OE - GOOD - some minor replacement parts; metal smoothly rusted or lightly pitted in places, cleaned; principal lettering, numerals and design on metal legible; lightly scratched, bruised or minor cracks repaired; in good working order.

WW - WOOD IS WORSE FOR THE PERCENT FINISH RATING GIVEN

These bellows air guns were generally made in the late 1700s to mid-1800s and were used primarily for indoor target shooting. Their basic feature is a conical bellows hidden in the hollowed-out wooden buttstock. Tip-up octagon barrel chambered in approximately .25 caliber/6.5 mm (possibly for use with 6 mm darts with a hair tail) with a smooth bore that loads from the breech and releases with a lever that protrudes through the bottom of the stock ahead of the trigger guard. Absent rear sight. Mechanically untested. Circular brass collection tag marked "R.D. BEEMAN/PRIVATE/COLLECTION/2034" hanging from the trigger guard. Information on Bellows air guns can be found on pages 213-214 of "Blue Book of Airguns, Thirteenth Edition". Provenance: The Dr. Robert D. Beeman Collection