.png)
Naval Officer's Boarding Pistols
[Text discription below]
.png)
70032
A Fine Pair of Flintlock, Naval Officer's Boarding Pistols with Spring Bayonets:
English ca. 1805. A beautiful pair of naval officer's, boarding pistols with brass cannon barrels and spring bayonets. Each pistol is fitted with a 4.25 in. brass barrel having a 0.83 in. (20.5 mm) bore at the muzzle, and signed "W Bond 59 Lombard Street". This was William Thomas "1" Bond, recorded as a Gunmaker and Sword Cutler at 59 Lombard Street working between 1803-1836 (1,2). The right side of each pistol is equipped with a brass tipped ebony ramrod and the left side with a blued belt hook. Each ramrod has a concealed, brass capped ball extractor. The box lock action has wheat leaf engraving and "London" in an oval. Ring neck cocks, and top sliding safety’s which also lock the steels. Finely checkered English walnut stocks with engraved pommel caps. Highly polished, under barrel spring bayonets, held and released by the trigger guard. Overall length is 8.75 in. Weight of pistols is: 584.4 g & 579.54 g. London Gunmaker’s Company proof marks (Fig. 1).
A Fine Pair of Flintlock, Naval Officer's Boarding Pistols with Spring Bayonets:
English ca. 1805. A beautiful pair of naval officer's, boarding pistols with brass cannon barrels and spring bayonets. Each pistol is fitted with a 4.25 in. brass barrel having a 0.83 in. (20.5 mm) bore at the muzzle, and signed "W Bond 59 Lombard Street". This was William Thomas "1" Bond, recorded as a Gunmaker and Sword Cutler at 59 Lombard Street working between 1803-1836 (1,2). The right side of each pistol is equipped with a brass tipped ebony ramrod and the left side with a blued belt hook. Each ramrod has a concealed, brass capped ball extractor. The box lock action has wheat leaf engraving and "London" in an oval. Ring neck cocks, and top sliding safety’s which also lock the steels. Finely checkered English walnut stocks with engraved pommel caps. Highly polished, under barrel spring bayonets, held and released by the trigger guard. Overall length is 8.75 in. Weight of pistols is: 584.4 g & 579.54 g. London Gunmaker’s Company proof marks (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1: London Gunmaker's Company Proof Marks.
Condition:
The condition is extremely fine, as new, seeing little use. A perfect matched pair. Excellent wood to metal fit on the grips. Bayonets opperate flawlessly. Mechanics are excellent. Highly accomplished engraving throughout. One of the highest condition known, pair of boarding pistols, rarely found in this condition.
Historical: William Bond (w 1768-1776) was the founder of a family of gunsmiths working in London and was active in gunsmithing himself until 1776. From 1776 to 1800, his son Philip Bond had a shop at 45 Cornhill, London. He made brass barrel flintlock pocket pistols with underspring bayonets, and flintlock blunderbusses with spring bayonets. Edward Bond at 45 Cornhill, London, was active from 1800-1830. He made flintlock holster pistols with swivel ramrod and double barrel flintlock carbines with top-spring bayonets. William Thomas "1" Bond, the maker of these pistols, is recorded as a Gunmaker & Sword Cutler at 59 Lombard Street working between 1803-1836. He made a variety of brass barrel flintlock pistols and cased percussion travelling pistols of fine workmanship. Edward William Bond (probably the son of William) was active between1850-1861. He made cased percussion pepperbox pistols as flintlocks were wanning in popularity at this time. Edward Bond was active 1861-1870 and Edward William Bond (probably junior) from 1870-1879. Philip John Joseph (Son of Edward), was apprenticed to Thomas Tringham in 1774, and made free of Goldsmiths Co., in 1781. He was a Gunmaker and Sword Cutler at 45 Cornhill between 1794-1816. He was also recorded to have a shop at 59 Lombard Street as well between 1794-1803. He supplied guns to the Hudson Bay Co., 1790-1815, and died in 1816 (3). Bibliography:
1. Blackmore, H. (1986). A Dictionary of London Gunmakers, 1350-1850, Phaidon, Christie's, Oxford. ISBN [0-7148-8021-3] p. 57. 2. Heer, Eugene (1978). Der Neue Stockel; Vol 1, p. 120. ; Journal Verlag Schwend GmbH; Schwabisch Hall. 3. Carey, Merwyn (1954). English, Irish and Scottish Firearms Makers, Acro Publishing Company, New York.
Historical: William Bond (w 1768-1776) was the founder of a family of gunsmiths working in London and was active in gunsmithing himself until 1776. From 1776 to 1800, his son Philip Bond had a shop at 45 Cornhill, London. He made brass barrel flintlock pocket pistols with underspring bayonets, and flintlock blunderbusses with spring bayonets. Edward Bond at 45 Cornhill, London, was active from 1800-1830. He made flintlock holster pistols with swivel ramrod and double barrel flintlock carbines with top-spring bayonets. William Thomas "1" Bond, the maker of these pistols, is recorded as a Gunmaker & Sword Cutler at 59 Lombard Street working between 1803-1836. He made a variety of brass barrel flintlock pistols and cased percussion travelling pistols of fine workmanship. Edward William Bond (probably the son of William) was active between1850-1861. He made cased percussion pepperbox pistols as flintlocks were wanning in popularity at this time. Edward Bond was active 1861-1870 and Edward William Bond (probably junior) from 1870-1879. Philip John Joseph (Son of Edward), was apprenticed to Thomas Tringham in 1774, and made free of Goldsmiths Co., in 1781. He was a Gunmaker and Sword Cutler at 45 Cornhill between 1794-1816. He was also recorded to have a shop at 59 Lombard Street as well between 1794-1803. He supplied guns to the Hudson Bay Co., 1790-1815, and died in 1816 (3). Bibliography:
1. Blackmore, H. (1986). A Dictionary of London Gunmakers, 1350-1850, Phaidon, Christie's, Oxford. ISBN [0-7148-8021-3] p. 57. 2. Heer, Eugene (1978). Der Neue Stockel; Vol 1, p. 120. ; Journal Verlag Schwend GmbH; Schwabisch Hall. 3. Carey, Merwyn (1954). English, Irish and Scottish Firearms Makers, Acro Publishing Company, New York.
.png)