EXTREMELY RARE CASED PAIR OF IVORY STOCKED LEPAGE PERCUSSION TARGET/DUELING PISTOLS.

EXTREMELY RARE CASED PAIR OF IVORY STOCKED LEPAGE PERCUSSION TARGET/DUELING PISTOLS. SN NONE. Cal. About 65. Extraordinary pair of pistols with 8-1/4″ oct Damascus bbls including breech plug. Bbls have tiny blade dovetail front sights with engraved foliate arabesque patterns over chamber areas with platinum wire inlay and blued background. Top flats over the chambers have maker’s name inlaid in gold “Lepage A Paris”. Breech plugs & tangs are engraved to match with platinum wire inlay in the patterns with gold inlaid “1” and “2” respectively. Top tang on #1 has the small gold vignette of a bulldog head with a gold & platinum goat vignette on #2. Lockplates & hammers are beautifully engraved and inlaid in multi-colored gold wire with dog’s heads on sides of hammers and game scenes with hunting dogs & birds. They have sgl set triggers. The elaborate curled trigger guards with finger rest spurs are beautifully blued with multi-color gold & silver inlay with gold & platinum vignette of a dog on #1 and a deer on #2. Pistols are mounted in 1-pc ivory half stocks with fluted butts and stepped fluted buttcaps with long finials that are beautifully engraved and inlaid with gold & silver wire inlay. Stocks have raised side panels and are secured with a sgl rose gold wedge plate with scallop shell head through elliptical gold escutcheons. Tips of forestocks are relief carved in foliate arabesque patterns with stippled background. The sgl lockplate screws & escutcheons are engraved and gold wire inlaid. This fantastic set is accompanied by its orig, elaborate, deluxe, brass bound rosewood casing. Lid has full brass edges with a brass band inlay around outer edge and also in a rectangle around the center gold washed scalloped presentation panel. Front of case has a wide spaced mortised brass lock with matching escutcheon & brass band inlay in front. Interior is burgundy velvet lined with rosettes in the lid, French fitted in the bottom for the two pistols and a complete set of accessories, including ivory stocked turn screw, ivory & ebony mallet, two ivory & ebony round parts boxes, an ivory & ebony cleaning rod with jag, an ebony & silver ramrod, the orig sgl cavity bullet mold with sprue cutter, octagonal powder measure, octagonal steel oil bottle with beaded turned top, patch cutter, worm for the cleaning jag that is blued with a silver ball guide and brush for the cleaning jag . Also included is a bag-shaped copper & silver flask. Under one of the parts boxes is a small folded piece of paper which states that this set is “from the collection Paul Gruenberg in Memphis Tenn”. Note also states that this set is pictured on p. 174 in The Collecting of Guns, Serven, also pictured in Armseller 1953, Dexter, and in an early American Rifleman magazine. This is truly an extraordinary set worthy of the most discerning collector or museum collection. PROVENANCE: H.H. Thomas Collection. CONDITION: Extraordinarily fine. Pistols appear to be new & unfired retaining virtually all of their orig factory finish on the metal with great Damascus Pattern on the bbls. Stocks have various age lines and an age crack on pistol #2, but overall are sound and retain wonderful ivory patina. Set triggers need adjusting, otherwise mechanics are fine, bright shiny bores. Case has several grain checks in the lid with light handling & storage nicks & scratches, otherwise is sound and retains most of its orig varnish. Lining in the lid is moderately faded with some minor staining from the flask. Bottom is lightly to moderately faded with light soil and minor damage from the pistol sights. Accessories are all extremely fine with flask showing light wear as though it had been used for other pistols. 4-36653 JR105 (70,000-100,000)

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
	2559	$69,000.00	EXTREMELY RARE CASED PAIR OF IVORY STOCKED LEPAGE PERCUSSION TARGET/DUELING PISTOLS. SN NONE. Cal. About 65. Extraordinary pair of pistols with 8-1/4″ oct Damascus bbls including breech plug. Bbls have tiny blade dovetail front sights with engraved foliate arabesque patterns over chamber areas with platinum wire inlay and blued background. Top flats over the chambers have maker’s name inlaid in gold “Lepage A Paris”. Breech plugs & tangs are engraved to match with platinum wire inlay in the patterns with gold inlaid “1” and “2” respectively. Top tang on #1 has the small gold vignette of a bulldog head with a gold & platinum goat vignette on #2. Lockplates & hammers are beautifully engraved and inlaid in multi-colored gold wire with dog’s heads on sides of hammers and game scenes with hunting dogs & birds. They have sgl set triggers. The elaborate curled trigger guards with finger rest spurs are beautifully blued with multi-color gold & silver inlay with gold & platinum vignette of a dog on #1 and a deer on #2. Pistols are mounted in 1-pc ivory half stocks with fluted butts and stepped fluted buttcaps with long finials that are beautifully engraved and inlaid with gold & silver wire inlay. Stocks have raised side panels and are secured with a sgl rose gold wedge plate with scallop shell head through elliptical gold escutcheons. Tips of forestocks are relief carved in foliate arabesque patterns with stippled background. The sgl lockplate screws & escutcheons are engraved and gold wire inlaid. This fantastic set is accompanied by its orig, elaborate, deluxe, brass bound rosewood casing. Lid has full brass edges with a brass band inlay around outer edge and also in a rectangle around the center gold washed scalloped presentation panel. Front of case has a wide spaced mortised brass lock with matching escutcheon & brass band inlay in front. Interior is burgundy velvet lined with rosettes in the lid, French fitted in the bottom for the two pistols and a complete set of accessories, including ivory stocked turn screw, ivory & ebony mallet, two ivory & ebony round parts boxes, an ivory & ebony cleaning rod with jag, an ebony & silver ramrod, the orig sgl cavity bullet mold with sprue cutter, octagonal powder measure, octagonal steel oil bottle with beaded turned top, patch cutter, worm for the cleaning jag that is blued with a silver ball guide and brush for the cleaning jag . Also included is a bag-shaped copper & silver flask. Under one of the parts boxes is a small folded piece of paper which states that this set is “from the collection Paul Gruenberg in Memphis Tenn”. Note also states that this set is pictured on p. 174 in The Collecting of Guns, Serven, also pictured in Armseller 1953, Dexter, and in an early American Rifleman magazine. This is truly an extraordinary set worthy of the most discerning collector or museum collection. PROVENANCE: H.H. Thomas Collection. CONDITION: Extraordinarily fine. Pistols appear to be new & unfired retaining virtually all of their orig factory finish on the metal with great Damascus Pattern on the bbls. Stocks have various age lines and an age crack on pistol #2, but overall are sound and retain wonderful ivory patina. Set triggers need adjusting, otherwise mechanics are fine, bright shiny bores. Case has several grain checks in the lid with light handling & storage nicks & scratches, otherwise is sound and retains most of its orig varnish. Lining in the lid is moderately faded with some minor staining from the flask. Bottom is lightly to moderately faded with light soil and minor damage from the pistol sights. Accessories are all extremely fine with flask showing light wear as though it had been used for other pistols. 4-36653 JR105 (70,000-100,000) 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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