EXTREMELY RARE CASED PAIR OF DERINGER STYLE PERCUSSION POCKET PISTOLS.

EXTREMELY RARE CASED PAIR OF DERINGER STYLE PERCUSSION POCKET PISTOLS. Cal. 44. Probably by Wurfflein, these beautiful little pistols have 2-3/8″ ovoid-shaped bbls with dovetailed German silver front sights and tang-mounted rear fixed sights. Top flat of the bbls are stamped “J.P. LOWER”. Breechblocks have silver bands at the front and rear edges. They are mounted in 1-pc walnut stocks with semi-schnable tips and sharp birdhead butts with coarse checkering. They have a sgl wedge through the forestocks with engraved German silver escutcheons. Tops of the wrists are mounted with shield-shaped thumbplates with a ball on the bottoms. Sideplates are Wurfflein-style, serpentine shaped, with the lock screw through the large end and a small screw securing the aft end through a small escutcheon. Trigger guards are nicely engraved with pineapple finials on the trigger plates. Tips of the forestocks have German silver triangles. Lockplates, hammers, top tangs, trigger guards and wedge escutcheons are all nicely engraved. Pictures of several similar pistols are found on Pages 90-93 under the titles Andrew Wurfflein and John Wurfflein in the book The Deringer in America, Vol. 1, Wilson & Eberhart. Accompanied by their orig English-style mahogany casing with brass reinforced corners and an empty, scalloped corner, brass plate in the center of the lid. Interior is purple velvet lined and compartmented in the bottom for the pistols, a fine copper & brass foliate repoussed flask, a nickeled nutcracker bullet mold stamped “95”, an orig Colt Root style wood handled turn screw with brass ferrule, an ebony handled nipple wrench, a small covered wood bits box and its orig functioning key. A long narrow uncovered compartment on the right end probably contained a cleaning rod which is now missing. J.P. Lower was the largest outfitter on the American frontier operating out of Denver in concert with Carlos Gove, who had been well established in Denver since 1865. Mr. Lower had been a traveling gun salesman for the G.C. Grubb Co. throughout the entire eastern U.S. during the Civil War and even into South America. By 1858, Mr. Grubb expanded his business and sent Mr. Lower west, becoming the first salesman to cross the Mississippi. With his contacts from his salesman days, he developed close personal friendships in most of the U.S. firearms manufacturing companies which served him extremely well after he opened his own business in Denver. By 1868 the railroad had reached Laramie City, WY and Mr. Lower, along with numerous other “drummers” would travel however they could to the “end of track” and set up merchandise tents and temporary buildings to service the railroaders and characters who accompanied the railroad. It was on one of these moves that he met Carlos Gove and struck up a fast friendship with him. By 1872, Mr. Lower had left the Grubb employment and opened his own shop with Mr. Gove in Denver. Business was brisk and growing and apparently wanting to expand, which did not meet with Mr. Gove’s vision, Mr. Lower in 1876 went out on his own and opened his first shop on Larimer Street in Denver. It was at this time that his previously established relationships with the firearms manufacturing companies paid dividends. He continued expanding and by 1885 was estimated to be worth over $100,000. After numerous trials and tribulations and personal family misfortunes, in 1895 Mr. Lower had traveled east to care for his ailing wife where she died 18 months later. Upon his return to Denver, he learned that his partner had bankrupted the business and absconded with all the money. By the time he was tracked down in Chicago, all the money was gone. By 1910, deeply in debt, Mr. Lower was selling off many of his artifacts collected during the heyday of his gun shop trade to try to keep his business afloat. He died in 1917, destitute with no viable heir to carry on the business. Undoubtedly, the great westward expansion is deeply indebted to men such as J.P. Lower for the success of the American manifest destiny. CONDITION: Pistols are fine to very fine with one retaining about 60% orig brown pattern on the bbl and the other traces of orig pattern. Hammers, lockplates and top tangs retain a blue-gray patina. Stocks are sound with handling and use nicks and scratches and retain most of their orig varnish. Mechanics are fine, strong clean bores with scattered light pitting. Case is sound with lid slightly shrunken and usual handling and storage marks and retains most of its orig varnish. Lid lining is bright and strong with minimal fading. Bottom is moderately faded with one loose partition, otherwise is intact with moderate soil. Flask is crisp with slight stain on the collar and retains about all of its orig finish on the body. Other implements and accessories are fine. Altogether, a rare set that undoubtedly belonged to a gentleman or a “dandy” in the Denver area. 4-38460 JR308 (8,000-12,000)

