Holster Pistol
date: label: date made
content: ca 1790
name: label: maker
content: Halbach & Sons
notes: label: Description
content: Physical Description:
label: Description
content: This .67 caliber U.S. smoothbore holster pistol was made by Halbach and Sons. It has a pin fastened full walnut stock, an iron barrel, and brass furniture. It has a large shell design relief carving on stock around tang.
label: Description
content: There is an eagle and shield with a cluster of 13 stars on the butt cap. The trigger guard and side plate are engraved. There are no other stamps.
label: Description
content: History:
label: Description
content: Halbach and Sons originated in Baltimore, MD around 1780. They were famous for producing bronze cannon muzzle style barrels and bronze mountings. A Halbach and Sons pistol can also be identified by the brass butt cap that depicts an American spread eagle surrounded by 13 stars. It will also have a raised carving around the tang and a lockplate stamped “Halbach & Sons.”
label: Description
content: This pistol is an example of the lack of standardization in the 18th century. The brass butt cap has an American folk art style engraving but it does not have any of the stamps that signify it as a Halbach and Sons pistol.
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: Flayderman, Norm. Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms…and their Values, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2007. 9th edition
label: Description
content: Gardner, Robert E. Col. Small Arms Makers: A Directory of Fabricators of Firearms, Edged Weapons, Crossbows and Polearms, Crown Publishers Inc, New York: 1963, p. 82.
label: Description
content: Smith, Samuel E. and Edwin W. Bitter. Historic Pistols: The American Martial Flintlock 1760-1845, Scalamandre Publications, New York: 1986, p. 118.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Maryland, Baltimore
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military
label: See more items in
content: Military
label: See more items in
content: The Bitter Collection of Firearms
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: The Adriana and Edwin W. Bitter Family Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1987.0014.05
label: accession number
content: 1987.0014
label: catalog number
content: 1987.0014.05
objectType: label: Object Name
content: pistol
label: Object Name
content: pistol, flintlock
label: Other Terms
content: pistol; Firearms; Flintlock; .69 In; Smooth Bore; Muzzle Load; Sa
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (part material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (part material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 13 in; 33.02 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 12 7/8 in x 6 in x 2 in; 32.7025 cm x 15.24 cm x 5.08 cm