This the “eighth issue” Allen sidehammer .22 with octagon barrel, bag grips, and 7-shot cylinder. The upper left barrel flat is marked ETHAN ALLEN & CO. WORCESTER. MASS / ALLEN’S PAT’S / SEPT 7. NOV. 9. 1858. SEPT. 24. 1860. The underside of the barrel is batch numbered “17” just forward of the button head of the front-entering cylinder pin. This has been elegantly engraved on the barrel, cylinder, the top and sides of the frame, and the backstrap, which were then silvered, and fitted with a pair of ivory grips. The frame and cylinder bear floral scrolls. The backstrap engraving is geometric. The barrel is floral on top and geometric on the sides. The grips are excellent, with no chips or cracks, and a nice cream color shading toward yellow. About 40 percent of the silver remains: strong on the barrel and hammer, weak on the frame and backstrap, better on the cylinder.

Flayderman estimates the company made about 1,500 of these sidehammer .22 revolvers from 1858 to 1865. More precise numbers are hard to come up with since the guns were not serial numbered, but there were many variations, some quite elegantly cased, and must have been popular. Company successor Forehand and Wadsworth made another 1,000 into the 1870s. This one in particular was an elegant little pistol.  [SR] [PH:M]

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