EXTRAORDINARILY RARE TRYON 5-SHOT SUPERPOSED LOAD FLINTLOCK PISTOL.

EXTRAORDINARILY RARE TRYON 5-SHOT SUPERPOSED LOAD FLINTLOCK PISTOL. SN 2. Cal. 46. Extraordinary & unusual flintlock pistol, one of fifty, ordered by Commodore William Bainbridge, Commander of the Charleston Navy Shipyard, who was recuperating from wounds inflicted during a battle at sea with the British ship, HMS Java on about Dec. 29, 1812. At the time of the battle he was Commander of the Constitution (Old Ironsides). Upon his return to the U.S. he was received as a hero and was awarded a gold Congressional medal and as a further reward, and to aid his recuperation, he was given command of the Charleston Navy Yard, where he laid the keel of the Independence. It was apparently during his command at Charleston that, according to an entry on p. 210 of the book Superimposed Load Firearms 1360-1860, Baxter, (a copy of which accompanies this pistol), Commodore Bainbridge, who “approved of repeating arms,” on 18 April 1814 directed a subordinate to send “fifteen repeating swivels, fifty muskets and fifty pistols to Commodore Chauncey for testing in active service against the British on the Great Lakes”. No other information is available regarding the military purchase of these repeating arms and this pistol may be the only remaining example. This pistol is described as having a 12″ oct bbl with dovetailed front sight that has a brass base and German silver blade and a tiny fixed rear sight at rear end of bbl. Top flat is marked “TRYON. PHILADA”. Right side of bbl has a thin steel plate with five vents in successive order with four swinging covers. The vents have platinum plugs with number 2 plug missing. There is a matching bottom plate attached to the stock with three screws that has five notches which accommodates the locking mechanism which locates the lock & priming mechanism in proper position to fire the proper load. The lock is small pistol size, about 3-3/4″ long, slightly curved with rounded & stepped tail. It has a bridled roller frizzen with fluted pan & cover mortised into a steel fixture of the same shape which encloses the locking mechanism as well as containing a unique priming device. Apparently once the pistol was loaded with five superimposed charges & balls, the lock was positioned over the front vent and the other four vents covered by their respective swinging covers. These L-shaped covers also serve as an additional security device to prevent the lock apparatus moving to the rear until that cover is raised and the lock repositioned to the next vent to the rear. At that point the pan would be charged and the frizzen closed, ready for action. When the hammer is cocked an arm attached to the left side of the upper jaw, which is also attached at the front end to a small powder reservoir, that when the hammer is cocked, rotates to the rear and drops a small powder charge into the space between the pan and the vent, a most ingenious device. The lock itself and the hammer are lightly engraved and the lock is marked “TRYON”. Mounted in a full length walnut stock with raised side panels and flat sided smooth grip with empty German silver shield pinned to the buttcap. All the furniture appears to be fine silver with the trigger guard having raised edges and a beautiful pineapple finial with long lower tang. Trigger bow is nicely engraved with foliate & floral patterns. Top of wrist has a cut corner rectangular thumb plate. Forestock is secured with two keys through German silver escutcheons. Bottom front of stock has a fancy silver split guide containing a silver tipped hickory ramrod. While the Navy did in fact order a number of these guns for trials, it would seem very unlikely that they would be mounted in fancy silver furniture which should put this gun in the classification of probably a sample given or sold to a high-ranking naval official and may actually have been personally owned by a ranking naval official and undoubtedly requires additional research. CONDITION: Fine. The bbl retains traces of orig brown on side flats with strong orig brown under forestock. Exposed metal is a dark attic patina with fine surface crusting. The steel plates of the track on the right side are a brown patina with light to moderate pitting. Lock & hammer are likewise a dark brown patina with pitting around tail of the lockplate. Forestock has a very old armory repair, otherwise is sound with nicks, dings & scratches and retains a lovely hand worn patina. Mechanics are fine, lightly to moderately pitted bore. 4-36385 (100,000-150,000)

