Norman R. Blank had a taste for and appreciation of the finer things, whether it was Italian sports cars, fine wine or antiquarian books. That appreciation is made clear through his collection of fine firearms, particularly high art European arms.

Blank’s collection, populated with museum-quality antique firearms, had gone unseen and nearly forgotten for many years despite its fine examples from European craftsmen of the day, like Nicolas-Noël Boutet, Gastinne Renette, Durs Egg, Henry Nock, and Joseph and John Manton.

Rock Island Auction Company is proud to premiere numerous selections from the Norman R. Blank Collection in the company’s inaugural Bedford, Texas Premier Auction, Dec. 8-10. This amazing collection ranges from magnificent double rifles and cased flintlock shotguns to splendid double barrel pistols. Many of these museum-worthy arms feature brilliant embellishments and engraving and some with the provenance of royalty or aristocracy.

Fine Firearms: Gastinne-Renette Exhibition Pistols

Perhaps the pinnacle of the December offerings from the Norman R. Blank Collection is this pair of exhibition percussion dueling pistols with silver and silver gilt mounted, engraved, chiseled, and raised relief embellishments by Gastinne-Renette. These guns were displayed at the Exposition Universelle of 1855, the year they were made.

These pistols are true opulence on display and qualify as high art, from the squirrels and snakes battling on the hammers, to the silver gilt creatures that whimsically adorn it: a curled lizard on the pommel, a gilded monkey that is part of the ornate twigs of the trigger guard, and a beetle on the forend caps.

These sublime pieces were owned by famous marksman, author and Olympian Walter Winans who competed in the 1908 London Olympics and the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, earning gold and silver respectively. He also demonstrated dueling as a sport in 1908 using wax bullets. Winans wrote “The Art of Revolver Shooting,” and shared a Gastinne-Renette gallery in his book, “The Modern Pistol.”

These exhibition Gastinne-Renette pistols were displayed at the Exposition Universelle of 1855 in Paris as well as The Great London Exposition in 1862 and featured on plate six from “Masterpieces of Industrial Art and Sculpture at the International Exhibition, 1862 Vol. 1.” The ebony stocks feature coordinating relief carved vine scrolling that carries over to the three dimensional motif across the silver furniture.

Fine Firearms Made for the Imperial Habsburg Family

This pair of sporting rifles were made by Georg Keiser, one of the most talented gunmakers in Vienna in the 17th and early 18th century and whose many pieces survive in state and imperial collections across Europe.

A rollicking battle scene of horsemen attacking a castle decorates the flat plates while Athena is depicted on the hammer seated with a flag behind her and a shield under her arm. The left side of the rifles bear the golden coat of arms of the Habsburgs, and almost certainly Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI considering that the guns were likely made in the early 18th century. The gilt brass heel plate tang of one rifle has a bust of a woman and the second has a bust of a man in armor.

These rifles feature several parts of gilt brass with engraved scroll patterns, and the stocks features relief carved scroll patterns and border molding. The guns have adjustable double set triggers.

Fine Firearms of King Frederick I of Wurttemberg

Frederick I rose to power in 1806 after Wurttemberg, located in what is now southwest Germany, broke away from the Holy Roman Empire, elevated from duchy to kingdom. He joined the Confederation of the Rhine a few months later, aligning himself with Napoleon on his ill-fated campaign against the Russians. He later flipped allegiances in 1813, standing alongside Great Britain and Russia.

This silver mounted and engraved flintlock sporting gun was made by Christian Koerber, a court gunmaker to the Prince of Hohenlohe and the Duke of Wurttemberg in the middle to late 18th century. It is engraved with King Frederick’s crowned monogram and his coat of arms is carved in high detail on the left side of the stock. The gun is blued and decorated with silver inlaid scroll and floral patterns while the barrel offers a gold vent liner and silver “spider” base blade front sight. The furniture is also silver and includes pierced scroll pattern accent plates.

