Page 4 - 4091-BOOK3

LOT 3000
Volcanic Repeating Arms Co. Lever
Action Navy Pistol with Scarce Six Inch Barrel - Serial no. 969, 41 Volcanic cal., 6 inch octagon
bbl., blue finish, walnut grips. This lever action Navy Pistol was manufactured by the Volcanic Repeating Arms Co. of
New Haven, Connecticut circa 1856. The pistol has the scarce and distinctive six-inch ribbed barrel with integral seven-shot magazine, brass frame and
loading lever with finger hole. The barrel/magazine is blued, the hammer, lever and trigger are color casehardened, and the two-piece walnut grips
have a varnished, piano, finish. The barrel has a brass cone front sight. A fixed, dovetail mounted rear sight is located on the receiver. The receiver ejection
port has a square-cut back with semi-circular cut-out at the front. The bolt has a single hooked extractor. The hammer spur has hand-cut, border-less knurling. The top of the barrel is hand-stamped: “THE VOLCANIC/REPEATING ARMS CO./PATENT NEWHAVEN CONN. FEB.14. 1854” in three lines. “PATENT” in the
third line is stamped upside down. The serial number is stamped on the bottom of the left side of the frame beneath the grips, on the inside of both grips and on the right side of the lever. All of the visible serial numbers match. Volcanic pistols and carbines were revolutionary and historically significant firearms.
CONDITION: Fine. This pistol retains 70% of the original blue finish on the barrel/magazine. The barrel legend is crisp. The hammer, trigger and lever have traces of the mottled casehardened finish. The brass receiver is very fine with nearly perfect side plate joints. The receiver shows very limited handling wear and the brass has a mellow, un-touched patina. The two-piece grips exhibit wear on the edges of the butt and few scattered and very minor handling marks. The refinished right grip has a repaired chip on the bottom and is missing a tiny piece of the grip. Mechanically excellent. Estimate: 10,000 - 16,000
LOT 3001
Factory Engraved New
Haven Arms Company
Volcanic No. 1 Pocket Pistol
- Serial no. 1158, 31 cal., 3 1/2 inch octagon bbl., blue finish, walnut
grips. This is one of only an estimated 850 Volcanic No. 1 lever action pocket
pistols manufactured by the New Haven Arms Company in New Haven, Connecticut c. 1857-1862
per “Volcanic Firearms” by Lewis and Rutter, page 73. The top and sides of the frame and back strap
are decorated with well executed open scroll factory engraving. The barrel is fitted with a pinched
blade font sight and a simple notched rear sight is mounted in a dovetail on the frame. The top of the
barrel is roll-stamped: “NEW HAVEN CONN. PATENT FEB. 14. 1854.” The deletion of “VOLCANIC” from the
barrel legend occurred after Oliver Winchester formed the New Haven Arms Company on May 1, 1857. The serial
number “1158” appears on the left side of the grip frame and on the back of each grip panel. Volcanic firearms are
historically significant and represent an important step in the development of American repeating firearms and self-
contained cartridges. The lever action and integral spring-loaded magazine introduced with Volcanic pistols and carbines served
as the basic design for the Henry rifle and the Winchester Model 1866, 1873 and 1876 rifles. Oliver Winchester’s investment in the
Volcanic Repeating Arms Company eventually led to the establishment of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company.
CONDITION: Very good. The barrel and magazine have a dark gray patina of a well traveled sidearm with slight traces of original blue finish in the protected areas. The frame is fine and has a very attractive appearance and crisp factory engraving. The sanded and refinished undersize grips are good with a repaired right panel and a couple splice repairs on the bottom. Mechanically fine.
LOT 3002
Extremely Rare Framed New Haven Arms Company Volcanic Repeating
Arms Broadside Advertisement
NSN. This is very scarce,
ramed, broadside dvertisement
or Volcanic
repeating firearms
manufactured
by New Haven
Arms Company.
This specific
advertisement
is one-sided and
outlines that New
Haven recently
acquired the
rights to produce
Volcanic firearms as
well as their rapid repeating fire ability, waterproof ammunition, and safety from accidental discharge, as well as the prices for different models. There
is a diagram of a Volcanic pistol at the top and prices for various models
are listed near the bottom. The bottom is marked stating that they are sold by their agent, Joseph Merwin in New York at 267 Broadway. The frame measures approximately 21 x 16 inches.
CONDITION: Very fine, the text and imagery remains crisp with a minor water stain near the top, a horizontal fold crease near the middle, and otherwise minimal handling/storage wear. These paper advertisements are rare in any condition and can enhance a collection of fine arms greatly!
Estimate: 4,500 - 6,500
2 Estimate: 5,000 - 7,000
-
a f a f