#4485062 - 08/04/19 05:51 AM
Latest acquisition
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,802
Forward Observer
Senior Member
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Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,802
Central Arkansas,US of A
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I guess I'm a sucker for pretty cased sets of flint or percussion pistols, so here are some photos of my latest, which just arrived Wednesday. They are copies of a brace of silver-mounted flintlock pistols presented to George Washington during the Revolutionary war by one of his officers. These reproductions were originally released in 1976 during our Bicentennial by the US Historical Society. This was a limited run of 975 sets actually produced by Uberti for the USHS Cheers photos and other data deleted due to the fact this is an unsecured site and I keep finding old photos of my stuff all over the internet. Someone even put together a youtube video with stills of which many were photos I posted here and one other insecure site. No, the accusations of paranoia are not true. Those are just false rumors spread by the people who are out to get me.
Last edited by Forward Observer; 09/07/19 10:32 PM. Reason: paranoia
Artillery adds dignity to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl.
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#4485089 - 08/04/19 04:39 PM
Re: Latest acquisition
[Re: Forward Observer]
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 5,205
Skycat
Hotshot
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Hotshot
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 5,205
Pennsylvania or Montana
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Beautiful pieces!
I may have viewed the originals several years ago at Fort Ligonier, near Pittsburgh. The fort is from the French and IndIan Wars but the interpretive displays carry into the Revolution. Anyhow, they had two pistols presented to Washington (by Von Steuben?), on loan and insured for $1.25 million as I recall.
Remove before flight
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#4485096 - 08/04/19 07:12 PM
Re: Latest acquisition
[Re: Skycat]
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,802
Forward Observer
Senior Member
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Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,802
Central Arkansas,US of A
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Beautiful pieces!
I may have viewed the originals several years ago at Fort Ligonier, near Pittsburgh. The fort is from the French and IndIan Wars but the interpretive displays carry into the Revolution. Anyhow, they had two pistols presented to Washington (by Von Steuben?), on loan and insured for $1.25 million as I recall. Thanks! Washington owned a number of pistols in his life time including several presentation sets. I think the two you saw at Fort Ligonier are the most famous. They are a pair of saddle pistols that were presented to Washington by the French general Lafayette in 1778. Washington actually carried those pistols through the rest of the war for independence. They eventually came to be owned by, and were the prized possession of, president Andrew Jackson. When they were sold at auction in 2002 they established a record at the time for the most ever paid for a pair of firearms (1.98 million) Here is an even more detail history of the Washington/Lafayette pistols https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2018/5/28/the-lafayettewashington-pistols/There is another well known set called the Washington and Lee pistols, which has been replicated by the USHS. Washington had owned them originally, but after his death they became part of Martha's estate. She was a widow of the Custis family when she married George and George adopted her two children. Robert E Lee married the great granddaughter of Martha who inherited much of the Washington/Custis estate, so the pistol came into his possession. They are now owned by Washington and Lee University. These has also been replicated by the US Historical Society and come up for sale occasionally. Cheers
Artillery adds dignity to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl.
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#4485117 - 08/04/19 11:09 PM
Re: Latest acquisition
[Re: Forward Observer]
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,301
Nixer
Scaliwag and Survivor
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Scaliwag and Survivor
Veteran
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,301
Living with the Trees
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Craftsmanship, sadly almost a lost art.
Beautiful pieces of history.
Censored
Look for me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Tic Toc...or anywhere you may frequent, besides SimHq, on the Global Scam Net. Aka, the internet. I am not there, never have been or ever will be, but the fruitless search may be more gratifying then the "content" you might otherwise be exposed to.
"There's a sucker born every minute." Phineas Taylor Barnum
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#4485120 - 08/04/19 11:38 PM
Re: Latest acquisition
[Re: Forward Observer]
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 5,205
Skycat
Hotshot
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Hotshot
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 5,205
Pennsylvania or Montana
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Thank you for the clarification and background. My memory was from about ten years ago.
Remove before flight
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#4485125 - 08/05/19 12:17 AM
Re: Latest acquisition
[Re: Forward Observer]
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Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 24,029
oldgrognard
Administrator
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Administrator
Lifer
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 24,029
USA
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Marvelous ! Well worth collecting.
Even with all the guns I own, I am envious of those.
Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.
Someday your life will flash in front of your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.
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#4485127 - 08/05/19 01:09 AM
Re: Latest acquisition
[Re: oldgrognard]
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,802
Forward Observer
Senior Member
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Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,802
Central Arkansas,US of A
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Thank you for the clarification and background. My memory was from about ten years ago. For that long ago you remembered more than I would have. I only remembered that a set of Washington pistols held the the high auction record for a set and in doing some research on my set I came across the article I linked where they mentioned that the pistols were eventually donated to Fort Ligonier. Craftsmanship, sadly almost a lost art.
Beautiful pieces of history. You are so right! Marvelous ! Well worth collecting.
Even with all the guns I own, I am envious of those. Thanks OG. I'm just as envious of a certain "Chicago Typewriter" that you may or may not own. Cheers
Artillery adds dignity to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl.
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