This flintlock sporting gun of King Frederick I of Wurttemberg has a fire-blued barrel and gold vent liner with inlays in the stock and butt. The lock is bright burnished steel and has a gold-lined priming pan. The gun is possibly part of a larger garniture for a royal hunting collection.

Fine Firearms from John Manton

A cased pair of engraved and gold inlaid “hair rifled” double barrel flintlock pistols made by John Manton have single triggers for their over/under barrels and a subtle brown finish to the barrels and casehardening on the receivers, making them an opportunity for a collector to leap at guns of such condition.

Words on the upper barrels are in gold along with a band at the breech. A single trigger fires both barrels – first the lower as is Manton’s practice because “the lower barrel disturbs aim less.” The barrels have faint “hair” or “scratch” rifling to fire more accurately.

The casehardened flats are signed “Manton” and have border and floral engraving. These John Manton over/under pistols have blued trigger guards and feature floral and martial themed engraving. The pistols appear in “The Mantons: Gunmakers” on page 79.

A very fine cased engraved John Manton & Sons double barrel flintlock shotgun is a spectacular side-by-side from the late flintlock era that comes from the collection of the Earl of Plymouth. This shotgun, produced about 1835, bears escutcheons on both the stock’s wrist and the case’s lid of a griffin and wreath over the initials RHC for British conservative politician Robert Henry Clive, the younger son of the first Earl of Powis and the Countess of Powis.

Purchased in 1962 from the sale of the Earl of Plymouth’s guns, this flintlock shotgun has browned Damascus barrels, floral engraving that extends onto the patent breeches and their platinum liners. Platinum also lines the touch holes.

This double barrel flintlock shotgun made and engraved by John Manton & Son is accompanied by a mahogany case with a suite of accessories including a leather-bound Hawksley flask, leather flint wallet, flints, spare screws, wad punch, double turnscrew, and small brush.

Fine Firearms for Hunting

Norman R. Blank was a big game hunter and even obtained a professional hunter license at one time, so sporting arms are a significant part of the offerings in his unrivaled collection, like this very rare Henry Nock 4 bore flintlock dangerous game rifle.

Nock was a highly regarded gunmaker in his heyday in London, from 1772 until his death in 1804. His patent breech of 1787 was a considerable advancement in the development of flintlock firearm, and this gun is an early example, from 1790-1800 and the gun’s lower flat is marked “HN/PATENT” in a small gold-lined oval The gun has a browned Damascus barrel with nine groove rifling and has a blued patent breech with a gold-lined touch hole and gold inlaid band. The breech is engraved with floral scrollwork and a small martial trophy. The lock also has a gold-lined rainproof pan and roller.

This Henry Nock 4 bore flintlock dangerous game rifle has a single set trigger and figured stock with a dark horn forend cap, blank wrist escutcheon, a checkered wrist, and cheekpiece.

This very fine engraved Alexander Henry 1882 patent hammerless lever-cocking sidelock double rifle is featured by serial number in the Donald Dallas book “Alexander Henry: Rifle Maker” as a best grade double hammerless rifle in 450/400 made in 1889. Built on Henry’s classic lever-cocking patent, only 241 rifles were built on the patent from its issuance to the end of the 19th century.

Beautifully casehardened, the action has tight scroll engraving and a checkered forend and pistol grip stock that are well-figured with an oval shadowline cheekpiece and rubber recoil pad with black spacer.

The casehardened action of this Alexander Henry 1882 patent hammerless lever-cocking sidelock double rifle has a cocking indicator that has gold inlaid “cocked” markings on both sides and a silver inlaid “safe” on the safety.

