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Seller's Description:
(# 29) I HAVE BEEN FORCED TO INITIATE THE BIDDER SCREENING PROCESS BECAUSE OF TOO MANY "DEADBEAT BIDDERS" PLACING BIDS ON EXPENSIVE ITEMS AND THEN NOT PAYING FOR THOSE ITEMS. PLEASE CONTACT ME DIRECTLY AT 386-749-4104 OR THROUGH THE AUCTION ARMS "ASK THIS SELLER A QUESTION" LINK FOR AUTHORIZATION TO PLACE A BID IF YOU DO NOT MEET BIDDER SCREENING REQUIREMENTS AND WANT TO BID ON THIS ITEM. PAYMENT PLAN AVAILABLE. CONTACT ME AT 386-749-4104 WITH YOUR OFFER AS TO YOUR PAYMENT PLAN NEEDS.+++++ One of the finest sets of its' type that you will ever see! The pictures tell the story of this truly outstanding and incredibly rare two(2) barrel set. This is a Merwin, Hulbert & Co. Exhibition/Presentation Grade quality DA Third Model .44-40 caliber Pocket Army revolver with matching assembly numbers 5487 two(2) barrel set. (7" and 3.25" barrel lengths) This set is in about 99% original Near Mint condition. It is highly unlikely that you would ever find a better set, and most likely that you would never even find a set that comes close to this set in quality, desirability, rarity and condition. The overall nickel finish is engraved with the very finest deluxe factory "punch dot" style engraving Merwin, Hulbert & Co. could provide. This beautiful factory engraving covers about 99% of this Merwin set and is perfectly matched on both barrels. The cylinder is gold washed, which is also an exceedingly rare feature. The hammer, trigger and triggerguard retain almost all of their original color case hardening. The original black hard rubber grips show almost no wear and are undamaged. I believe that, since this is designed as a top-of-the-line display gun, it is highly probable that this Merwin also had additional sets of grips in ivory and mother-of-pearl for display purposes, along with the hard rubber grips for actual shooting purposes. These additional grips have been lost over the years. I have often thought that a custom-made set of Wooly Mammoth fossil Blue Ivory grips would be a "drop-dead gorgeous" addition to the beauty of this outstanding firearm! However, I will leave this idea to the next owner, as I sell my antique firearms in the same condition in which I obtained them. The left side of the frame features two(2) panel frame scenes, a bird and a butterfly. It appears that the bird is chasing the butterfly. Two(2) panel frame scenes are almost unheard of! This beautiful Merwin set was undoubtedly owned and used by a very wealthy person. It has been fired. The bores of both barrels are still in fine overall condition with deep grooves and some slight pitting. The mechanical operation is still perfect. Due to the subject matter of the bird and the butterfly panel scenes on the frame, I believe that this Merwin set was probably a special order item purchased as a gift for a lady of wealth who wanted only the best. The quality of perfection of this set indicates that it could also have been used as an Exhibition/Presentation grade exhibit at some large venue such as a Worlds' Fair or some other great national or international exhibition of top quality firearms. Another outstanding feature of this Merwin is that IT DISPLAYS EXEMPLARY SUCTION WITH BOTH BARRELS! Since all of the Merwin, Hulbert & Co.s records were destroyed in a factory fire, there is just no way to know for sure how this masterpiece of the engravers' art came to be. This unique style of "punch dot" engraving was probably done on-site at the Merwin, Hulbert & Co. manufacturing location in Norwich, CT, by highly skilled engravers working directly for the Merwin company. Unfortunately, records of these factory engravers' names were lost in the 1890s fire which completely destroyed the companys' business records. The quality of these unknown engravers' work is of the highest order. It is unfortunate that their works cannot be individually recognized and appreciated. This disastrous fire is the main reason detailed production information regarding these outstanding firearms is not available. If you are interested in having one(1) of the finest Merwin sets ever made, here is the opportunity of a lifetime! Greg Martin Auctions in the Spring of 2005 sold an Exhibition grade Merwin for nearly $31,000.00. James D. Julia Auctions in the Spring of 2006 sold an Exhibition grade Merwin for $41,000.00. Neither of these fine Merwins had a matching numbered second barrel. Two barrel matching number sets are exceptionally rare at the highest levels of condition. I have had comments from several knowledgeable Merwin collecters that this is the finest matching barrel set they have ever seen.
I obtained this set from a very well known and prestigious dealer in antique firearms with nearly 50 years of experience. Following is his description of this set when I got it from him.
"MERWIN, HULBERT & CO. DA .44-40 POCKET ARMY/TWO BARREL SET/FACTORY ENGRAVED/GOLD WASHED CYLINDER/TWO PANEL SCENE/REVOLVER. EXQUISITE! is the only word to describe this masterpiece from Merwin, Hulbert & Co. It is a top strap version, with the straight cut flutes, in double action/single action, from the early 1880s' period. Finding a two barrel, ALL MATCHED .44 set is quite extraordinary. The bulk of production for two barrel sets was in the .38 caliber range, and they are seldom encountered, but way more than a .44 set. This example Serial # 736X has the very most deluxe treatment rendered at the factory. MOST UNUSUAL, it has two panel frame scenes, a bird and a butterfly. In addition, the cylinder is gold washed and exhibits a beautiful color, mixed with 125 plus years of existence. The overall condition of the revolver is 99.999% of the original factory applied nickel plating. The cylinder still has 99.9% gold coverage, with minimal dark spotting. The triggerguard has all the case colors, as well as the hammer. The patented Merwin extraction system functions perfectly, as do all aspects of cocking, locking and firing. It comes with the two standard barrel lengths of 3.25" and 7". ALL of the engraving is matching and uniform to both barrels! ALL assembly numbers are matching to the set. All factory applied roll dies, such as barrel address and model/caliber on frame, are sharp and well defined.The engraving is sharp and exhibits NO wear, as this Merwin is virtually an unfired specimen. This is just an incredible Merwin...THE VERY BEST!" THE MAN WHO WROTE THIS DESCRIPTION KNEW WHEREOF HE SPOKE, AS HE IS A RECOGNIZED AUTHORITY ON MERWIN FIREARMS.
Payment in the form of a certified bank check is the only payment method accepted. Payment is due within seven(7) calendar days of end of auction. S&H and insurance will be determined at end of auction and added to total amounT due. No FFL required in most states.
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