Lot 3168: E. Remington & Sons Thomas Patent Percussion Cane Gun

The cane guns were a product of 19th Century high society, and were a popular accessory for gentleman who wished to have a day to day item that could also be pressed into service for defense should the need arise. The Remington Cane Gun was designed in 1858 by John F. Thomas, Remington's master mechanic, and Remington was the only major firearms manufacturer to produce such an item. It is estimated that between 1858 and 1866 only 500 of the percussion cane guns were manufactured, with many of them later being converted to .32 Rimfire. This example remains in its original percussion configuration making it even more scarce. Along with that, this particular example has the scarce "right angle" handle, fashioned out of the same brown gutta percha as the shaft. It is the writer's experience that the canes with "right angle" handles on percussion canes is one of the rarest configurations, and renowned Remington collector, Elliot Burka, lists them as the fourth most rare in an article for the American Society of Arms Collectors. Examples of all the standard gutta percha handle variations can be seen on p. 188 of "Canes from the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Century" by Jeffrey B. Snyder There is a small German silver band where the handle meets the shaft and a serrated iron ferrule at the tip/muzzle which is faintly marked "J.F. Thomas patent Feb 9 1858 Remington and Sons Illion N.Y." as well as what appears to be "459". The firing mechanism is marked "9". It measures 33 3/4 inches overall. Provenance: The Milan J. Turk Collection

Fine, showing mostly the original brown with a couple small glue repairs visible in the top portion of the shaft and the angle of the handle, and otherwise scattered minor handling marks. Mechanically fine.