Antonio Gomez was one of the most influential Madrid gunmakers in the third quarter of the 18th century. His exceptional Spanish engraved and gold inlaid smoothbore sporting gun has a French-influenced Madrid lock with a gold-lined “crown/ANT./GO/Mez” stamp between the cock and the priming pan with floral scroll engraving on the hammer and action with “Antonio Gomez 1771/Madrid” in a banner under the pan on inlaid gold contrasted by the relief engraving. Sunken gold-lined marking of a cross, three flowers and the “crown/ANT./GO/Mez” appear at the breech and a stamping similar to the one under the firing pan.

The blued barrel of this Madrid 1771 smooth bore sporting gun has gold inlaid scrolling across the top of the barrel along with “EN MADRID/ANTONIO GOMEZ/ANO DE 1771 in gold as well.

Originating from Carlsbad, Bohemia in the early 18th century, this flintlock sporting rifle has superb relief chiseled and carved embellishments. The distinctive two stage barrel has relief chiseled ornamentation along it as well as classical figures and scrollwork along with a spread wing eagle atop the breech ahead of the two-leaf rear sight.

The right side of the receiver offers a traditional Bohemian hunting scene with a rifleman taking aim at a stag among scroll patterns and beveled edges. The left side plate is gilt brass with several patterns swirling about an eagle, a dog and a hunter and a figure of Diana on the heel plate tang and an eagle on the heel plate.

The stock of this traditional Bohemian hunting rifle has relief carved scroll patterns, incised molding and a large cheek rest. The patchbox lid has an engraved scene involving three figures and a dog.

This 17th century wheellock hails from Eastern Europe and shows off the “Tschinke” style of the town of Teschen in Upper Silesia, now known as Cieszyn in modern-day Poland. The swamped barrel is approximately 120 bore with panels of brass inlays of floral and entwining line engraving along the breech.  The lock is engraved with floral scrollwork and brass plates offer bird motifs. The lock is uniquely shaped, almost appearing as a mythical creature prepared for action.

Dating from the 17th century in an area that is now part of Poland, this Tschinke-style wheellock has brass inlays along the full-length fruitwood stock with a narrow sliding patchbox cover on the right and a two-headed eagle within a roundel on the left side of the stock. It is also decorated with mother-of-pearl roundels, leaves, diamonds, and dots, some of which is engraved.

The stunningly well-figured wood used for this Pierre Greverath flintlock double barrel shotgun from the Armory of Schloss Dyck is eye-catching but easily surpassed by other aspects of this gun. Greverath was court gunmaker to Count Franz Johann Wilhelm von Salm-Reifferscheidt-Dyck and his heir at the baroque chateau of Schloss Dyck in northwestern Germany.

Made in the Parisian fashion and dating to about 1820, its gold embellishments are singularly amazing and the silver furniture is stunning in its relief Rococo motifs.  The gold wrist escutcheon has two addorsed salmon, the crest of Salm-Dyck. The blued round barrels have gold vent liners and a highly detailed gold Rococo-style thunderstorm at the breech.

The furniture of this double barrel flintlock shotgun from the armory of Schloss Dyck is silver with floral designs and hunting motifs. Inlaid silver and gold accents highlight the stock bordering each piece of furniture. The Rococco relief gold thunderstorm at the breech is simply stunning.

This over/under superposed load four-shot single trigger percussion rifle made by Le Page Moutier may be the most interesting firearm on offer this December from the Blank Collection. In a bit of intriguing and ingenious engineering, the gun has four hammers that are nicely engraved to match the engraving on the locks and barrel. The front two front hammers strike the lower nipples and the rear hammers strike the upper nipples, fired by the single trigger configured to drop one hammer at a time.

The rifled barrels are finely patterned Damascus with etched panels of relief floral scrollwork at both the muzzles and breech end. The fine craftsmanship continues with etched floral scrolling covering the locks and the furniture surrounding wildlife depictions of a leaping wolf on the right lock and a deer on the left.

This superposed Le Page Moutier over/under percussion rifle has a number of animal scenes. A wolf and a deer appear on the sidelocks, while a wildcat is featured on the trigger guard bow, a boar’s head adorns the trigger guard tang and an eagle soars on the upper tang and heel plate.

