Horst Held Antique Handguns
e-mail held@ectisp.net
phone
972-351-8852 fax
972-775-3553
541 Lynnie Pennie
Lane 
Midlothian, Texas 76065
Volcanic Repeating Arms
Co.
THE VOLCANIC
REPEATING ARMS CO.
PATENT FEB. 14, 1854,
NEW HAVEN, CONN.
inscribed on 6" octagonal barrel with magazine underneath, caliber .41 rocket ball cartridge (see picture below) Matching serial # 664 on trigger, frame and grips, the frame in smooth brass, the barrel with magazine, trigger and guard with traces of original blue, varnished grips, in good working order including the sometimes broken cartridge elevator and spring in the magazine . Fine condition. Flayderman's # 5K-007 "Navy Model" $16,500.
CASED NEW HAVEN VOLCANIC NO. 1 LEVER ACTION POCKET PISTOL
serial # 228 on back strap and grip, caliber 31. 3½" octagonal barrel, pinched post front sight and integral magazine tube. Top barrel flat has the 2-line New Haven address with patent date Feb. 14, 1854 and it has fixed rear sight in the top flat of the receiver. The frame is silver plated and engraved with typical Volcanic patterns consisting of foliate arabesque scrolls on sides and side plates with a scallop border at the transition to the front fluted area. Top side flats of frame and around hammer slot are engraved in feather patterns with foliate patterns on top flat and back strap. Pistol is mounted with nicely smooth American walnut 2-piece grips.
Accompanied by an extremely rare original Volcanic
case, dark blue lined and compartmented for the pistol, a cleaning rod, oil
can and key. The lid shows
Baron Thornton de Mouncie, Londres.
In Taylerson's book “The Revolver 1865 –
1888" we find his address Baron A. T. de MOUNCIE of Paris, now Queen Victoria
St., City of London.
De Mouncie received some patents for British handguns.
Flayderman's Guide 5K-014: only 850 of these rare pistols were produced in
the period 1857-1860. Few of those survived and cased models
almost unknown.
The pistol is in good working order, some plating is worn off, over all fine
condition. The very
rare set $20,000.
for information
VOLCANIC CARTRIDGE - Cartridges designed for early Smith and Wesson (later Volcanic Arms) They are deeply concave-based lead cartridges containing powder and primer within their bases. They are an evolution of the Hunt Rocket Ball.
VENDITTI E CI LANCUSI
Støckel: Pietro Antonio VENDITTI, Napoli + Lancusi, 1877 patented repeating pistol
hammer cocked
action open, showing elevator to carry cartridge from tube to barrel
Rare Italian
Venditti Lever Action Repeating Pistolno visible serial #, 9 mm caliber. 6 15/16" octagonal barrel with front sight, underneath the barrel is a tubular10 shot magazine. The top of the barrel is marked "VENDITTI E CI LANCUSI". This pistol is a copy of the American Volcanic and fires a similar self-contained cartridge. The pistol has a brass frame with steel side plates. The sides of the frame, side plate, back strap and top of the barrel are engraved with floral scrollwork with a stippled background. The walnut grips have a checkered panel on each side with engraved screw escutcheons. The brass frame has a honey brown patina and the other metal parts are a clean steel gray with a little age spotting on the barrel. All of the engraving is in very good condition. The grips show light wear and rate very good.
"Der Neue Støckel", Volume II, page 1324:1828 - 1878. After being released from hard labor, as he had been convicted for murder, he started his own activity in Torre Annunziata; after many patents, he realizes and patents his famous repeating pistol, made for ten and even twenty-six shots.
According to the internet there are less than 100 made, this is the second I own in more than 40 years of collecting sold
additional information supplied by a reader: