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LOT 1233
Fine Civil War Era Second Model Paris LeMat Two-Barrel Percussion “Grapeshot” Revolver - Serial no. 1443,
42 cal/ 16 ga cal., 6 3/4 inch octagon and round bbl., blue finish, walnut grips. These Second Model LeMat revolvers
were 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, 10-013). 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. This revolver is consecutively numbered
to serial number 1442 which is pictured on page 68 of “LeMat The Man, The Gun” by Forgett and Serpette. This example has the distinctive Second
Model features including the combination of a full octagon .42 caliber revolver barrel and percussion nine-shot cylinder, a second centrally mounted
smoothbore .65 caliber/16 gauge “buckshot” barrel, loading lever on the left side of the revolver barrel, pivoting hammer nose with central change lever
on the hammer spur, rounded trigger guard with no spur and lanyard ring hole in the butt of the frame. The top barrel flat is engraved “Col LeMat Bte
s.g.d.g. Paris” in a panel with engraved flourishes at either end. The right side of the barrel is stamped with the serial number “1443” followed by the “*/
LM” LeMat logo. The matching serial number is also stamped on the right side of the frame below the cylinder and on the cylinder. The revolver has a
high polish blue finish and is fitted with two-piece finely checkered walnut grips.
CONDITION: Fine, retains 70% plus untouched bright original blue finish concentrated on the cylinder, with smooth brown patina on the balance, and
some scattered patches of minor
surface oxidation/pitting.
Grips are also fine, with tight
fitment, some mild handling
marks, and crisp checkering.
Mechanically excellent.
A fine example of a desirable
Confederate Civil War
Second Model Paris LeMat
“Grapeshot” revolver!
Provenance: David Condon;
Private Collection.
Estimate: 14,000 - 22,500