I've e-mailed Amoskeag asking them to forward my email address to the person who bought Terry's 12 bore.
I've never found a Reilly pair without consecutive serial numbers. That said, there are only a few extant Reilly pairs though there are references to others.
This pair did not sell:
Terry Buffum"s 34221, 34222
The description, and pictures of the two - the 16 bore 27853 and the 12 bore 27854 are so similar that one must assume they went together - perhaps a husband wife team?
"1" from
27853: Note the "
round flower panel on top of action." Note the "
engraved" "1" inside the fore arm...see below
No picture of the "2" on
27854 but the description is identical:
serial #27854, 12 ga., 30" barrels with bright excellent bores choked full and full. This shotgun is built on a W. & C. Scott crystal indicator action with side clips and with each lock being engraved "E.M. REILLY & CO. / LONDON". The markings on the tops of the barrel are difficult to read but appear to be the E.M. Reilly & Company name and London address on the left barrel and a Paris address on the right barrel. The shotgun was part of a set and
is numbered "2" in gold on dolls head rib extension and
engraved on interior forend metal. The barrels are Birmingham nitro proofed for 2 3/4" shells with 1 1/16 oz. loads. The minimum wall thickness is generally .0245 with one small area that gets to .023. The action and locks show near full coverage tight English scroll engraving with
a nice round flower panel on top of action. The barrels retain about 95% evenly thinning restored blue finish overall. The action and locks show an even gray patina and remain very smooth and free of pitting. The checkered straight grip walnut buttstock and splinter forend rate very good plus as refinished long ago. The gun features a 14 5/8" length of pull over checkered butt and shows drops of 1 1/2" and 2 3/8". The gun locks up tight and points beautifully. A neat crystal indicator sidelever Reilly Ejectorgun. (17147-176) {C&R} [Terry Buffum Collection](1500/2500)
Unfortunately the weight of Terry's 12 bore 27854 is not mentioned in the ad, but I would bet it were 7 lbs 8 oz - the Hurlingham maximum pigeon gun weight adopted for the 1883 season.
There is one interesting hint on the 16 bore 27853; this cartouche is on the lower part of the stock. It appears to be a crest with a woman on it above a crown. One wonders if perhaps the 16 bore was indeed used by the wife?
It looks a lot like a variant of the Clan Urquhart badge:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Urquhart
