40107: Extremely Rare 4-Barrel Pepperbox Pistol Cane wi

Extremely Rare 4-Barrel Pepperbox Pistol Cane with Horn Handle by Brigg London. Overall length is 33-inches. This cane is marked Brigg London, Brigg's is written about in all the books but this cane has an unique firing mechanism. You pull the handle straight out of the exotic yellow wooden shaft and you are now looking at a perfectly made 6 1/8-inch four sided stiletto with a needle tip. This is attached to a marked barrel that has Victoria Regent stamped on it. This mechanism is unique, to place the firing cap you must simply pull the barrel chamber forward 1/2-inch, and this reveals the firing nipple and cocks the fileworked trigger mechanism that fires off a small silver button on the under side of the cane. Note: According to research, Scottish clergyman named Alexander Forsyth was the first to use Mercury fulminate to ignite gunpowder, master Durs-Egg made the firing system work more effectively by developing the percussion cap in 1812. Cane guns are represented well in all the cane books, such as Cane Curiosa and Snyders book on canes. Note: For examples of gun cane mechanisms, Cane Curiosa by Catherine Dike is a great source, although this exact mechanism is not pictured. Also, in the book, Canes, From the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Century by Jeffrey B. Snyder, page 132 has a small section on Brigg & Sons London including a few photocopy pages from a French catalog advertising Brigg & Sons. Pages 194 and 195 in the same book, show similar examples and mechanisms, mostly the revolving type. Condition: Very good to fine for this configuration. Wood with nicks and mars throughout from handling and storage. Some scuffs to tip of handle. Metal with gray patina overall. Mechanism works. Bore ok. HID03101062020 © 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved