Description:
Pistol tinderbox or tinder lighter or tinder pistol or lighter or strike-a-light in the shape of a flintlock pistol, which is marked "Richards" on the brass around the left side of the handle. Many gunmakers made these an an aside, although they were also produced by specialists. This "Richards" might be one of the two generations of John Richards who worked at 55 Strand, London, and in Birmingham between 1745-1810, or Theophilus Richards or Thomas Richards, both of whom made flintlock pistols. Popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries, tinder pistols were made for table and pocket use, and were also an international trade item. In 1773, New York merchant William Bailey advertised in "Rivington's New-York Gazetteer" that he had "for sale reasonable both whole-sale and retail imported in the latest vessles from England...pistol tinder boxes." According to Don Fennimore, flint was a crucial part of European, English, and American firearm design in the 18th and 19th centuries since it gave off sparks when struck against steel. Flint was secured at the top of the cock of a musket or pistol lock; when hit against a piece of steel called a hammer (frizzen), it could strike a fire and ignite the gun powder contained in a pan concealed by the hammer. The same mechanism was used with pistol tinderboxes except the shallow pan held cotton wadding or fine wood shavings rather than gunpowder; the candle was lit, placed in the candleholder, and used like a modern match. Extra wadding or shavings were stored in the box under the pan.The pistol is supported in the front on a small, lyre-shaped stand. Condition: The lyre shaped stand has become dettached and need to be resoldered.
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+1774 |
