A Rare Antique Cased Pair of .500 Percussion Rifled Officers or Duelling Pistols by Lancaster, circa 1853, with browned octagonal barrels, 25.5cm, signed on the top flats Charles Lancaster 151 New Bond Street London. With squared colour hardened patent breech blocks, the tops inlet with a platinum line and poincons signed Charles Lancaster London. Dovetailed bead foresight, standing notch rear sights to the front of the colour hardened fully engraved top tangs. Platinum breech plugs, border and scroll engraved bar action locks with sliding safety behind the dolphin headed hammers. The bars themselves signed C. Lancaster London, walnut half stocks with fully chequered bag shaped butts, each fitted with an engraved rounded iron butt cap with rear tail. Guarded plain triggers, rectangular clipped corner escutcheons to the wrist and barrel keys. Moulded horn fore end tips and horn tipped mahogany ramrods with blunted ends. Both pistols in a remarkable state of preservation and appearing little used with the majority of the original finish and colour intact, and complete with their makers mahogany case (closure hooks absent), replacement original trade label inside the lid, the tray lined and partitioned in green baize and complete with an authentication certificate from Charles Lancaster Gunmakers Ltd. Overall length 39.5cm. The case contains no accessories and we assume that a Mr. P. Haye (the original customer) never came to collect the guns, therefore never chose any accessories. Provenance: Previously sold as part of the Grant & Lancaster Collection, Christies, 1993. The makers record states these pistols were produced for a Mr. P. Haye in 1853 for a cost of £37 16s. Popular tradition has it that they were never collected and remained on hand at the showrooms of Charles Lancaster as an example of workmanship and style.