| Huvius |
| (.416 member) |
| 16/07/13 11:32 PM |
|
Re: Cased pair of Howdah pistols
|
Quote:
TH44
You are of course correct, but..your entry could also read:-
"These are a pair of best, museum quality howdah pistols from a top class London Gunmaker,
that may well, had the owner been in England, used as "Officer's", Gentleman's" or 'Traveller's" pistols"
Do you get my point?
They are:- Just a killer pair of London made double barreled pistols, flat new in the original makers case...in original (not refurbished) mint condition...how does that sound?
This is precisely why I posed the question of - what makes a howdah pistol a howdah pistol.
Did any makers specify in their ledgers that a particular gun was a howdah pistol or was the term even in use in period?
How do the big auction houses differentiate between the two? They certainly seem to so must have some criteria.
As for these particular pistols, I would think that they have been refinished sometime simply because the condition of the guns far exceeds the condition of the case interior. The case lining in the lid is newer than that in the base as you can see.
Also, the brass wedge keeper is much too shiny to not have been refinished. Perhaps the wood has been redone leaving the metal in original condition.
Beautiful weapons all the same.