Ball reservoirs were in use since the late 17th century and had the added advantage of being easily swapped out. Air guns of this style were used primarily for hunting. "Wind guns" had several advantages over conventional firearms including that they were quieter, smokeless, quicker to reload, and relatively unaffected by rain. They also required less cleaning since they did not require corrosive black powder. "LOWE/CHESTER" inscribed on the left of the action. There are three gunmakers with the Lowe last name of Chester, England, that could be possible matches including a George, Thomas, and William. Features floral scroll engraving on the action, trigger guard and cocking lever. It is chambered in approximately .41 caliber/10.5 mm with a smoothbore part octagon barrel, a rotating faucet breech that loads from the top and a leather wrapped iron stock air reservoir. Circular brass collection tag marked "R.D. BEEMAN/PRIVATE/COLLECTION/076" hanging from the trigger guard. Provenance: The Dr. Robert D. Beeman Collection

Good with a mix of original brown finish and smooth brown patina with scattered patches of light pitting on the barrel, smooth gray and brown patina on the casehardened surfaces, and defined engraving. The wood is very good as lightly sanded and re-oiled, with scattered scratches and handling marks, recut checkering, a few repaired sections visible at the edges, a small hole on top of the wrist, and a few minor to mild cracks and chips. Mechanically fine.