A Small Pair of Griffin Flintlock Toby Pistols. 6 ¼” overall, 1 ¾” 50 bore turn-off cannon barrels, breeches engraved ‘Griffin’ in script, decorated with a band of foliage at the rear, stamped below with London proofs & Foreigners mark, border engraved tangs decorated with foliage, border engraved actions & swan necked cocks, sliding trigger guard safety catches which unusually engage the back of the triggers, ‘L’ shaped frizzen springs, the trigger guards engraved with a sunburst on the bows. Figured walnut globose butts carved in relief with a scalloped shell behind the tangs.
Very small for this type of pistol in good condition, rare to see this style still in use at this date.
Benjamin Griffin. Apprenticed to Samuel Harrison, 1719; gave up apprentice and worked as
foreign gunmaker allowed to prove guns by Gunmakers Co., 1724-31. Told to give up work by Gunmakers CO., but traded as gunmaker (Successor to Samuel Garrison), Bond St., 1735-70. Registered silversmiths mark, Goldsmiths Hall, 1743. Died 1770.