Rare Allen & Wheelock Four-Barrel Pepperbox Pistol

Serial #72, .34 Caliber, 2 7/8" barrel cluster with lightly pitted bores.  This is a handsome gun that has a mild pewter gray patina with plum-brown along the edges and thin freckling within the shallow barrel flutes and within the engraving on the sides of the cylindrical frame.  The markings are all crisp and clear, including the patent mark on the left side of the bar hammer.  The rosewood grips have scattered handling marks and minor surface blemishes in the original varnish and the action is fully functional.  These four-barreled Allen pepperboxes use a unique, frame mounted extension to anchor the barrels due to their diminutive size, and the guns are quite small for their caliber as a result.  They are seldom seen today, and are a desirable Allen pepperbox variant.  This example is in about very good condition and would make a splendid addition to any collection.  Antique