Extremely Rare Montreal Police Whitney-Laidley Rolling Block Carbine

Serial #7139, .43 Spanish Carbine, 20 1/4" barrel with an excellent, bright bore. This is one of 60 carbines special-ordered by the city of Montreal in December of 1881, for arming a special group of officers armed with carbines rather than the usual revolvers. The carbine retains 90-92% of the original blue on the barrel, with most of the finish loss occurring at the muzzle from contact with the included socket bayonet. The "MONTREAL POLICE" marking on the top of the barrel is crisp and sharp. The frame, barrel band, and hammer have their original in-the-white finish remaining, while the breechblock has most of the original color case-hardening remaining. The walnut forend and buttstock are in very good shape with numerous small handling marks and surface blemishes scattered about the original military oil finish. The steel buttplate has a mixed gray and plum-brown patina with a crisp "37" Montreal Police rack of issue number on the tang. The carbine is accompanied by a US Model 1855 socket bayonet (each of the carbines ordered were shipped with a surplus US socket bayonet, scabbard, and frog) that has an overall mottled gray and plum-brown patina throughout. These ultra-rare carbines were ordered by the city of Montreal through R.J. Kilby, a local arms merchant, who in turn ordered them from the New York firm of Hartley & Graham Co. Whatever the initial reason for the order, the carbines remained in use up to WW1 by jail guards and for prisoner transfers. Following WW1, they were placed in storage at Montreal's Bordeaux Prison where many were eventually disassembled for various reasons. It is estimated that only about 18 to 20 of these carbines remain intact, although only about eight examples are currently known to exist. The existence of these carbines was first put forward in an article by Gordon T. Howard, published in the August, 1965 issue of "The Canadian Journal of Arms Collecting" (Vol. 3 ?Çô No. 3 and available on this site: Item #CJ03-3). This particular carbine, specifically the buttplate tang number, is also illustrated on page 80 of "Remington Rolling Block Military Rifles of the World" by George Layman; 2010. This is an extremely rare Rolling Block, one of only a handful to have survived the passage of time, in excellent condition, and would make a wonderful addition to any collection. Antique