Auction: Firearms - Spring 2010

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
	2450	$0.00	EXTRAORDINARILY RARE TRYON 5-SHOT SUPERPOSED LOAD FLINTLOCK PISTOL. SN 2. Cal. 46. Extraordinary & unusual flintlock pistol, one of fifty, ordered by Commodore William Bainbridge, Commander of the Charleston Navy Shipyard, who was recuperating from wounds inflicted during a battle at sea with the British ship, HMS Java on about Dec. 29, 1812. At the time of the battle he was Commander of the Constitution (Old Ironsides). Upon his return to the U.S. he was received as a hero and was awarded a gold Congressional medal and as a further reward, and to aid his recuperation, he was given command of the Charleston Navy Yard, where he laid the keel of the Independence. It was apparently during his command at Charleston that, according to an entry on p. 210 of the book Superimposed Load Firearms 1360-1860, Baxter, (a copy of which accompanies this pistol), Commodore Bainbridge, who “approved of repeating arms,” on 18 April 1814 directed a subordinate to send “fifteen repeating swivels, fifty muskets and fifty pistols to Commodore Chauncey for testing in active service against the British on the Great Lakes”. No other information is available regarding the military purchase of these repeating arms and this pistol may be the only remaining example. This pistol is described as having a 12″ oct bbl with dovetailed front sight that has a brass base and German silver blade and a tiny fixed rear sight at rear end of bbl. Top flat is marked “TRYON. PHILADA”. Right side of bbl has a thin steel plate with five vents in successive order with four swinging covers. The vents have platinum plugs with number 2 plug missing. There is a matching bottom plate attached to the stock with three screws that has five notches which accommodates the locking mechanism which locates the lock & priming mechanism in proper position to fire the proper load. The lock is small pistol size, about 3-3/4″ long, slightly curved with rounded & stepped tail. It has a bridled roller frizzen with fluted pan & cover mortised into a steel fixture of the same shape which encloses the locking mechanism as well as containing a unique priming device. Apparently once the pistol was loaded with five superimposed charges & balls, the lock was positioned over the front vent and the other four vents covered by their respective swinging covers. These L-shaped covers also serve as an additional security device to prevent the lock apparatus moving to the rear until that cover is raised and the lock repositioned to the next vent to the rear. At that point the pan would be charged and the frizzen closed, ready for action. When the hammer is cocked an arm attached to the left side of the upper jaw, which is also attached at the front end to a small powder reservoir, that when the hammer is cocked, rotates to the rear and drops a small powder charge into the space between the pan and the vent, a most ingenious device. The lock itself and the hammer are lightly engraved and the lock is marked “TRYON”. Mounted in a full length walnut stock with raised side panels and flat sided smooth grip with empty German silver shield pinned to the buttcap. All the furniture appears to be fine silver with the trigger guard having raised edges and a beautiful pineapple finial with long lower tang. Trigger bow is nicely engraved with foliate & floral patterns. Top of wrist has a cut corner rectangular thumb plate. Forestock is secured with two keys through German silver escutcheons. Bottom front of stock has a fancy silver split guide containing a silver tipped hickory ramrod. While the Navy did in fact order a number of these guns for trials, it would seem very unlikely that they would be mounted in fancy silver furniture which should put this gun in the classification of probably a sample given or sold to a high-ranking naval official and may actually have been personally owned by a ranking naval official and undoubtedly requires additional research. CONDITION: Fine. The bbl retains traces of orig brown on side flats with strong orig brown under forestock. Exposed metal is a dark attic patina with fine surface crusting. The steel plates of the track on the right side are a brown patina with light to moderate pitting. Lock & hammer are likewise a dark brown patina with pitting around tail of the lockplate. Forestock has a very old armory repair, otherwise is sound with nicks, dings & scratches and retains a lovely hand worn patina. Mechanics are fine, lightly to moderately pitted bore. 4-36385 (100,000-150,000) Auction: Firearms - Spring 2010 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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