Thomas Slingsby (1797-c. 1857) was a gunmaker in Retford, Nottinghamshire, England. His family continued on in the gun trade. The smoothbore barrel has a small bead front sight, girdles, stepped transition, Birmingham proofs, "Slingsby GUN MAKER -RETFORD-" signed on top, and a platinum banded breechplug. The back action lock has scroll engraving and "Slingsby" signed by the hammer. The furniture also features primarily scroll engraving. The half-length stock has a silver forend tip, silver wedge escutcheons, a checkered wrist, flat shotgun butt and 13 5/8 inch length of pull. The fitted takedown case contains a Sykes powder flask, wads, punches, screwdrivers, and other tools.

Very good plus. The barrel has visible Damascus patterns, strong blue finish in the protected areas, otherwise mix of gray and brown patina, some light pitting, and mild wear. The lock retains 40% of the case colors and has silver-gray patina on the balance. The inside of the trigger guard and rear of the buttplate retain strong original blue finish; otherwise, the furniture has been cleaned to a silver-gray. The engraving throughout is distinct. The stock is fine and has some nice figure, crisp checkering, and light handling and storage marks and scratches. Mechanically excellent. The relined case and accessories are very good with mild age and storage related wear, particularly on the case exterior which is missing one corner piece.