2020 September Premier, Volume I

Rare Documented Wilkinson & Sons Engraved and Etched Winchester Model 1873 Deluxe Rifle
AS LISTED BY SERIAL NUMBER
IN THE BOOK WINCHESTER NEW
MODEL OF 1873, VOL. II BY GORDON
12
LOT 6
Extraordinary Documented Wilkinson & Sons Engraved and Etched
Winchester First Model 1873 Deluxe Lever Action Rifle - Serial no.
6194, 44 WCF cal., 24 inch bbl., blue/plated finish, fancy walnut checkered
stock. This Winchester First Model 1873 Sporting rifle was manufactured
c. 1875 and subsequently embellished and retailed by Wilkinson & Son.
This rifle has the very desirable First Model receiver with grooved dust
cover guides and dust cover with oval, checkered finger grip. The rifle
has the early style lever latch with visible threads. The rifle has a blued,
24-inch round barrel with full length magazine. The top of the barrel is
flattened and the flat has a file cut matted finish. The barrel has a dovetail
mounted Express front sight with bright bead and Express style rear
sight with three folding leaves marked “100, 200” and “500”. The top barrel
flat is hand-engraved: “WILKINSON & SON GUNMAKERS TO HER MAJESTY
& THE PRINCE OF WALES” ahead of the rear sight reading towards the
muzzle. A folding leaf peep sight with fifty minute graduations is mounted
on the receiver tang. The forearm cap, receiver, dust cover, hammer and
lever are nickel silver plated. The loading gate has a fire blue finish. The
forearm cap, sides of the receiver, sideplates, lower tang, dust cover, sides
of the hammer and bottom of the lever are acid etched with English style
scroll-work on a stippled background. The etching is very similar to the
etching found on high quality Wilkinson military swords of this period.
The right front of the receiver is etched with the Prince of Wales feathers
above a banner reading “BY APPOINTMENT”. The opposite side of the
receiver is etched “WILKINSON/PALL MALL” in two banners surrounded by
scrollwork. The color casehardened shotgun style buttplate is checkered
and decorated with delicate English style scroll engraving. The stock and
forearm are deluxe highly figured walnut with checkered panels and a
high polish piano finish, the right side of the stock is stamped with the
collection number “58”. The London “crown/VP”, “crown/GP” and definitive
proof marks are stamped on the left side of the barrel near the receiver
and a “crown/V” inspection mark is stamped on the left side of the receiver
above the chamber. The serial number is marked in script numerals on
the lower tang behind the lever latch. A small number of early production
Model 1873 Winchesters were imported into Great Britain by The London
Armory Company and other British dealers. This rifle, identified as “Serial
# 6194, Rifle ‘Prince of Wales’” is listed with the serial numbers of 33 other
Model 1873 rifles and carbines with British proof marks on page 553 of
“WINCHESTER NEW MODEL OF 1873, VOL. II” by James Gordon. It is not
clear if this rifle was engraved and finished by Wilkinson expressly for the
Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) or whether the marking denotes that
Wilkinson & Son were appointed as gunmaker to the Prince of Wales. In
any case this is a unique deluxe special order Winchester First Model 1873
Sporting Rifle. A group of 30 Model 1873s (15 rifles and 15 carbines) were
shipped from Winchester to James Kerr and the London Armoury in 1875,
the same year this rifle was manufactured. These special order Model
1873s had casehardened receivers and some had deluxe walnut stocks.
On several of these guns Kerr engraved a Prince of Wales presentation
inscription and inlaid silver plaques featuring the Order of the Star of India.
These ‘73s were presented by the Prince of Wales to Indian officials while
traveling through India in 1875. On page 43 of “Winchester: An American
Legend,” author R.L. Wilson lists 6 serial numbers of Prince of Wales
presentation Model 1873s. These rifles included numbers 6597, 6604, and
6618 which are only a few hundred numbers away from this rifle (6194).
CONDITION: Extremely fine. This rare rifle is all original and retains 85% of
the blue and plated finish applied by Wilkinson. The barrel and magazine
have 90% plus blue finish with a few minor scratches and handling marks
with some finish loss at the muzzle and magazine tip. The hand engraved
barrel legend is clear. The forearm cap, receiver, dust cover, hammer and
lever have 90% plus plated finish.