European Constabulary 11mm Revolver of the Berlin Police Pattern

11mm, unknown cartridge. 4" octagonal barrel. NS: 5. Blued finish, strawed hammer and trigger, checkered two-piece hardwood grips. Double action Webley RIC style solid frame revolver with fluted six-chambered cylinder, top strap groove rear sight, half-moon blade front sight, safety on the left side of the frame and a lanyard ring mount in the butt. Unmarked except for the serial or assembly number "5" on most parts, the maker's initials CJ on the face of the cylinder and on the frame under the grips and the engraved marking No/9 on the top strap. Clearly based upon the venerable Webley RIC, including the ubiquitous pivoting ejector rod concealed in the center of the cylinder arbor pin. The revolver also includes a frame mounted safety of the type found on German M1879 and M1883 Reichsrevolver. This combination of features is found on the Berlin Constabulary Revolvers of the late 19th century, but those guns are typically chambered for a nominally 9mm cartridge, while this one is normally 11mm, and probably intended for the same 10.4mm cartridge used in the Reichsrevolver. The lack of proof marks rule out Belgium or England as the source for this gun, and suggest that it may not have been produced in Imperial Germany, or if so was produced prior to the regulations regarding proof of non-military firearms. A very well made handgun from the late 19th century that may have originated in the disputed Alsace Loraine region, combining the larger caliber of a German military revolver of the period with the Webley RIC or Berlin Constabulary design.

Very good. Bore fine and bright with some scattered oxidation and crisp rifling. Metal with some strong traces of blue, which is fading and oxidizing to plum with some scattered surface oxidation and freckling. Mechanically functional action, including the frame mounted safety. Grips with scattered bumps, dings and mars. Lanyard ring missing from mounting lug.

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Please email [email protected] for any additional information or questions you may have regarding this lot.

Mr. Tim Carey

Associate Vice President, Head of Department, Arms, Armor and Militaria

[email protected]513.666.4984

Mr. Carey joined Cowan’s, a Freeman's company, in 2021 and is a 40-year veteran of the sporting arms and outdoor recreation industry. Carey joined Cowan’s from Griffin & Howe at Hudson Farms in Andover, N.J., where he was responsible for the acquisition, appraisal, and consignment of top-tier firearms consignments from important makers such as James Purdey & Sons of London, Beretta, Caesar Guerini, B. Rizzini, Bertuzzi, Renato Telo, and Anderson Wheeler.

Mr. Tim Prince

Senior Consulting Specialist, Arms, Armor & Militaria

[email protected]312 280 1212

Tim Prince has more than 30-years of experience in the field of antique and collectible arms and is a nationally recognized expert in the area of Civil War small arms. A long-time researcher and author, Tim has been a contributing author to two major books about Civil War firearms, including The English Connection: Arms, Material and Support Furnished to the Confederate States of America by Great Britain (2014) and Confederate Shotguns and Southern Agent Marked Shotguns (2017). He was also a major contributor to the recently updated Blue Book of Antique American Firearms & Values – 2nd Edition (2019) as well as the 2010 updates to the Civil War Collector's Price Guide - 12th edition. Over the last decade Tim has authored more than 50 articles on 19th century collectible and military arms, which have been published in such varied publications as Civil War News, North-South Trader, and Military Antique Collector. Since 2016 has appeared as a featured appraiser in the field of Arms & Militaria on the popular PBS television series Antiques Roadshow. He is a member of the American Society of Arms Collectors and currently serves on the board of directors of that organization. He is also a member of and formerly served on the board of directors of the Society of American Bayonet Collectors. Tim is a life member of the Ohio Valley Military Society, the Tennessee Military Collectors Association, the Alabama Military Collectors Association, is a member of the Company of Military Historians and is a member of numerous other colleting groups and societies. He is the owner of College Hill Arsenal, a web based antique and collectible arms retail web site, specializing in the American Civil War and related military items. Tim has engaged in the business of buying, selling, researching, and appraising antique and collectible arms and associated military items for some three decades. Since 2016 he has also served as a senior Consulting Specialist in the field of Arms, Armor & Militaria for Cowan’s Auctions, a Freeman's Company.

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European Constabulary 11mm Revolver of the Berlin Police Pattern

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