This very fine cased Westley Richards double barrel percussion shotgun manufactured about 1880 has a browned Damascus barrel with a bead front sight, and the locks and furniture have scroll and floral engraving, while the wedge and initial escutcheons are plain nickel-silver.

The case coloring still pops from the locks of this percussion Westley Richards double barrel shotgun. It comes with a mahogany case lined in green baize and a number of accessories as well as a 1966 invoice from Westley Richards & Col Ltd. to Norman Blank.

Fine Firearms: Modern Sporting Gun

As a cartridge gun, this engraved John Rigby & Co. Nitro Express sidelock ejector double rifle is a rarity for the Blank Collection, a firearm built in the 20th century, but not by much. Made in 1913, it was owned by George Horatio Charles Cholmondeley, 5th Marquess of Cholmondeley and Earl of Rocksavage and a veteran of the Second Boer War and World War 1. A gold initial oval on the bottom of the stock has an earl’s coronet over an “R.”

The blued barrels are respectively engraved “SPECIAL .470 BORE BIG GAME RIFLE” and “FOR SPECIAL CORDITE CARTRIDGE BULLET .500 GRS.” They are each engraved with a band of stylized foliage at the breech end. The underside of the barrels offers a warning “CORDITE 75-500 MAX."

The casehardened grip action has a manual safety with gold inlaid “SAFE” with button release and a blued toplever. The side locks are each signed “Jno. Rigby & Co." in Gothic script. The furniture includes a casehardened trigger guard, dark horn pistol grip cap, and rubber recoil pad. The raised flat file cut matted rib is signed in Gothic script “John Rigby & Co: 43. Sackville St. London.”

Fine Firearms: French Sporting Arms

Extremely ornate, this Francois Huet of Chambery flintlock sporting gun has relief chiseled and carved adornments. Originally made in the city of Chambery in southwest France in 1675, it was updated later in life with a more modern barrel and stock. Its rounded lock features exceptionally fine decoration and mixes low relief chiseled and engraved ornament involving foliate scrolls inhabited by bestial and animal masks. It is signed by the maker in two places on the right side, the first beneath the priming pan with the signature “HVET/A CHAM/BERY” within a small roundel held by a cherub with a Turk's head at its feet. The second signature is engraved behind the cock.

The three-stage blued barrel appears to have been replaced about 100 years after the gun was originally made and features tapering round forward stages divided by a turned girdle and a partially fluted octagonal to polygonal breech section with border engraved iron tang. The barrel is retained by pins and a single silver barrel band held in place by a spring clip formed as the tongue of a silver sea serpent set into the right side of the forearm of the stock. The barrel is fitted with elaborately engraved, chiseled and pierced front and rear sights from the original 17th century barrel.

The trigger plate, trigger guard, heel plate and side plate from the original 17th century gun are iron. The back of the trigger is finely pierced and is engraved with a serpent while the finely pierced side plate is engraved with a serpent with scrollwork swirling around masks, a bird, more cherubs and an elven figure. The stock features foliate carving.

Fine Firearms from Versailles

This pair of engraved and relief carved percussion boxlock pocket pistols are from Nicolas-Noel Boutet, gunmaker to King Louis XVI and Napoleon and the Versailles Manufactory in about 1810. They were converted to percussion pistols between 1830-1840. This stunning cased pair have finely detailed engraving that is coordinated between the two but offering varied details. Both feature small animal scenes surrounded by vases flowing with flowers and plants accompanied by garlands and decorative borders.

The dark grips on these pistols from the Versailles Manufactory have beautiful relief carved floral patterns and bead borders. An accompanying ebony veneer case opens to a dark green velvet lining trimmed inside with bullion thread lace trim.

This light flintlock fusil also originates from Boutet’s Versailles Manufactory. Boutet became gunmaker-in-ordinary to King Louis XVI in 1788 and the artistic director of the new Versailles arms factory in 1792 before taking over as head director six years later, working under Napoleon’s direction. The manufactory made French military weapons as well as some of the most magnificent presentation arms ever made.

