Rights Holder: Royal Institution of Cornwall
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Unique ID: CORN-B46999
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
Incomplete lead alloy toy pistol with half of the handle remaining with two iron rivets at the broken end, which would have attached to the iron mechanism used to operate the pistol. The rest of the handle is missing, along with the trigger mechanism and the cylindrical barrel. The handle is curved in profile with a hollow back and an ovate butt end at its terminus. The outer face of the handle is decorated with a low relief pattern of a lozenge-shaped leaf against a stippled background. The handle tapers slightly towards the square plate with the intact rivets which are bordered by a ring of raised pellets within a raised shield-shaped frame. The pistol would have been cast in two parts, one of which is now missing, with the remaining piece strengthened by an internal midrib. The casting seam is evident, mainly on the lower edge of the handle, as the upper edge is broken. From other examples, below, the iron rivets would have attached the plate to the housing for the mechanism of a wheel lock. The mechanism probably held a miniature iron trigger below and an iron hammer above, which hit the frizzen connected to a circular moulding on the top of the barrel, all now missing.
Similar toy pistols are recorded in records KENT-761751 and BUC-FF6883 where the recorder refers to Ward Oles suggesting that this is a 19th century pewter toy as the overall design resembles a boxlock pistol with a percussion method of ignition, rather than the flintlock type, dating this toy to post 1830 when the percussion cap was invented.
Bailey (2002) illustrates a similar pewter toy gun, stylised on a percussion-type weapon, on page 68, Fig.11, which is dated from the mid-19th century.
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
Subperiod from: Late
Period from: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1830
Date to: Exactly AD 1900
Quantity: 1
Length: 50 mm
Width: 15.5 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight: 11.73 g
Date(s) of discovery: Friday 28th March 2014
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Primary material: Lead Alloy
Secondary material: Iron
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Incomplete
4 Figure: SS2304
Four figure Latitude: 50.80844326
Four figure longitude: -4.51358589
1:25K map: SS2304
1:10K map: SS20SW
Grid reference source: GPS (from the finder)
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bailey, G. | 2002 | Detector Finds 5 | Great Britain | Greenlight Publishing | 68, Fig.11 |