Guns & Militaria
Lot 1079:
Civil War Era Manton SxS 12g Shotgun in very good vintage condition with some wear. Left hammer doesn’t lock back. .
Joseph Manton (6 April 1766 – 29 June 1835) was a British gunsmith. He innovated sport shooting, improved weapon quality and paved the way for the modern artillery shell. Manton was a sport shooter and a friend of Colonel Peter Hawker. From 1780 to 1781, Manton was first apprenticed to a gunmaker in Grantham, Newton. He worked under his elder brother John from 1781 onward. He produced around 100 weapons annually, including both cased dueling pistols and shotguns. . Manton’s weapons remain some of the most highly sought-after designs of the flintlock age and can fetch more at auction than Holland & Holland’s shotguns. His workforce included James Purdey (who went on to found Purdey’s), Thomas Boss, William Greener, Charles Lancaster and William Moore. These five established major gun firms. According to the family this shotgun was carried in the Civil War by F.L. Bidwell, a recognized man in his community and Union soldier in the 25th Wisconsin volunteer infantry company C. This firearm comes with an eight page biography on Mr Bidwell with copies of news articles on Mr Bidwell and his Civil War pension index. C&R Eligible S/N:nsn
Share this lot:
