A large 19th century flintlock pistol

[colin henshaw]

Originally Posted by Norman McCormick

Hi Fernando,
On my Liege pistol there is a crowned H and according to the proof mark list I attached a crowned letter was an inspection mark initiated in 1853.
As far as still producing flintlocks when better alternatives were available see http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ght=birmingham I would suggest there was still a market for basic firearms in many parts of the world in the second half of the 19thc.
Thanks for your thoughts as always.
My Regards,
Norman.

P.S. I see Will beat me to the same conclusion.

Yes, very true - there was a market for basic muzzle-loading firearms in Africa in the late 19th century particularly. However, as well as the specifically made lower quality "trade" guns, large amounts of obsolete flintlocks and percussion guns were shipped to Africa when they became outdated in Europe and breech-loaders and cartridges were introduced.