The English preferred to use smoothbore pistols for duels well into the percussion era. The use of smooth bores was thought to leave more to chance and thus placed the outcome more in the hands of Providence and of course made the likelihood of survival greater, but gunmakers nonetheless worked to make their pistols as accurate as possible as their reputation depended on the quality of their arms. Joseph Manton is arguably the finest British gunmaker of the late flintlock era and the percussion era and employed some of the finest craftsmen of the period including famous gunmakers James Purdey, Thomas Boss, William Greener, and Charles Lancaster. These pistols number amongst the last pieces manufactured by the firm of Joseph Manton & Son before the company was sold to Charles and Henry Egg in late 1838 and have quick aiming dovetailed blade front and u-notch rear sights, "- ->JOSEPH MANTON & SON, 6 HOLLES ST, CAVENDISH SQUARE, LONDON<- -" on top of the London proofed smoothbore Damascus barrels, platinum banded breech plugs, "JOSEPH MANTON & SON" on the locks, single set triggers, acanthus scroll engraving, silver wedge and thumb plates, matching serial numbers on the trigger guard tangs, and naturally pointing distinctive stocks with checkering on the wrists. The thumb plates are each engraved with a horse passant over a torse which is the crest of the coat of arms of a few noble families and in particular was used by Lord Thomas Cochrane, "The Sea Wolf," one of the most famous officers in the history of the Royal Navy. They come in the original English fitted mahogany case with a Joseph Manton trade label with the same address as the barrels, a bullet mold, mallet head, powder flask, ramrod, single lead ball, and cap container.

Fine with 70% original brown finish and visible Damascus patterns along the barrel, strong case colors on the hammer, subtler case colors elsewhere, primarily gray patina in the faded areas, minor edge wear, and some light spotting. The silver has attractive aged patina. The stock is very good with crisp checkering, numerous scrapes, and some slight chips. Mechanically excellent. The case is fine with moderate overall storage wear, including cracking, separation, broken lower right compartment lid, and staining and deterioration of the lining.

As described in "A".

Very fine with 60% original brown finish and distinct Damascus patterns along the barrel, mostly subtle case colors, primarily gray patina in the faded areas, minor edge wear, minor scratches and some light spotting. The silver has a nice aged patina. The stock is fine with mostly crisp checkering, numerous scrapes, and some slight chips. Mechanically excellent.