Each of the scroll engraved locks is marked "MAPPLEBECK & LOWE below the bolster. Mapplebeck and Lowe, ironmongers, machinists, and manufacturers of Bull Ring, Smithfield, and Gloucester Street in Birmingham, England, were active through most of the 19th century and designed, manufactured, and sold a wide variety of metal goods. William Batty Mapplebeck held several patents for various designs. This is the finest pair of pistols bearing their mark that we have ever seen, and they were likely retailed at one of the firm's showrooms and produced by another Birmingham firm in the 1830s or 1840s. They would have been suitable for use in duels given their fairly large caliber, smoothbore, long barrels with fixed post front sights and their single set triggers. Many English dueling pistols used notch rear sights as well to aid in accurate fire, but this pair points very naturally and would have been capable of accurate fire at dueling ranges. The pair's swivel mounted ramrods and belt hooks would have also made them very useful when traveling by horseback or in a coach or for use by a military officer. The bottom of the barrels have pairs of Birmingham proofs. The breeches have gold bands and scroll engraving. The trigger guards, pommel caps and cap box lids also have matching scrollwork, and many of the small parts display floral engraving accents including floral blooms at the tips of the ramrods. The barrels are brown finished Damascus. The patent breeches, lock plates, and caps are casehardened. The patent breeches also have platinum vents. The belt hooks and triggers are fire blue, and the trigger guards are blued. The nearly full length walnut stocks have attractive horn forend caps, German silver wedge plates, silver thumb plates, fine multi-point checkering, and the aforementioned cap compartments in the butts.

See A.