Very Fine Early Production Lefaucheux Model 1854 12mm Pin Fire Revolver
12mm Pinfire. 6.25" barrel length. SN: 5519. Blued and color casehardened finish, varnished two-piece European hardwood grips. Single action, 6-shot pin fire revolver. Barrel engraved in a single line “INVon E. LEFAUCHEUX BRte PARIS”. Lower right side of frame with Lefaucheux's "LF" trade mark followed by the serial number “5519”. Assembly number “66D” in loading gate and on rear face of cylinder. The Model 1854 Lefaucheux was one of the most advanced revolvers of its time and one of the first truly successful self-contained metallic cartridge firearms. Some 10,000 or so were acquired by the US Ordnance Department during the American Civil War, with documented guns in the 33,895-42,522 range the overall purchase range of these guns believed to be in the approximate range of 30,XXX to 45,XXX. An undetermined number of these revivers were acquired by the South as well, in sufficient quantities to appear on ordnance returns from the field and for arsenals to keep inventories of the proprietary ammunition for issue. This is an exceptional condition example that is an early production, pre-Civil War gun likely dating to 1854-1855. These guns are rarely found in such wonderful condition and would be a fine addition to any collection of Civil War era or European handguns of the mid-19th century.
Condition:
Very fine. Retains nearly all of the original blued finish on the barrel and cylinder with some thinning, fading and expected high edge loss. Frame retains much of the muted and faded color casehardened finish with a mottled silvery gray appearance and some traces of vivid color in protected areas. All markings remain clear and crisp. Mechanically functional with a crisp action. Fine bore is mostly bright with some scattered oxidized discoloration, fine rifling and some lightly scattered pinpricking. Grips very fine, retaining most of the original varnish and showing only some light handling marks. Retains the often missing or broken loading gate catch, ejector rod and swiveling lanyard ring in the butt. All of these parts are in fine condition and remain fully functional.
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We are happy to announce that the Cincinnati office of Hindman/Cowan's will be moving to a new location on May 23, 2022.
In advance of our move, we are requiring that all purchased property be removed from our current Este Avenue location within two weeks of the completion of each auction. For this auction, all property must be removed by May 11.
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