"Hanson, Huddersfield." engraved on top of the barrel. This exact pistol is pictured with its case and accessories and described on page 628 of "Blue Book of Airguns, Thirteenth Edition" in which the book states, "Three previous gun makers could be referred to as 'Hanson of Huddersfield': George Hanson (1809) and two Charles Hansons (1833, 1839-1845). A John Hanson (1860-1868) filed a British patent that seems to match the pistol below [this pistol pictured]." This high quality engraved air pistol is of the type used by an individual with wealth and status for sporting/target shooting purposes. "Wind guns" had several advantages over conventional firearms including that they were quieter, smokeless, quicker to reload, and relatively unaffected by rain. They also required less cleaning since they did not require corrosive black powder. It features an octagon barrel with fine-groove rifling, dovetail mounted fancy blade and notch sights, a rotating faucet breech that loads from the top, a right side mounted cocking lever shaped like a dragon, and a brass grip air reservoir. Features fancy floral scroll and border engraving on the action, sides of the faucet breech, trigger guard and brass grip reservoir, and a dragon shaped hammer with engraving. Circular brass collection tag marked "R.D. BEEMAN/PRIVATE/COLLECTION/2266" hanging from the trigger guard. Includes a walnut case lined in red felt, brown twist finished air pump, and a three-ball mold. Provenance: The Dr. Robert D. Beeman Collection

Excellent, retains 90% original brown twist finish with some light flaking at the edges and a few small spots of light surface corrosion, 90% plus vivid original case colors, 95% plus attractive bright gold finish on the brass grip reservoir, and sharp engraving and barrel marking. Mechanically fine. Case is fine with scattered scratches, a few chips, some age related wear on the felt lining, and one of the hinges has broken off sections. The air pump and ball mold are both very fine.