NORTH & CHENEY 1799 CONTRACT PISTOL.

NORTH & CHENEY 1799 CONTRACT PISTOL. SN 165. Cal. 73. 7-15/16″ rnd bbl marked “V/US” at top near breech. Brass frame is marked underneath “NORTH & CHENEY BERLIN”. Serial number “165” stamped inside frame. Like the frame, the butt cap is made of brass. Walnut stock is unmarked. Here is the opportunity to own the Rosetta Stone of United States martial pistols. Simeon North and Elisha Cheney signed a contract with the Government to manufacture 500 pistols on March 8, 1799 and were the first pistols manufactured entirely by a contractors, as all previous procurements were assembled from parts either in storage or made by various people. These new pistols were derived from the French Model 1777 Pistol with several improvements and were marked “S.NORTH & E. Cheney” along the brass frame. With these first 500 pistols delivered by early 1800, a second contract was forthcoming Simeon North and Elisha Cheney for 1,500 pistols dated February 6, 1800. Pistols delivered under this second contract have a variant marking of “NORTH & CHENEY” marked on the brass frame. The final delivery of the 1,500 pistols were delivered by mid-year 1801 and effectively launched Simeon North into his pistol making venture that lasted another 25 years. PROVENANCE: Charles Radcliffe Collection. CONDITION: Iron bbl and tang are in very good condition with only slight evidence of pitting in the region of the touch hole. Brass frame and butt cap are in very good condition with all markings sharp and clear. Walnut stock is correct, having 1″ long stress crack on left side and one very minor 1/8″ w x 1/2″ l chip on right side of stock above butt cap. Also there are two 3/4″ long cracks at back of trigger guard, not affecting soundness of the gun. Accompanying this gun is an assessment written by James Wertenberger, a well known authority on single shot martials, in the mid 1980s relating the history of this gun showing up at a hardware store for sale. Pistol is original flint, however the top jaw, jaw screw, battery spring and ramrod are replacements. Considering that only about two dozen of these rare and historic martial pistols are known to exist of the 2,000 orig delivered, this gun would be an important addition to any advanced martial pistol collection. 4-39559 PAS26 (40,000-50,000)

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
	2451	$40,250.00	NORTH & CHENEY 1799 CONTRACT PISTOL. SN 165. Cal. 73. 7-15/16″ rnd bbl marked “V/US” at top near breech. Brass frame is marked underneath “NORTH & CHENEY BERLIN”. Serial number “165” stamped inside frame. Like the frame, the butt cap is made of brass. Walnut stock is unmarked. Here is the opportunity to own the Rosetta Stone of United States martial pistols. Simeon North and Elisha Cheney signed a contract with the Government to manufacture 500 pistols on March 8, 1799 and were the first pistols manufactured entirely by a contractors, as all previous procurements were assembled from parts either in storage or made by various people. These new pistols were derived from the French Model 1777 Pistol with several improvements and were marked “S.NORTH & E. Cheney” along the brass frame. With these first 500 pistols delivered by early 1800, a second contract was forthcoming Simeon North and Elisha Cheney for 1,500 pistols dated February 6, 1800. Pistols delivered under this second contract have a variant marking of “NORTH & CHENEY” marked on the brass frame. The final delivery of the 1,500 pistols were delivered by mid-year 1801 and effectively launched Simeon North into his pistol making venture that lasted another 25 years. PROVENANCE: Charles Radcliffe Collection. CONDITION: Iron bbl and tang are in very good condition with only slight evidence of pitting in the region of the touch hole. Brass frame and butt cap are in very good condition with all markings sharp and clear. Walnut stock is correct, having 1″ long stress crack on left side and one very minor 1/8″ w x 1/2″ l chip on right side of stock above butt cap. Also there are two 3/4″ long cracks at back of trigger guard, not affecting soundness of the gun. Accompanying this gun is an assessment written by James Wertenberger, a well known authority on single shot martials, in the mid 1980s relating the history of this gun showing up at a hardware store for sale. Pistol is original flint, however the top jaw, jaw screw, battery spring and ramrod are replacements. Considering that only about two dozen of these rare and historic martial pistols are known to exist of the 2,000 orig delivered, this gun would be an important addition to any advanced martial pistol collection. 4-39559 PAS26 (40,000-50,000) 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.

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