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LOT 276
Extraordinary Silver Mounted, Engraved, and Raised Relief Carved Takedown Flintlock Sporting Gun
by Joseph Griffin with Hallmarks for 1768 - NSN, 16 gauge, 40 inch part octagon bbl., blue/gold/bright/silver
finish, walnut stock. The trigger guard tang and buttplate of this beautiful sporting gun from Joseph Griffin have
London silver hallmarks including the “n” date code for 1768 and an “I•K” (John King) silversmith’s mark. Related
guns from Griffin can be seen in “British Gunmakers: Messrs. Griffin & Tow and W. Bailes, 1740-1790” by W. Keith
Neal and D.H.L. Back. Per Blackmore, Griffin trained under Samuel Blanckley and then his father, Benjamin Griffin.
He worked with his father from 1750 until his father’s death in 1770 and then partnered with John Tow from 1772
until 1782 and died in 1784. He was appointed gentleman armourer to the King’s Stables-in-Ordinary in 1760
and gunmaker to the king near the Duke of Grafton’s on Bond Street in 1763 and was also elected master of the
Gunmakers Company in 1762 and 1763. The blued, two-stage, smoothbore barrel has a silver blade front sight
with inlaid silver “spider” base, decorative girdles at the transition point, Spanish style gold lined “crown/LON/
DON” and griffin marks on top at the breech, London proof and view marks flanking Griffin’s “I•G” maker’s mark on
the upper left flat, and a gold lined vent.