Josef Schulhof (1824-1890) moved to Vienna in 1870 to work as a gunmaker, patenting a repeating rifle in 1882 and a manually operated repeating pistol in 1884. Only a small number of Schulhof's rifles and pistols were manufactured and sold on the commercial market. The highest known serial number on the pistols is 36 (see Ian Hogg's "Illustrated Encyclopedia of Firearms" on page 277). Schulhof's repeating pistols vary, sometimes significantly, from piece to piece. This example, serial numbered "1" underneath the breech and on the front of the frame, has a sliding door on the butt for loading cased cartridges with an internal curved tube magazine located underneath the grips. The left side of the breech is marked with British proofs. Pulling the ring lever backward pushes the bolt forward. At the rearward most point of the ring levers travel, the stand alone trigger is bumped by the users finger which drops the striker firing pin. This allows for a rapid rate of fire by pulling the ring back repeatedly. The pistol is also designed to be able to chamber a round without firing by pulling back on the ring lever using a finger on the outside edge, and once the ring is all the way back with a closed bolt and cocked firing pin, ready for a pull of the trigger. A knurled sliding button located on the underside is able to be pulled backwards to lock the lever and bolt in place in the closed position, allowing for a pull of the trigger. The firing pin recocks each time the ring lever returns all the way forward, which requires only slight pressure, and firing requires less effort than with the traditional double action revolvers from the same era. This is an extremely important evolutionary pistol, functioning as a rapid repeater during the black powder era, and predating smokeless powder semi-automatic pistols. Includes a modern felt lined wood case with key. Provenance: The Clive Cussler Collection