This exact Bellows air pistol is photographed on page 214 of "Blue Book of Airguns, Thirteenth Edition" in which the book states, "At this time we know of two surviving Bellows pistols, one in 8mm caliber and the other in 7mm. While unmarked, the pistols appear to be from the mid-1800s and possibly made by J. Adam Kuchenreuter, a top gunmaker in Regensburg, Germany." Bellows air guns were generally made in the late 1700s to mid-1800s, with the rifles used primarily for indoor target shooting. This pistol features a conical bellows hidden in the hollowed-out wooden stock, a tip-up octagon barrel chambered in approximately 8 mm (possibly for use with 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, and is fitted with a walnut stock with fancy floral relief carvings. Circular brass collection tag marked "R.D. BEEMAN/PRIVATE/COLLECTION/483" 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