This delicate flintlock fusil features burnished steel parts with a three quarter length walnut stock that cradles the fire blued barrel. The gun has subtle gilded highlights including a girdle at the barrel’s transition point, around the vent, and “BC,” “NB,” and “LC” maker marks in small ovals atop the barrel.

Fine Firearms: Pistols

This remarkable all-metal flintlock belt pistol hails from the highlands of Scotland, made by famed Leith gunmaker Thomas Murdoch about 1770 to 1780. This is a classic example of a Highland pistol with a distinctive “ram’s horn” butt. The gun is nearly covered with scroll engraving accented by silver.

(pic) Thistle flowers feature prominently on this gun, adorning both the silver-capped button trigger and a silver ball dangled between the distinctive curled ram’s horn butt. A belt hook on the left side also features full engraving.

This pair of silver mounted and engraved double barrel flintlock holster pistols by H.W. Mortimer & Son has smoothbore Damascus barrels and platinum bands of the breech plugs and a starburst pattern on the rib of the breech plugs. The locks each have scroll pattern cocks, frizzen spring rollers, sliding half-cock safeties, border and martial engraving.

The lower tang on these double barrel flintlock holster pistols by H.W. Mortimer & Son has a “Q” denoting the year as 1811, while other marks include a lion, a crowned head, and the initials “MB.”

Highly regarded 18th century London gunmakers of the Griffin family took on that role for the royal family as well. The family is also believed to have been the first makers of double barreled firearms. In 1771, Joseph Griffin took John Tow, who had worked with the Griffins, into partnership, making this pair of double barrel boxlock flintlock pistols among the first made under the Griffin & Tow name. This pair of pistols is featured on page 116 of “British Gunmakers Messrs. Griffin & Tow and W. Bailes, 1740-1790.”

The pistols have slightly swamped round barrels and are engraved with a band of beadwork around the muzzle. The bag-shaped butts are made of figured walnut and have silver wrist escutcheons and pommel caps with relief cased and chased martial and scroll ornamentation, along with floral and scroll engraving of the Rococo style.

Floral engraving and scroll ornamentation are on the breech ends of the barrels and the boxlock actions of this pair of Griffin & Tow double barrel pistols that date to the early 1770s.

This rare Isaac Barber brass double barrel flintlock blunderbuss has a snap bayonet that sits flush between the two barrels on top. It has pineapple finials on the trigger guards that are joined by shell and floral engraving as well as a classic martial motif on the heel of the buttplate.

The iron breech of this Isaac Barber double barrel blunderbuss is adorned with border engraving where it meets the 16 gauge barrels. The barrels have commercial Tower proof marks of a crown over crossed scepters stamped twice.

Fine Firearms: A Spear?

This German hunting spear made in Saxony about 1580 was once in the collection of famed American newspaperman William Randolph Hearst. The spear measures about 79 inches in length with a leaf-shaped blade and an integral hexagonal socket base. The metal is extensively etched with fine scroll decoration over most of the surface and both sides of the blade where a scene of three eagles perch in a tree as a dog chases a wild boar around the base.

Braided multi-color cloth covers the bottom of the socket and top of the shaft with a 9-inch tassel hanging from it. The shaft is about 68 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide with a tight black leather cover over carved and shaped ribbing, rings and steel tack studs to provide grip.

Fine Firearms of the Norman R. Blank Collection

The beautifully bespoke guns of the Norman R. Blank Collection are phenomenal examples of fine firearms from the royal courts and weapon makers of Europe that serve as museum-worthy pieces from the Baroque and Neoclassic eras that in some cases are high art. These pieces can be seen in all their glory at the Dec. 7 preview day in our new facility in Bedford, Texas, followed by the Premier Auction, Dec. 8-10.