little in shape and style, but underwent changes in barrel lengths.  By the late 1820's, the 30 inch barrel had become popular.  The overall length of a standard Northwest gun with a 30 inch barrel was 45.5 inches.  A distinctive feature of these guns was the dragon or serpent shaped side plate.  Most Indians would not trade for a gun that did not have the serpent plate. 

$5200

The Rodgers firm, one of the largest manufacturers of Bowie knives, was joined in 1828 by Philip Unwin. Combining their talents, the first public notice of the new firm appeared in the Sheffield trade directory for 1828, with an advertisement reading, “Unwin and Rodgers, manufacturers of pen, pocket and desk knives, pearl sides, clasps, buckles, and in a great variety. 7 Charles Street.” Unwin had an idea for combining a pistol with a pocket knife, and he secured a patent for attaching the two weapons to each other. In the 1841 Sheffield trade directory, the firm advertised themselves as “manufacturers of spring knife cutlery, including lancets, scissor knives and pen machines, pistol knives, American and Indian hunting and self-defense knives.” The theory is that the NON*XLL markings, when read aloud, translate into the phrase “Non-excel,” signifying that the Unwin and Rodgers knife pistol had no peers.  This unique example is approximately 30 cal.rimfire, with two blades. The action is the rarest that Unwin made.  It has a breech block with a tall extension, and an extractor. Cocking the hammer opens the breech for loading/unloading with the ears on the extractor acting as a rear sight. Grips appear to be some species of horn.  Very Good Condition. 

$2000