Elliot Norton Reviews; On Golden Pond; 2213

It was thrown in my Jeep. In about March of 1945 in Germany. We were on our way toward Berlin. After the bullshit we were being shelled by artillery a tour left and I was a battery commander I pulled my battery into a little farming village and we got down behind a little stone hedge fences and when I came back the Jeep This was in it. Inside a leather case . Why do you think somebody threw it in the back of your Jeep. Well a March in April. No war was winding down and no word I think was getting ahead of us that anything of military value he shouldn't have. In your possession and somebody came out and threw it in there. I'm assuming it's made in Germany I've taken it to a number shows I can never get much information about it. One or two people tell me the firing pins came into being about 1875. And other than I don't know much. Well. The way we can tell.

What it is is. This is the maker's signature here. It says Heinrich in Maylis and Maylis is in Austria. So it's an Austrian shotgun and it's a double barreled breech loading needle fire a shotgun. These are the needle fires here. It's of exceptional quality and here you can see these deer is inlaid in gold and all this elaborate scrolling graving. And here on the breech of the barrel you can see in Les Gold scroll work and you can barely see it because of the dirt and grime on it. There's actually also silver inlay there. The needle fire breech loader. This is how you operate it. And opens the opens up the barrels from the breach that you can load the gun. And it cocks the needle so that when you pull the triggers it will fire. It's a very elaborate firearm for the period it's probably mid 19th century. Anywhere from in maybe in around the 1860s 1870s. The needle fire shotgun was a transitional

breech loading system. And as such it was very elaborate and complicated and expensive so most of the needle fire shotguns that you do see have this very elaborate decoration because they were of the highest quality sporting guns of the time. You can even also see down by your hand the elaborate carving on the stock that was obviously made for a very wealthy man. To go hunting with. Have you ever had it appraised. No. No I never been able to find anybody that really knew much about it. Yeah well I would figure at auction this would probably fetch around three to four thousand dollars. But actually if it was in a little bit better condition it's a little bit worn it seems some use it could have been worth as much as a thousand dollars. Wonderful. Okay. Wonderful.