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LOT 201
Rare Documented Prototype Civil War Era C.C. Brand
“Cook C.S.A. 1863” Marked Single Shot 52 Spencer Rimfire
Pistol with Holster - Serial no. 7, 52 Spencer cal., 8 5/8 inch part
octagon bbl., blue/casehardened finish, walnut grips. Christopher C. Brand
of Norwich, Connecticut, received a patented for this design on September
23, 1862. A carbine is pictured but a “gun or pistol” is mentioned in body of the
patent. He presumably hoped to receive military contracts for his breech loading arms
and chambered them for the .52 Spencer cartridge already in use. If this pistol had been manufactured a few years earlier, it very
well might have been accepted as a military weapon, but during the Civil War revolvers were already well-established and favored over single shot pistols which
were reminiscent of the muzzle loading horse pistols cavalrymen had used for hundreds of years. Brand was far more successful with his whaling
guns which were widely used in the second half of the 19th century. The action is much like the Merrill with the thumb spur on the back strap pulling backwards
to operate the toggle link which slides the breechblock to the rear. The hammer is mounted in the center of the breechblock, and the very small extractor lays
to its right in the same slot. Only a few guns, mostly carbines, were made under this patent. This is the only known Brand pistol. It is marked “COOK C.S.A.1863”
on top of barrel and has an “inspector” initial “B” on the top left flat. The bottom of the frame is marked “7”. Copies of the patent papers accompany the pistol.
Pictured in the 9th Edition of “Flayderman’s Guide” (note the grip screw and the wear patterns) on page 471 and on page 507 of “The William M. Locke Collection”
by Frank Sellers. It comes with the well-fitting period leather holster.
CONDITION: Very good with gray patina and mild pitting. The
grips are fine and have nice flame figure, glossy varnish, light
scratches and nicks, some chipping at the heel on the right,
and a replaced right screw. Mechanically excellent. The holster
is fair with moderate overall wear and tears at the edges.
Provenance: The William M. Locke Collection;
Gillespie Collection, Private Collection.
Estimate: 6,500 - 9,500
LOT 200
Desirable Documented Civil War Era Transitional Paris LeMat Two-Barrel Percussion “Grapeshot”
Revolver, as Pictured in William A. Gary’s “Confederate Revolvers” - Serial no. 680, 42 cal/ 16 ga cal., 6 3/4 inch
part octagon and 6 3/4 inch round bbl., blue finish, walnut grips. Manufactured in Paris, France c. 1864-1865, and LeMat revolvers
in their various forms were manufactured in Liege, Paris and Birmingham between 1856-1865 with total production estimated at
fewer than 2,900 revolvers, according to “Flayderman’s Guide” (9th Edition, 10-012, 10-013). This exact example is pictured at the top
of page 126 in the book “Confederate Revolvers” (1987) by William A. Gary, in which the caption makes
note that the left side mounted loading lever does not have a spring latch on this transitional model LeMat revolver.
The LeMat revolver was developed by Dr. Jean LeMat of New Orleans, Louisiana, and patented in 1856. Approximately
1,500 LeMat revolvers are thought to have been purchased by the Confederate government during the Civil War, with many senior
Confederate officers known to have carried them. However, the LeMat revolver is most closely associated with the famed Confederate
cavalryman General J.E.B. Stuart who carried a LeMat
revolver when he was mortally wounded at the Battle
of Yellow Tavern, Virginia in 1864. The LeMat two-barrel “Grapeshot” revolver is the
most distinctive of all the Confederate associated firearms. These revolvers represented
a significant firepower boost over other percussion revolvers of the era, integrating a
9-shot revolver and a 16 gauge “grapeshot” shotgun barrel. This LeMat revolver, serial
number 680, is a transitional model with a part octagon .42 caliber upper revolver
barrel and percussion nine-shot cylinder, a second centrally mounted smoothbore .65 caliber/16 gauge “buckshot” barrel, pivoting hammer nose with central change lever on the
hammer spur, the swivel lanyard ring on the butt and spur trigger guard that are characteristic of the First Model, and loading lever on the left side as typically found on Second Model
LeMat revolvers. The top of the revolver barrel is marked “Col. LeMat Bte s.g.d.g. Paris” on top. The right side of the barrel is stamped with the serial number “680” followed by the “*/ LM”
LeMat logo. The matching serial number “680” is also stamped on the right side of the frame below the cylinder, and on the cylinder. The consignor indicated this revolver was purchased from the
William A. Gary estate on June 29, 2014.
CONDITION: Very good plus with a fresh untouched original appearance, retains strong traces of original blue finish visible in a few of the protected areas with mostly smooth natural aged brown patina, some
scattered patches of minor surface oxidation/pitting, and defined markings. Grips are fine with scattered mild handling marks, and crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent. A desirable example of a Civil War LeMat revolver.
Provenance: The William A. Gary Collection; Private Collection.
Estimate: 15,000 - 22,500
As pictured & described in
Confederate Revolvers by Gary
As pictured & described in The William
M. Locke Collection by Sellers &
Flayderman's Guide, 9th
206