Brace of Dueling Pistols Need Info.

[FVRago]

I will be taking possession of these in a few weeks and I have no idea who made them or what they are worth. The last pic has what is on the barrels of the pistols. The set comes with a dueling rule book (LOL), and this other info.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Frank V. Rago

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
This is total modern fakery. Those pistols are modern reproductions. Including the "rule book" for dueling is laughable. Dueling was illegal and no one followed any written rules nor were any included with dueling pistols. What entertainment!

dave

 

[BoomStick]

Hard to tell with the stamp over the date, but proofed in Jan 1984 or 1994. Nice looking guns and the case looks good too. They're worth whatever you thought was a fair price to collect, shoot or display. What others would give as their value...I'd think $1200-1500 depending on condition of the bores and mechanics. But I buy guns primarily to shoot and not keep in a case, so all the added accessories and such aren't as important to me.

 

[BoomStick]

Oh...Eibar Spain, so likely an Ardessa, Traditions or CVA made/imported gun.

 

[rickystl]

Interesting. The marks on the one barrel are somewhat similar to the marks on the barrel of my Spanish made copy of the 1757 musket made in Spain. Probably 1980's.

Rick

 

[tenngun]

Hi,
This is total modern fakery. Those pistols are modern reproductions. Including the "rule book" for dueling is laughable. Dueling was illegal and no one followed any written rules nor were any included with dueling pistols. What entertainment!

dave

I’m thinking both the French and Irish published rule books for dialing in eighteenth and early nineteenth century

 

[SeaBee133]

Oh...Eibar Spain, so likely an Ardessa, Traditions or CVA made/imported gun.

Eibar has been making firearms since the matchlock days. Very common cottage industry in Basque communities.

 

[dave_person]

Hi Tenngun,
At least in Britain and Ireland, there were no rule books because dueling was illegal. All that Hamilton and whoever else did was compile descriptions of common dueling practices and pass them off as "code duellos" for public consumption. The only thing that mattered in any duel was that the seconds signed a statement for representatives of each party that the duel was fair. If one refused to sign, there might be further trouble including shaming of the offending party and further duels. The participants could duel in any way they chose, blunderbuses in balloons (real duel), rifles at 50 yards (real duel) as long as the seconds verified the duel was fair and as agreed upon by the participants. There was no governing authority because dueling was illegal.

dave