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HENRY DERINGER MEDIUM SIZED .49 CALIBER POCKET
PISTOL – SOUTHERN AGENT MARKED – W.H. CALHOUN,
NASHVILLE: From the antebellum era of the Old
South, this very nice, early production silver mounted
Henry Deringer medium pocket pistol is stamped on the
barrel “MANF FOR; W.H. CALHOUN; AGENT; NASHVILLE,
TENN.”.
William H. Calhoun, a jeweler and silver smith of some
note, is listed in the 1859 Nashville, Tennessee
Directory as having a shop located at 16 Public Square.
I have found information that indicates he was born in
1815, and was in business in Nashville from either 1835
or 1839 until his death in 1865. In recent years a
number of coin silver service pieces such as coffee pots
and goblets hallmarked “W.H. Calhoun, Nashville” have
passed through auction houses and have fetched
considerable sales prices, and his work has been
described as “rare” due to a limited business volume.
In overall very good condition, this pistol features a
3” long barrel, measured from the muzzle to the rear
edge of the breech, with a .49 caliber bore, and the
pistol measures 7” in overall length. The bore appears
to be very good with strong rifling throughout. The
original front and rear sights are present and full
form. The barrel agent address, the “DERINGER; PHILADELA”
stamping on the breech and lock plate, and “P” with
surrounding sunburst proof on the breech are all clear
and plainly legible. The lock and trigger function well
with a crisp action. The silver butt cap, thumb plate,
side plate, trigger guard, barrel bolster plate and key
escutcheons, and the desirable nose cap are all present
and very nicely engraved. Engraving also highlights the
lock plate and hammer, breech plug, barrel tang and the
heads of the side lock and tang screws. The walnut
stock has a nice even patina, is in very good condition
with no cracks or damage, only minor handling marks and
still retains strong clear checkering on the grip. The
metal surface of the barrel is overall smooth with some
very minor pitting and retains an untouched even aged
plum brown color. The lock plate and hammer are
generally gray with some trace of the dark case color in
the protected areas. The ramrod is a replacement.
As one of the scarcer Southern Agent marked Henry
Deringer pistols, this historic piece is will be an
evocative addition to your collection.
SOLD
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