Full-stock flintlock pistol manufactured by Joseph Perkins and Samuel Coutty of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and purchased by the United States in 1798 to arm the military for the "Quasi-War" with France. Considered to have run from 1798 to 1800, the Quasi-War, also known as the Franco-American War, was primarily a naval conflict with the newly formed First French Republic, which motivated the U.S. to go through what amounted to a crash rearmament program. As a result, contracts were extended to commercial makers to build military pistols, to be shipped to John Harris or Joseph Bryant of Springfield Arsenal for inventory and inspection. The pistol has a pin-fastened walnut stock with round barrel. The convex lock plate has a pointed tip, removable, fenced iron pan and goose-neck cock. The pistol has a brass ramrod tail pipe and pipe, pierced brass side plate, brass trigger guard and buttcap and oval brass thumb piece. The pistol has a wooden ramrod with flared head and brass tip. Simple floral designs are engraved on the barrel, tang, buttcap and trigger guard. The lock is stamped "KETLAND/& C" below the pan and the top of the barrel is stamped "LONDON". The left side of the barrel is stamped with the Springfield Armory "P" proofmark in an oval and the indented Springfield viewer's mark. The "JL" inspection mark of Ordnance inspector Joseph Lewis Sr. is stamped at the rear of the left stock flat, in addition to the "P" of John Nicholson Senior, Departmental Head of Inspection at Springfield, and the "V" of Joseph Lewis Senior. Surviving examples of government inspected, commercial style 1798 Contract Pistols are rare.

Good. The iron barrel and lock have a silver gray patina with moderate age discoloration and scattered light pitting. The brass furniture has not been polished and has an attractive patina. The stock has moderate-heavy handling wear. There is a repaired hairline crack along the right barrel channel between the forend tip and the lock flat and a second crack on the left side of the stock at the forend. There are several hairline cracks and an old repaired chip along the sides of the tang. The stock has scattered handling marks. The Springfield Armory view and inspection marks on the barrel and stock flat are clear. This is a solid example of a rare U.S. Model 1798 Contract pistol that was inspected at Springfield Arsenal.