"W.STEIN/CAMDEN.N.J." marked on the top barrel flat and repeated on top of the German silver cylinder reservoir. William Stein is listed as an active maker out of Camden, New Jersey in the 1860s-1870s. Air guns of this style were used primarily for indoor gallery target shooting. This air gun has a tip-up octagon barrel that loads from the breech and is affixed with a latch below, and it functions through the use of a trigger guard that can be pulled downwards, serving as the cocking lever in order to fill the cylinder air reservoir, and upon pulling the trigger the spring loaded piston releases. Chambered in approximately .30 caliber/7.5 mm with a smooth bore. Circular brass collection tag marked "R.D. BEEMAN/PRIVATE/COLLECTION/828" hanging from the trigger guard lever. A similar example is photographed and described on page 99 of "Blue Book of Airguns, Thirteenth Edition" where it is referred to as a "St. Louis" type air gun. Provenance: The Dr. Robert D. Beeman Collection

Very fine, retains 75% original brown finish on the barrel with some areas of light fading and scattered light freckling, attractive bright surfaces on the German silver, and sharp markings in the metal. The stock is also fine with some scattered light nicks and handling marks, and defined edges. Mechanically fine.