A VERY RARE BRASS MOUNTED 16 BORE POST OFFICE PACKET SHIP FLINTLOCK PISTOL BY HENRY NOCK, BUTT CAP MARKED ‘GEN’L POST OFFICE’ - CIRCA 1795

Only a handful of these extremely rare packet ship pistols have survived. Considerably rarer than the mail pistols made by Mortimer and Harding for land use. Appendix 4 in the book ‘Those Entrusted with Arms’ by Frederick Wilkinson, lists just two of these Nock packet ship pistols (page 256) compared to 66 recorded surviving Mail Coach pistols.  This is hardly surprising as there were approximately 120-140 Mail Coaches but just 16 packet ships (1808 list) operating out of Falmouth with many wartime losses of packet ships and crews.  Our own research reveals just 5 surviving packet ship pistols by Henry Nock - the two recorded in the above book (one of which in museum condition was sold through West Street Antiques in 2011), plus one excellent condition example with a belt hook in a private collection in the USA, one (without a belt hook) owned by the Postal Museum and on loan to the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth plus this example now offered for sale.  When Henry Nock died in 1804, his contract to supply these Packet Ship pistols appears to have been taken over by his successor James Wilkinson with a few WILKINSON marked examples surviving of near identical pattern to Nock. 

 This pistol has a 9.5 inch brass barrel (proofs worn) of 16 bore, a border engraved lock signed H NOCK with inspectors stamp of a crown over 2 under the pan (the crown very feint as original stamping hit the pan edge), ring neck reinforced cock. Lock in excellent mechanical condition. Full stocked with regulation brass mounts, the buttcap marked GEN’L POST OFFICE  (feint), steel belt hook with inspectors stamp, brass tipped wooden ramrod which looks original and matches the museum quality example. Overall length 16 inches. This very original pistol has seen extensive use with numerous handling marks, wear to brass barrel, engraving and mounts, old splits mainly around fore end pins and minor wood losses. A very rare survivor. 

 Reference;-  

 ‘Those Entrusted with Arms’ by Frederick Wilkinson, 2002. Appendix 4, pages 254-258 plus pages 125-126 for details of Nock contract. 

  ‘The Falmouth Packets 1689-1851’ by Tony Pawlyn, 2003.  

 ‘The Falmouth Packets’ by David Mudd, 1978.  

 Henry Nock - see numerous references online.

SOLD

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