Product Details
BOSS & CO.
A FINE PAIR OF 12-BORE SINGLE-TRIGGER OVER AND UNDER SIDELOCK EJECTORS, serial no. 7197 / 8,
29in. nitro barrels engraved 'BOSS & CO. 13. DOVER STREET, PICCADILLY, LONDON. W.' and with short sight ribs gold-inlaid '1' and '2', side-ribs, 2 1/2in. chambers, bored approx. 1/4 and imp. cyl. choke, No.1 under barrel at 18+, Boss 1909 patent actions incorporating J. Robertson (Boss & Co.) patents 3307 (hinged stud piece drop down action) and 3308 (ejector) of 10th February 1909, Boss improved patent single-triggers, patent no. 11278 of 30th April 1905, hold-open toplevers gold-inlaid '1' and '2', carved fences, automatic safeties with gold-inlaid 'SAFE' details, gold-inlaid cocking-indicators, rolled-edge triggerguards, best fine bouquet and scroll engraving, retaining much renewed colour-hardening and finish, 14 3/4in. well-figured stocks including buttplates, weight 6lb. 11oz., in their brass-cornered oak and leather case with some accessories, canvas and leather outer with buckled pocket and leather label marked 'Capt. PAUL HAMMOND U.S.N.R. SYOSSET. N.Y. L.I.'
Provenance: The makers have kindly informed us that the guns were completed with single-triggers and 29in. barrels in April 1925 for Capt. Paul Hammond O.B.E., U.S.N.R.
Captain Paul Hammond was born 16th December 1883 in Scituate, Cape Cod, Massachusetts and was schooled at Harvard, graduating in 1906. He was a highly successful banker, talented amateur yachtsman and served nobly in both World Wars.
Hammond founded, at a young age, the private equity firm now known as HKW (Hammond Kennedy Whitney), looked upon as one of North America's most trusted (and oldest) companies in its field. Hammond also displayed an equal talent away from the financial world, and this was for sailing. He was a keen and very able yachtsman which led him to serve with the United States Navy in the latter stages of the Great War when he held the rank of Lieutenant. His sailing abilities perhaps reached their zenith in the inter-war period when, in 1928, he skippered the yacht 'Nina' to victory in the Transatlantic Ambrose Lightship Race; an event from New York to Santander. In doing so he won the Queen of Spain's Cup and many accolades. Later in 1939 he, his wife and Prof. Samuel E. Morison organised the Harvard-Columbus Expedition. Its aim was to verify some of the accounts of Christopher Columbus's voyages. Hammond spent three months in command of the barquentine 'Capitana' which had been acquired for the expedition. Morison was to write a successful book of the expedition entitled 'Admiral of the Ocean Sea' which was well-received.
He again served with the navy in the Second World War and was Assistant Naval Attaché to the Court of St. James from May 1941 until June of the following year. He then returned home and served for the remainder of the war in Florida. The British awarded Hammond an O.B.E. in recognition of his services toward the protection of the Atlantic convoys from the marauding U-Boats.
Commodore (as he was by then) Paul L. Hammond lived a long life and died aged 92, in New York, on 5th May 1976.
Other Notes: The makers have kindly supplied the following information regarding the guns:
"We recently conducted a full strip and clean, general service and replaced the top ejector on No2 gun # 7198. We found no major issues when we conducted a full gunsmith's condition report.
The guns have been extensively test shot and are in perfect working condition for its age. One particular note is that these gun are slightly biased towards paper cartridges due to its vintage but works equally well with low neck brass plastic cartridges."
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Estimate £70,000-90,000
S2