CASED PAIR OF RARE INSCRIBED W.W. MARSTON BREECHLOADING SINGLE SHOT PISTOLS.

SN 308 & 311. Cal. 41. Pair of rare pistols with 7″ oct bbls, dovetailed fixed sights, marked on the top flat “W W MARSTON / NEW-YORK” with 1850 patent date. Right side of receivers are engraved with the same information in four lines surrounded by engraved light foliate arabesque patterns. Left side of receivers are engraved by another hand “JACKOBO, SANCHEZ NAVARRO”. Left sides are also engraved with foliate arabesque patterns which extend down the backstraps. Hammer shanks are engraved to match. Pistols are mounted with nicely figured, smooth, 2-pc walnut grips, matching numbered to their respective pistols. Trigger guards are attached to the frame and are oval shaped. Pistols are most unusual, being a breechloading percussion patent operated by a lever in front of the grip which, when operated, exposes the chamber on right side of pistol for loading of Marston’s Patent Cartridge. Those cartridges are most unusual, with a leather case and blue cardboard body which contains the powder and bullet. According to Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms there are only about 1,000 of these pistols produced in the mid-1850s of which about 75% were iron frames. Referenced publication also states that this model is considered secondary martial although no positive evidence exists to confirm that. Accompanied by their orig burgundy velvet lined mahogany casing, compartmented in the bottom for a small iron, single cavity mold with long arm sprue cutter and a unique steel punch for making the leather cartridge bases, a lacquered Eley’s cap tin, 6 complete cartridges, about 18 cartridge bodies with leather bases and a few loose bullets. Altogether an exceedingly rare set and may be the only cased pair of caliber 41 Marston pistols known. The Sanchez Navarro family owned the largest private estate in the history of Mexico. Around 1763 Jose Miguel Sanchez Navarro began accumulating property in the state of Coahuila. He died in 1821 and the estate was inherited by his nephew Jose Melchor Sanchez Navarro who continued to enlarge the estate. His sons, Carlos and Jacobo Sanchez Navarro y Berian inherited the estate when Jose died in 1836. In 1840 they purchased another large estate which increased their land holdings to over 16 million acres. This property then became the largest land holdings in all of Mexico. Somewhere between 1861 and 1865 most of the property was confiscate, first as payment for back taxes and then as punishment for the brothers’ collaboration with Maximilian. In 1867 Carlos was imprisoned for a year and then exiled. He returned in 1870 to Mexico City where he lived in poverty until he died in 1876. Later Carlos’ heirs were able to recover some of the family property and eventually sold it. Accompanied by a large volume of information about the Marston Company, their firearms and cartridges. The company produced pistols as found here, along with a variety of other handguns and rifles in several different calibers, all with the cardboard tube casing and leather base, in calibers from 36, 41, 46 & 54 caliber pistol to 36 & 54 caliber rifle cartridges and 1 58 caliber shotshell. Also accompanying is about 40 pages of a presentation at the American Society of Arms Collectors meeting, Fall 1978, presented by L.D. Eberhart. The information about the Marston Company is very extensive and includes copies of a large variety of handgun and rifle patents along with cartridge patents. On pg 19 Mr. Eberhart states that he would place the number of surviving pistols of this model at less than 100. CONDITION: Pistols are matching numbered throughout and are virtually identical in condition. The bbls retain about 75-80% thin orig blue with freckles of rust on #308. Their frames are cleaned bare metal with clean sharp grips, retaining most of their orig varnish. Mechanics are fine. Strong bright bores with scattered pitting. Case has a few grain checks in the bottom and a slightly warped lid, otherwise is sound and retains about 90% orig varnish. Lining of lid is strong and bright with light soil. Bottom is moderately to heavily soiled with one small loose partition. Tools are fine. Some cartridge bodies are damaged. 4-54284 JR276 (7,500-12,500) – Lot 3255

Auction: Firearms - Fall 2014

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
	3255	$9,200.00	CASED PAIR OF RARE INSCRIBED W.W. MARSTON BREECHLOADING SINGLE SHOT PISTOLS. SN 308 & 311. Cal. 41. Pair of rare pistols with 7″ oct bbls, dovetailed fixed sights, marked on the top flat “W W MARSTON / NEW-YORK” with 1850 patent date. Right side of receivers are engraved with the same information in four lines surrounded by engraved light foliate arabesque patterns. Left side of receivers are engraved by another hand “JACKOBO, SANCHEZ NAVARRO”. Left sides are also engraved with foliate arabesque patterns which extend down the backstraps. Hammer shanks are engraved to match. Pistols are mounted with nicely figured, smooth, 2-pc walnut grips, matching numbered to their respective pistols. Trigger guards are attached to the frame and are oval shaped. Pistols are most unusual, being a breechloading percussion patent operated by a lever in front of the grip which, when operated, exposes the chamber on right side of pistol for loading of Marston’s Patent Cartridge. Those cartridges are most unusual, with a leather case and blue cardboard body which contains the powder and bullet. According to Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms there are only about 1,000 of these pistols produced in the mid-1850s of which about 75% were iron frames. Referenced publication also states that this model is considered secondary martial although no positive evidence exists to confirm that. Accompanied by their orig burgundy velvet lined mahogany casing, compartmented in the bottom for a small iron, single cavity mold with long arm sprue cutter and a unique steel punch for making the leather cartridge bases, a lacquered Eley’s cap tin, 6 complete cartridges, about 18 cartridge bodies with leather bases and a few loose bullets. Altogether an exceedingly rare set and may be the only cased pair of caliber 41 Marston pistols known. The Sanchez Navarro family owned the largest private estate in the history of Mexico. Around 1763 Jose Miguel Sanchez Navarro began accumulating property in the state of Coahuila. He died in 1821 and the estate was inherited by his nephew Jose Melchor Sanchez Navarro who continued to enlarge the estate. His sons, Carlos and Jacobo Sanchez Navarro y Berian inherited the estate when Jose died in 1836. In 1840 they purchased another large estate which increased their land holdings to over 16 million acres. This property then became the largest land holdings in all of Mexico. Somewhere between 1861 and 1865 most of the property was confiscate, first as payment for back taxes and then as punishment for the brothers’ collaboration with Maximilian. In 1867 Carlos was imprisoned for a year and then exiled. He returned in 1870 to Mexico City where he lived in poverty until he died in 1876. Later Carlos’ heirs were able to recover some of the family property and eventually sold it. Accompanied by a large volume of information about the Marston Company, their firearms and cartridges. The company produced pistols as found here, along with a variety of other handguns and rifles in several different calibers, all with the cardboard tube casing and leather base, in calibers from 36, 41, 46 & 54 caliber pistol to 36 & 54 caliber rifle cartridges and 1 58 caliber shotshell. Also accompanying is about 40 pages of a presentation at the American Society of Arms Collectors meeting, Fall 1978, presented by L.D. Eberhart. The information about the Marston Company is very extensive and includes copies of a large variety of handgun and rifle patents along with cartridge patents. On pg 19 Mr. Eberhart states that he would place the number of surviving pistols of this model at less than 100. CONDITION: Pistols are matching numbered throughout and are virtually identical in condition. The bbls retain about 75-80% thin orig blue with freckles of rust on #308. Their frames are cleaned bare metal with clean sharp grips, retaining most of their orig varnish. Mechanics are fine. Strong bright bores with scattered pitting. Case has a few grain checks in the bottom and a slightly warped lid, otherwise is sound and retains about 90% orig varnish. Lining of lid is strong and bright with light soil. Bottom is moderately to heavily soiled with one small loose partition. Tools are fine. Some cartridge bodies are damaged. 4-54284 JR276 (7,500-12,500) – Lot 3255 Auction: Firearms - Fall 2014 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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CASED PAIR OF RARE INSCRIBED W.W. MARSTON BREECHLOADING SINGLE SHOT PISTOLS.