41 - Percussion pocket pistol (terzerol), octagonal barrel, box lock, walnut bag grip, mid-19th c.

Percussion pocket pistol (terzerol), octagonal barrel, box lock, walnut bag grip, mid-19th c. Walnut stock, percussion pocket pistol (terzerol). The octagonal barrel bright, at the rear end the nipple, above it the curved hammer. Iron box lock with the hammer positioned centrally in the lock housing, the tang plate with brass screw let into the back of the grip. Iron trigger guard. Bag-shaped grip of walnut, plain and without cap. Condition commensurate with age, the hammer does not engage, the barrel stained and pitted, the stock with scratches. Calibre 11 mm, L. 19.5 cm A terzerol is the small pocket pistol of the 19th c., carried as a defensive weapon when travelling and in everyday life; the name goes back to the Italian terzuolo. Terzerols with box lock, octagonal barrel and bag-shaped grip were produced in large numbers from the middle of the 19th c. in Liège and in Zella-Mehlis and were distributed throughout Europe via the wholesale trade; their plain design remained virtually unchanged for decades. In Germany, muzzle-loading weapons with percussion ignition whose model originated before 1871 may be acquired without a licence from the age of 18.