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ELABORATE HIGH ART CHISELED STEEL, GOLD INSET

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:2,000.00 USD Estimated At:4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD
ELABORATE HIGH ART CHISELED STEEL, GOLD INSET

“HYDE & GOODRICH” TARGET PISTOL OWNED BY YANKTON, DAKOTA TERRITORY GUNSMITH. Cal. 56 Bore (About 44 cal). NSN. 16” Overall. 10” Oct. bbl. w/ unique textured “damascene” etching, gold inset lettering in gold inset frame “HYDE & GOODRICH IN NEW ORLEANS”. Iron mounted, set trigger, adj. rear notch sight, inset fine blade front sight. Lock, breech, side plate, triggerguard, & tang are relief chiseled w/ gold backgrounds, intricate designs include angel, musketeer, dragon heads, medieval knight in armor. Buttcap finely sculpted & engraved. Stock has fluted & relief carved grip, fore end carved lion’s head, detailed glass eyes w/ pupils. Stamped on top of bbl. in 2 lines “H. W. WHITE / YANKTON, DK”. Hiram Wallace White (1819-1903) early citizen of Yankton, Dakota Territory & gunsmith as listed in 1880 Yankton census, & earlier ones in Illinois. Hiram was also inventor & traveler. Where could he have got this wonderful antebellum Southern piece of firearm art. Hyde & Goodrich was the leading fancy goods store in New Orleans from 1829 to 1861. A New Orleans reporter in late 1860 as the Civil War was about to begin, noted that the Hyde & Goodrich window displays instead the usual diamonds & silver items, “windows now occupied by trophies of magnificent arms of every description”. Of the surviving high grade firearms emblazoned with Hyde & Goodrich’s name, nothing compares to quality & condition of this one. CONDITION: fine overall. Metal overall gray/bright retaining most of its gold background. Only the bbl. tang extension on back of grip lacks gold & overall silver/gray patina. There is a well disguised crack repair on wrist between carved fluting and lock plate. PROVENANCE: ex-William Orbello collection of dueling pistols. Collection of John Montague. (01-20726/JS). ANTIQUE. $4,000-6,000.