Manufactured by Joseph Perkins and Samuel Coutty of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania utilizing British made components and purchased by the U.S. in 1798 to arm the military for the Quasi-War with France. Considered to have run from 1798-1800, also known as the Franco-American War, the Quasi-War was primarily a naval conflict between the newly formed First French Republic and the United States. This conflict motivated the United States to go through a crash rearmament program. As a result, contracts were extended to commercial makers to build military pistols to be shipped to John Harris or Joseph Bryant of Springfield Arsenal for inventory and inspection. The pistol has a pin-fastened walnut stock with round barrel. The convex lock plate has a pointed tip, removable fenced iron pan and goose-neck cock. Brass ramrod tail pipe and pipe, pierced brass side plate, brass trigger guard and butt cap, and oval brass thumb piece. Wooden ramrod with flared head and brass tip. Simple floral and border engraving on top of the breech, barrel tang, butt cap, and trigger guard. "KETLAND/& Co" marked lock and "LONDON" marked on top of the barrel. Springfield Armory "P" proofmark in an oval and the indented Springfield viewer's mark marked on the left of the breech. "JL" inspection mark of Ordnance inspector Joseph Lewis Sr. marked at the rear of the left stock flat. Surviving examples of government inspected commercial style 1798 Contract Pistols are rare and desirable.

Good. Barrel and lock have a silver gray patina with moderate age discoloration, scattered light pitting, and mostly clear markings in the metal. Brass furniture retains an attractive golden aged patina. Stock is fair as sanded and re-oiled with scattered scratches, a repaired hairline crack along the right barrel channel between the forend tip and the lock flat, a crack on the left tip of the forend, a crack running beneath the lock and ahead of the trigger guard finial, a crack ahead of the rear lock screw, a repaired split at the grip, numerous hairline cracks, a chip behind the wrist plaque, and a clear inspection mark on the left flat. Mechanically fair, the hammer hangs up in half cock but will function intermittently. This is a solid example of a rare U.S. Model 1798 Contract pistol that was inspected at Springfield Arsenal.