Product Details
CLAIR BROTHERS, FRANCE
A RARE 6.5mm IN-LINE MULTI-PUMP PNEUMATIC BOLT-ACTION AIR-RIFLE WITH DELUXE FINISH, no visible serial number,
circa 1870, with round, nickel-plated 24 1/2in. smoothbore barrel, the nickel-plated bolt-action breech of cylindrical form with relief engraved scrollwork on a gilt-washed stippled background to the body and gilt wash to the bolt and signed 'CLAIR FRERES RES SGDG', the rear of receiver with rope-twist engraved border, ebonised wood three-quarter stock with chequered and fluted butt, the centre flutes of each side inlaid with white-metal wire scrolls, fully plated and relief scroll engraved with gilt wash heel-plate, the central section with rope-twist border engraved in-line pump-handle, en-suite complex trigger-guard bow, double triggers, the front cocking the valve and the rear for firing, further white metal wire scrolls to the fore-end tip (underside fore-end screw missing escutcheon and two barrel keys with white-metal escutcheons and wire borders.
Provenance: This lot, and the following six lots together with lots 608 & 609 and 616 & 617 were formerly part of the David Swan collection of Antique Air-Rifles. Previously sold by Anderson & Garland Auctioneers, 16 Sept 2015
Other Notes: David S. Swan (23 January 1940 to 28 July 2014)
David Swan was born in Newcastle in 1940 and was the eldest of three children. Aged eight, David attended Featherstone Castle School, Haltwhistle, later graduating on to Greshams School, Holt, Norfolk.
From a very early age, David always knew that he wanted to be an engineer, growing up with Meccano and constucting many complicated pieces. This, coupled with his love of large explosions and loud bangs was soon to mark him out as a gun collector, eventually concentrating on antique pneumatic air-guns, but embracing many other types as well.
After Greshams, David attended Loughborough College to study Mechanical engineering where he also joined the Territorial Army, which allowed him to continue to indulge his passion of blowing things up. He won the prize for his year at Loughborough with a fine and perfectly scaled model of a field gun.
On graduating from Loughborough, David completed a three-year apprenticeship at Sulzer, the well-known Marine Engine manufacturers based in Winterthur, Switzerland, after which he moved back to Newcastle where he started working as a marine engineer at the family connected firm, Swan Hunter. David was to remain at Swan Hunter for the rest of his working career when he finished up as a project quality inspection manager, and was the last working family link with the company when it closed in the 1990's. One of the co-founders had been his great grandfather, Charles Sheriton Swan, though David never pushed his family connection prefering to achieve greatness within the firm through his own merit.
.
Please click HERE to view Terms & Conditions.
Estimate £1,000-1,500