Auction: Firearms - Fall 2009

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
	2429	$8,625.00	EXTREMELY RARE CASED PAIR OF DERINGER STYLE PERCUSSION POCKET PISTOLS. Cal. 44. Probably by Wurfflein, these beautiful little pistols have 2-3/8″ ovoid-shaped bbls with dovetailed German silver front sights and tang-mounted rear fixed sights. Top flat of the bbls are stamped “J.P. LOWER”. Breechblocks have silver bands at the front and rear edges. They are mounted in 1-pc walnut stocks with semi-schnable tips and sharp birdhead butts with coarse checkering. They have a sgl wedge through the forestocks with engraved German silver escutcheons. Tops of the wrists are mounted with shield-shaped thumbplates with a ball on the bottoms. Sideplates are Wurfflein-style, serpentine shaped, with the lock screw through the large end and a small screw securing the aft end through a small escutcheon. Trigger guards are nicely engraved with pineapple finials on the trigger plates. Tips of the forestocks have German silver triangles. Lockplates, hammers, top tangs, trigger guards and wedge escutcheons are all nicely engraved. Pictures of several similar pistols are found on Pages 90-93 under the titles Andrew Wurfflein and John Wurfflein in the book The Deringer in America, Vol. 1, Wilson & Eberhart. Accompanied by their orig English-style mahogany casing with brass reinforced corners and an empty, scalloped corner, brass plate in the center of the lid. Interior is purple velvet lined and compartmented in the bottom for the pistols, a fine copper & brass foliate repoussed flask, a nickeled nutcracker bullet mold stamped “95”, an orig Colt Root style wood handled turn screw with brass ferrule, an ebony handled nipple wrench, a small covered wood bits box and its orig functioning key. A long narrow uncovered compartment on the right end probably contained a cleaning rod which is now missing. J.P. Lower was the largest outfitter on the American frontier operating out of Denver in concert with Carlos Gove, who had been well established in Denver since 1865. Mr. Lower had been a traveling gun salesman for the G.C. Grubb Co. throughout the entire eastern U.S. during the Civil War and even into South America. By 1858, Mr. Grubb expanded his business and sent Mr. Lower west, becoming the first salesman to cross the Mississippi. With his contacts from his salesman days, he developed close personal friendships in most of the U.S. firearms manufacturing companies which served him extremely well after he opened his own business in Denver. By 1868 the railroad had reached Laramie City, WY and Mr. Lower, along with numerous other “drummers” would travel however they could to the “end of track” and set up merchandise tents and temporary buildings to service the railroaders and characters who accompanied the railroad. It was on one of these moves that he met Carlos Gove and struck up a fast friendship with him. By 1872, Mr. Lower had left the Grubb employment and opened his own shop with Mr. Gove in Denver. Business was brisk and growing and apparently wanting to expand, which did not meet with Mr. Gove’s vision, Mr. Lower in 1876 went out on his own and opened his first shop on Larimer Street in Denver. It was at this time that his previously established relationships with the firearms manufacturing companies paid dividends. He continued expanding and by 1885 was estimated to be worth over $100,000. After numerous trials and tribulations and personal family misfortunes, in 1895 Mr. Lower had traveled east to care for his ailing wife where she died 18 months later. Upon his return to Denver, he learned that his partner had bankrupted the business and absconded with all the money. By the time he was tracked down in Chicago, all the money was gone. By 1910, deeply in debt, Mr. Lower was selling off many of his artifacts collected during the heyday of his gun shop trade to try to keep his business afloat. He died in 1917, destitute with no viable heir to carry on the business. Undoubtedly, the great westward expansion is deeply indebted to men such as J.P. Lower for the success of the American manifest destiny. CONDITION: Pistols are fine to very fine with one retaining about 60% orig brown pattern on the bbl and the other traces of orig pattern. Hammers, lockplates and top tangs retain a blue-gray patina. Stocks are sound with handling and use nicks and scratches and retain most of their orig varnish. Mechanics are fine, strong clean bores with scattered light pitting. Case is sound with lid slightly shrunken and usual handling and storage marks and retains most of its orig varnish. Lid lining is bright and strong with minimal fading. Bottom is moderately faded with one loose partition, otherwise is intact with moderate soil. Flask is crisp with slight stain on the collar and retains about all of its orig finish on the body. Other implements and accessories are fine. Altogether, a rare set that undoubtedly belonged to a gentleman or a “dandy” in the Denver area. 4-38460 JR308 (8,000-12,000) Auction: Firearms - Fall 2009 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.

.red{fill:#B50938;} .white{fill:#FFFFFF;} .blue{fill:#005596;}