Some of the very early Peabody-Martini rifles are known to have been engraved for the factory for presentations and exhibitions. This rifle is said to have been in the Remington Arms Museum and to have been sold by a retired Remington employee. The engraving on this rifle may be by Master Engraver L.D. Nimschke or his shop and consists mainly of beautiful flowing scroll patterns on the frame backed by finely punched backgrounds and bordered by double lines along with coordinating scroll patterns on the forearm cap, breech end of the barrel, and lever as well as some border designs at the muzzle, a crosshatch pattern on top of the barrel at the breech, and shell pattern at the front of the lever. The patterns are certainly in keeping with Nimschke's work. See page 24 of "L.D. Nimschke: Firearms Engraver" by R.L. Wilson for examples. Note in particular the use of the "Nimschke star" pattern on the lever. The barrel and lever are nickel plated, some small parts are blued, and the forearm cap, frame, rear barrel band, rear sling swivel, and buttplate were gilded. The top of the barrel has "PEABODY & MARTINI PATENTS MAN'F'D BY PROVIDENCE TOOL CO.PROV R.I. U.S.A." hand inscribed between the rear sight and breech. Prior to embellishment, it appears to have been an Ottoman contract pattern rifle and has Eastern Arabic numerals on the rear sight and some small Ottoman style markings such as a "star/crescent moon/M" on the trigger guard bow. An "M" is also marked to the left of the bow, and a star and crescent moon marking is on the rear barrel band along with "7." The latter is also marked on the heel of the buttplate and on the buttstock under the buttplate. The bottom of the barrel has a "P," star, "R," "SS," and "2." There are circular calligraphic cartouches at the rear of the forearm on the bottom and on the left side of the butt (appears to be a Gothic script "A" on the latter and what looks like a division symbol on the former), and a script "L" and a spot for an absent plaque are between the rear of the lever and the rear sling swivel. The cocking indicator has a "J." The Ottoman Empire ordered 600,000 Martini-Peabody rifles from the Providence Tool Company in the mid-1870s and used them during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877 and other conflicts in the late 19th century and early 20th century as the formerly great empire struggled to retain power. The Providence Tool Co. originally hoped to profit from the massive Ottoman orders, but the empire's financial problems ultimately took down the Providence Tool Co.'s armament business. At times, the rifles originally destined to cross the Atlantic were held as collateral during payment delays. Some of these rifles may have been pulled and sold to help keep the business going. Perhaps this rifle was removed from one of the shipments and embellished to help provide necessary funds to keep the company going. It may have also been embellished with the goal of presenting it to an important individual within the Ottoman Empire to influence them early on when they were trying to secure contracts or later when they were desperately trying to secure payment.

Exceptionally fine with essentially all of the nickel plating remaining on the barrel and lever and exhibiting a smooth frosted appearance on the exposed surfaces, traces of gold on the frame, much stronger gold on the rear sling swivel and some of the protected areas, 75% plus blue finish on the trigger guard and replaced front barrel band, smooth gray-brown patina on the faded areas throughout, and generally mild age and storage related wear. Some of the smaller pieces of hardware are absent from the forearm. The wood is fine with mild dings and scratches, an older coat of varnish, and some small flakes and insignificant cracks. Mechanically fine. Overall, this is a very attractive and extraordinary engraved Peabody-Martini rifle.