A Fine Cased Pair of Rifled Percussion Officers Pistols by Playfair.15” overall, 9” octagonal 50 bore rifled Damascus barrels with adjustable fore sights, engraved ‘Aberdeen’ on the top flat, with three wide lands scroll engraved and gold lined case colour hardened breeches with case colour hardened tangs decorated to match, border and scroll engraved case colour hardened lock signed ‘Playfair’. Bolted locks, set triggers, half stocked with horn fore-ends, border and scroll engraved blued trigger guards with stylized pineapple finials, finely chequered Continental butts, the oval white metal escutcheons engraved with the owner's initials ‘RM’, ebony rammers both with worms. In their original plum velvet lined brass bound mahogany campaign style case complete with accessories include colour hardened detachable belt hooks, three way powder flask, loading rod, jag, bullet mould, nipple key and unopened tin of Joyce percussion caps.
Circa 1845
A crisp pair of guns with virtually all of their original finish.
Charles Playfair of Aberdeen, gunmaker, founded his business in 1821 and is known to have had premises on Union Street from 1824. From 1850, Playfair is listed as "Gunmaker to Prince Albert" and from the early 1900s became the sole manufacturer of Alexander Grant's patented "Vibration" fishing rods. Becoming Charles Playfair and Company in 1876, the business continued at various Union St address until 1925 when it moved to Union Terrace and Diamond Street. In 1955 the company was sold to William Garden Ltd.