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Magnificent Pair of Cased Exhibition Quality French Prelat Gold Inlaid Percussion Target/Dueling Pis

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Firearms & Armory Start Price:8,000.00 USD Estimated At:20,000.00 - 40,000.00 USD
Magnificent Pair of Cased Exhibition Quality French Prelat Gold Inlaid Percussion Target/Dueling Pis
A) Made circa 1850 with a rifled 10-inch octagon barrels with dovetail mounted steel pin front sights and rudimentary rear sights. The barrels are decorated with intricate, gold, foliate inlays at the muzzle, tang and along the edge of the stock. The pistols are numbered "1" and "2" in gold on the top barrel flat. The top of each barrel is inlaid in gold with the maker's name: "PRELAT ARF A PARIS". The fenced percussion bolsters, hammers and lock plates are completely covered with intricate gold foliate inlays. The elaborate inlays extend to cover the bottom of the trigger guard, the trigger guard finials and fluted buttcap. The pistols have one-piece, wedge-fastened, ebony stocks decorated with relief carved foliate designs on the forearm tip, side-plate flat and sides of the deeply fluted grips. The pistols are in a French-fitted ebony case with green felt lining. The case lid is inlaid with three silver bands around the edges and a nickel-silver shield in the center. The shield is engraved with an elaborate monogram. The inside of the lid is marked in gold: "LAGREZE Bte/10 RUE RAMBATEAU/PARIS". The case has a small corner compartment with wooden handle and contains a full set of accessories that include: (1) two wooden cleaning/ramrods with threaded brass tips, (2) an iron double cavity bullet mold for round balls and conical bullets, (3) a wooden mallet, (4) nipple wrench with wooden handle, (5) a small brass powder ladle, (6) screwdriver blade, (7) bore brush, (8) steel wire bore brush and (9) two carved wooden containers for percussion caps. The handles and wooden components are highly figured French walnut with a polished finish. All of the original accessories are present in the case.
BBL: 10 inch octagon
Stock: ebony
Gauge: 38 Percussion
Finish: brown gold Inlaid fluted
Grips:
Serial Number: NSN
Condition: Excellent with 98% of the original brown finish and nearly all of the gold inlays. Handling wear is limited to some thinning on the inside of the grip strap and on the trigger guard finger spur. The ebony stock is also in excellent condition with only very minor handling wear.

B) French 19th Century Gold Inlaid Percussion Target/Dueling Pistol
Described in A.
BBL:
Stock: ebony
Gauge: 38 Percussion
Finish: brown gold inlaid fluted
Grips:
Serial Number: NSN
Condition: Excellent with 90% of the original brown finish and nearly all of the gold inlays. Handling wear is limited to some thinning on the inside of the grip straps and on the trigger guard finger spur. The gold inlays on the grip strap show some slight wear. The ebony stock is in excellent condition with only very minor handling wear. The cased accessories are in excellent condition. The bright-finished iron bullet mold has some scattered and very light pitting. The green felt case lining is bright and clean wear is limited to some light compression marks in the lid lining and small tears opposite the hammer spur and front sight. The case exterior is in fine condition with scattered dents and handling marks. There is a seven-inch hair-line crack in the top of the lid and two pieces of the nickel-silver trim are missing. This is a magnificent cased pair of highest quality 19th Century, French Percussion Target Pistols.