VERY RARE DELUXE CASED ROYALTY GRADE DEVISME PERCUSSION HALF STOCK SPORTING RIFLE.

VERY RARE DELUXE CASED ROYALTY GRADE DEVISME PERCUSSION HALF STOCK SPORTING RIFLE. SN 2268. Cal. About 42. Undoubtedly made for someone in a Dutch royal family. Rifle is spectacular with 27-1/2″ oct bbl with Metford style rifling, tiny dovetailed front sight with a carbine style ladder rear sight with elevation slide on forward side with a single standing leaf. Top flat, in front of rear sight, is inlaid in silver, “DEVISME A PARIS”. About 1-1/2″ of bbl flats over chamber area are inlaid in silver with fine foliate arabesque patterns and has an incredibly narrow & wide band of silver at breech end with another very thin & wide bands at muzzle. Lockplate, hammer, breech plug, top tang & all appended metal are extremely beautifully relief engraved with very well executed foliate & floral arabesque patterns with very fine stippled background. Lockplate has maker’s name below hammer & date “1869” and serial number inside. Trigger guard is silver-plated steel with an elaborate pineapple finial & empty oval on trigger bow with a long bottom tang. Bottom of bbl has a steel rib with two steel guides containing its orig steel ramrod. Mounted in a dark finished wood half stock with matching engraved nosecap & steel escutcheons for single wedge through forestock. It has checkered straight grip & is 14″ over smooth steel buttplate with long stepped tang engraved to match. Bottom of stock & rear ramrod guide have very narrow sling loops. There is a stud at the end of checkering with a large brass button with knurled edges & engraved with intertwined initials that appear to be “FLA”. Accompanied by its orig green velvet lined mahogany casing that is 45-3/4″ long x 8-1/4″ wide x 2-3/4″ deep. It has a brass plate in lid engraved with a royal crest consisting of a crown over a shield with a lion on each side looking in opposite directions over a ribbon inscribed “SEMPER IDEM” (translation: Always the same). Bottom of plate is engraved “HARDENBROEK VAN BILJOEN”. A preliminary internet search disclosed a multitude of sites relating to Castle Biljoen and a Baron van Hardenbroek who apparently owned the castle in the mid-1800’s. This rifle was undoubtedly his property and is of sufficient quality to have been part of his armory. Interior of case has maker’s name & address embossed in gold inside lid and French fitted in bottom for the full length rifle, a wonderful single cavity brass mold with steel sprue cutter, numbered “2268”. Mold has black painted wood handle with brass ferrule & another black handled tool for making a hollow base bullet, which fits into a cavity in bottom of mold. There is also a fine birch wood powder flask with removable top for filling & an ebony screw-on spout cover which conceals an ebony spout plug. There is a fine wood handled turn screw, an ebony funnel, an ebony handled nipple wrench, a wooden parts box, a small brass powder measure and a 2-pc brass & steel cleaning rod. Right rear has a covered compartment with ebony pull containing lead bullets. Altogether a beautiful, well made, royalty grade, hunting rifle. PROVENANCE: Dr. Frank Miller Estate Collection. CONDITION: Rifle is very fine plus, all matching including mold. Bbl retains about 92-93% glossy orig niter blue with some thinning on left side flats and sharp edge wear. Lockplate & all appended metal retain about all of their orig bright finish. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore. Case has a repaired crack in lid & overall retains about all of an old refinish. Interior is very lightly faded with very light soil & minor damage from bbl sling swivel. Mold has a small crack adjacent to sprue cutter screw hole, otherwise all accessories are fine. 4-35739 JR481 (15,000-25,000)

Auction: Firearms - Fall 2008

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	2704	$18,400.00	VERY RARE DELUXE CASED ROYALTY GRADE DEVISME PERCUSSION HALF STOCK SPORTING RIFLE. SN 2268. Cal. About 42. Undoubtedly made for someone in a Dutch royal family. Rifle is spectacular with 27-1/2″ oct bbl with Metford style rifling, tiny dovetailed front sight with a carbine style ladder rear sight with elevation slide on forward side with a single standing leaf. Top flat, in front of rear sight, is inlaid in silver, “DEVISME A PARIS”. About 1-1/2″ of bbl flats over chamber area are inlaid in silver with fine foliate arabesque patterns and has an incredibly narrow & wide band of silver at breech end with another very thin & wide bands at muzzle. Lockplate, hammer, breech plug, top tang & all appended metal are extremely beautifully relief engraved with very well executed foliate & floral arabesque patterns with very fine stippled background. Lockplate has maker’s name below hammer & date “1869” and serial number inside. Trigger guard is silver-plated steel with an elaborate pineapple finial & empty oval on trigger bow with a long bottom tang. Bottom of bbl has a steel rib with two steel guides containing its orig steel ramrod. Mounted in a dark finished wood half stock with matching engraved nosecap & steel escutcheons for single wedge through forestock. It has checkered straight grip & is 14″ over smooth steel buttplate with long stepped tang engraved to match. Bottom of stock & rear ramrod guide have very narrow sling loops. There is a stud at the end of checkering with a large brass button with knurled edges & engraved with intertwined initials that appear to be “FLA”. Accompanied by its orig green velvet lined mahogany casing that is 45-3/4″ long x 8-1/4″ wide x 2-3/4″ deep. It has a brass plate in lid engraved with a royal crest consisting of a crown over a shield with a lion on each side looking in opposite directions over a ribbon inscribed “SEMPER IDEM” (translation: Always the same). Bottom of plate is engraved “HARDENBROEK VAN BILJOEN”. A preliminary internet search disclosed a multitude of sites relating to Castle Biljoen and a Baron van Hardenbroek who apparently owned the castle in the mid-1800’s. This rifle was undoubtedly his property and is of sufficient quality to have been part of his armory. Interior of case has maker’s name & address embossed in gold inside lid and French fitted in bottom for the full length rifle, a wonderful single cavity brass mold with steel sprue cutter, numbered “2268”. Mold has black painted wood handle with brass ferrule & another black handled tool for making a hollow base bullet, which fits into a cavity in bottom of mold. There is also a fine birch wood powder flask with removable top for filling & an ebony screw-on spout cover which conceals an ebony spout plug. There is a fine wood handled turn screw, an ebony funnel, an ebony handled nipple wrench, a wooden parts box, a small brass powder measure and a 2-pc brass & steel cleaning rod. Right rear has a covered compartment with ebony pull containing lead bullets. Altogether a beautiful, well made, royalty grade, hunting rifle. PROVENANCE: Dr. Frank Miller Estate Collection. CONDITION: Rifle is very fine plus, all matching including mold. Bbl retains about 92-93% glossy orig niter blue with some thinning on left side flats and sharp edge wear. Lockplate & all appended metal retain about all of their orig bright finish. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore. Case has a repaired crack in lid & overall retains about all of an old refinish. Interior is very lightly faded with very light soil & minor damage from bbl sling swivel. Mold has a small crack adjacent to sprue cutter screw hole, otherwise all accessories are fine. 4-35739 JR481 (15,000-25,000) Auction: Firearms - Fall 2008 Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

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