Pair of pistols in dual holster

[~dan~]

Hello from Britain. May I ask for assistance in identifying these, I have been offered them to buy but want to know more about them. I tentatively think they could be Turkish but happy to be corrected. Any information would be gratefully received. Thanks very much
Dan

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Somewhere in the Middle east. Probably Persia or Turkey would be a good bet.

 

[OldRust]

Welcome to the Forum from York County, Pennsylvania. We have a few SME's = Subject matter Experts on that type of firearm. They will be along.

Thanks,
O.R.

 

[~dan~]

Somewhere in the Middle east. Probably Persia or Turkey would be a good bet.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[~dan~]

Somewhere in the Middle east. Probably Persia or Turkey would be a good bet.

Thanks for your reply.

Welcome to the Forum from York County, Pennsylvania. We have a few SME's = Subject matter Experts on that type of firearm. They will be along.

Thanks,
O.R.

Thanks for the welcome. Yes I hope to learn more, they’re interesting looking things for sure.

 

[rickystl]

Hi Dan. Welcome to the Forum.

The pistols in your photos are what collectors commonly refer to as a pair of Ottoman/Turkish kubur (horse) pistols. The holster itself is referred to as a kuberluk. The holsters are often more rare than the pair of pistols themselves.
The Ottoman Turks, as well as other horsemen through out much of the Empire preferred to carry their pair of horse pistols in this style of holster that mounts across the shoulder like a sword baldric. Whereas European horsemen preferred their pistols in holsters (buckets) mounted directly to the horse saddle.
The holster appears to be in decent condition. Often the outer decoration threading is beat up and the shoulder strap missing.
The pistols look like they've seen better days. Too bad about the one butt cap missing. Looks like a good, general cleaning overall would help. These were beautiful pistols at the time. And very much typical of Turkish pistol design at the time. Since these pistols were used all the up to at least the 1880's, I'll see if I can locate a period type photo.

Rick

 

[~dan~]

Hi Dan. Welcome to the Forum.

The pistols in your photos are what collectors commonly refer to as a pair of Ottoman/Turkish kubur (horse) pistols. The holster itself is referred to as a kuberluk. The holsters are often more rare than the pair of pistols themselves.
The Ottoman Turks, as well as other horsemen through out much of the Empire preferred to carry their pair of horse pistols in this style of holster that mounts across the shoulder like a sword baldric. Whereas European horsemen preferred their pistols in holsters (buckets) mounted directly to the horse saddle.
The holster appears to be in decent condition. Often the outer decoration threading is beat up and the shoulder strap missing.
The pistols look like they've seen better days. Too bad about the one butt cap missing. Looks like a good, general cleaning overall would help. These were beautiful pistols at the time. And very much typical of Turkish pistol design at the time. Since these pistols were used all the up to at least the 1880's, I'll see if I can locate a period type photo.

Rick

Rick

Thanks for the welcome and information. I’m hopefully going to have them in hand later in the week. Is it possible to approximately date them from these pictures or did the design vary little over a long period? Obviously I want to make sure I’m paying a reasonable price so I guess I’ll do some digging on comparables. My thanks again
Dan.

 

[rickystl]

Hi Dan

These pistols are rarely ever dated. They could have been made anywhere from say 1780 to 1880. Yes, this part of the World continued use of the flintlock for that long. That is likely the reason there are so many of these original pistols still available today.

Rick