Here is what I discovered about my rifle:
I obtained copies of the ledger entries from Holland and Holland. Line 4 of the first hand written ledger shows that my rifle was built for the famous
N.C. Nash. He was an avid H&H collector and known for his “Miracle Six” H&H double rifles. If my rifle would have been included, perhaps it would have been part of the "Miracle Seven". (I obtained the following information from another forum member)
Multiple sources refer to him (Nash) as a Boston Brahmin/capitalist/sportsman who commissioned an unusually high-end group of H&H guns that later became known in the collecting world (Julia/Morphy referred to the group; Sporting Classics also highlights him by name).
The “Miracle Six” is the collector nickname for a remarkable set of six best-quality double rifles commissioned by Nathaniel Cushing Nash of Cambridge, Massachusetts, from Holland & Holland between roughly 1905 and 1909.
They’re significant because:
All six were Holland & Holland “Royal” Ejector double rifles
They span the classic Nitro Express golden era
They were ordered by a single American sportsman within a short window
Several have surfaced together at auction, confirming provenance
What Made Them Extraordinary; ...
1. Caliber Spread;
The six rifles reportedly covered a full dangerous-game progression, including:
.360 / .400
.400 / .360
.450 / .400
.470 Nitro Express
.500 Nitro Express
.577 Nitro Express
That’s effectively a complete safari battery — from lighter plains game up through elephant-stopping calibers.
For a single American client in 1905–1909, that was an enormous financial commitment. These were not sporting goods purchases — they were elite commissions.
2. Best-Grade Specification;
Each rifle was:
Built on H&H’s Royal action
Automatic ejectors
Exhibition walnut
Fine London rose-and-scroll engraving
Fitted oak & leather cases
Gold oval escutcheons (some monogrammed)
These were not “working colonial guns.”
They were aristocratic presentation-level rifles.
3. Why “Miracle”?;
The term came from the collecting world because:
It is extremely rare for six Nitro Express Royals from the same original owner to survive.
Even rarer for multiple examples to surface together.
Rarer still for an American buyer of that era to order such a complete matched battery.
When a group of them appeared at auction in Maine (Julia/Morphy era), the catalogers referred to the set as “The Miracle Six.”https://www.africahunting.com/...0820446-jpeg.746352/This picture above of the "Miracle Six" shows at least 3 had the same Lyman type tang site as my rifle.
Julia sold the "Miracle Six" in 2018. Their ad copy: Great sporting arms have been a hallmark at Julia’s for decades and this auction does not disappoint with the offering of the “Miracle Six,” a battery of Holland & Holland Royal Doubles made at the turn of the 20th century for Boston tycoon Nathaniel C. Nash (lots 1180-1184, estimates ranging from $30,000 to $95,000). These guns were put into cold storage in 1915 and had been out of circulation for over 100 years, until 2018!
Here is a link to the 2018 Auction:
https://jamesdjulia.com/press-...ase/the-miracle-six/
![[Linked Image from buckstix.com]](http://www.buckstix.com/buckpics/h&h-000.jpg)