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LOT 1250
Hunting Hanger Sword with Integrated Single Shot
Flintlock Pistol - NSN, 38 cal., 3 3/4 inch round bbl.,
bright finish, carved grips. Short hunting swords
aka hunting hangers were popular with European
and American gentlemen in the 16th through 18th
centuries and could also be carried as sidearms by officers.
Later examples with integral flintlock pistols like this one generally date to the
mid-18th century. They would have been primarily employed by hunters to finish off wounded or subdued game such as wild boars. This example is 28 3/4 inches
in overall length with a 21 1/2 inch cutting edge, 5 3/8 inch false edge, 3 3/4 inch two-stage barrel with smooth bore on the left, small lock with light engraving
on the right, small trigger on top, engraved hilt with gilt backgrounds and foliate and mask designs, and an unusual grip featuring rococo scroll and shell patterns,
a scene of a lady and gentleman, and a thin coating of horn. It was Item 15 in The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s “Loan Exhibition of European Arms and Armor” from 1931 noted as “lent by E. Hubert Litchfield.” He was the son of
Edward Hubbard Litchfield, and it was also featured as Item 76 in the catalog of the Edward Hubbard Litchfield collection (copies of pages from the catalogs included).
CONDITION: Very good with silver-gray patina on the blade and much of the hilt, strong gold backgrounds, minor oxidation, and some loss of the grip coating. Mechanically fine.
Provenance: The Edward Hubbard Litchfield Collection; Property of a Gentleman.
Estimate: 5,000 - 6,500
LOT 1249
Documented Silver Mounted Flintlock Sword Pistol with Scabbard Formerly in the Joe
Kindig Jr. Collection - NSN, 44 cal., 4 inch part octagon bbl., bright finish, agate grips. Hunting swords date back centuries and were used to finish off wounded game and
could also be used for personal defense. Only a relatively small number were made with on-board flintlock pistols. This sword pistol is featured on page 23 of “One Hundred
Great Guns” (copy included) by Lindsay and captioned as: “German flintlock sword pistol with silver mounts and jade grips. c. 1670. Joe Kindig Jr. Collection, York, Pa.” A tag with
the gun notes: “Ex-Litchfield-Kindig-Collecs Ilus. 100 Gt. Guns Lindsay” and “Orig Scabbard-’Agate Hilt’ ‘Silver Mts.’” It is also featured in the auction catalog for “The Important
Collection Formed by Edward Hubbard Litchfield” as Item 75 and identified as 18th century French. The 21 1/8 inch blade has a 6 inch false edge, thin fuller, engraved scenes of
dogs pursuing a boar (right) and a deer (left) and interlacing designs on the elongated ricasso on the left. The spines feature arrow designs and “S”. The silver mounts include a
pierced shell shaped languet, scroll pattern crossguard with a mask on the right, and a mask pattern pommel. The grip is smoothly polished semi-opaque stone with a smoky
coloration. The pistol is integrated into the right side and features an octagon to round barrel with light engraving, pan mounted to the top of the barrel, and interesting
mechanism with the frizzen and springs mounted to the blade. The scabbard is black leather with a strip of red felt at the mouth.
CONDITION: Fine with gray and brown patina, some mild pitting, mostly distinct engraving, attractively aged patina on the silver, minor cracks in the grip. The scabbard is very
good with moderate age and storage related wear, including some cracks and small tears. Mechanically fine.
Provenance: The Edward Hubbard Litchfield Collection; The Joe Kindig Jr. Collection; The Dr. Lew Katzowitz Collection; Property of a Gentleman.
Estimate: 14,000 - 22,500
AS PICTURED AND DESCRIBED IN
ONE HUNDRED GREAT GUNS BY
MERRILL LINDSAY
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