A Cased Percussion Turnover Pocket Pistol by Purdey. 6” overall, 1 ½” 38 bore barrel with engraved tramline around the muzzle, border engraved rounded actions ‘Purday’ & ‘London’ on opposite sides, dolphin hammer and thumb piece safety catch. Folding trigger and border engraved rounded butt cap, the latter with hinged circular butt trap cover. Finely chequered figured walnut rounded butts and silver escutcheon with owner’s crest and numbered ‘44’. In its original fitted mahogany case the lid with brass escutcheon engraved with the owner's crest and motto ‘CARPE DIEM’, the green baize lined interior with maker's trade card for J. Purdey, complete with 38 bore mould, flask and crown head barrel key.
Circa 1835.
Pistol and case in good condition, no original finish, small crack to box lock ahead of the hammer.
Despite the miss engraved Purday on the lock, I am quite sure this a Purdey retailed pistol, as it conforms to the pattern of engraving and chequering of the pistols bought in, finished and retailed by Purdey, the number stamped in the butt the clincher. Nearly every Purdey ‘off book’ pistol I have ever seen has been numbered in this way.
See W. Keith Neal and D.H.L. Back ‘British Gunmakers Their Trade Cards, Cases and Equipment 1760-1860’ 1980, pl. 457and L. Patrick Unsworth ‘The Early Purdeys, 1996’ pl. 33 for a similar pistol cased in a brace of pistols.