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10811 - New 1st gun from 315 Oxford Street;

If any one is tracking the Reilly history...there have been a lot of subtle changes since Diggory Hadoke published it last summer on "Vintage Gun Journal." The history and the list of extant guns continues to change...but less radically than at the beginning.

For the latest, I went back and looked at some of the guns from the 1850's...
-- 10811 - a Prince patent breech loader. Per the chart it should have been serial numbered in Fall 1858.
http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/print_sale.aspx?saleid=7288
But on the barrel it has two interesting engravings.
. . . . . - "Reilly & Co."
. . . . . - "Oxford Street."
315 aka "Oxford Street" aka "The Manufactory" or "The Amoury House" wasn't opened until January 1859. "Reilly & Co." appeared in some books and advertisements in early 1859....to be superseded by "E.M. Reilly & Co" in October 1859. So I speculate that the gun was ordered in Fall 1858, and completed in January-February 1859....I speculate that the last engraving on the gun was the name and address on the barrel/rib....Bushveld has posted a comment which seems to cement this conclusion...e.g.
-- bespoke guns were serial numbered when ordered.
-- Barrels and other patent parts were given patent use numbers when picked up or were sold in a block.
-- The maker name/address on the rib were the last bit engraved before delivery along with the previously SN on the action and Tang.
**Note: No photo from Christies" for this gun....and thus no confirmation.
And yet, I've decided (on the word of Christies') that this is the earliest 315 gun serial numbered by Reilly. Yes there are questions. I'll be looking to answer them.

Edit: I've decided to trust Christies and call this the earliest gun built at 315 Oxford Street. History has been changed.

Also, taking another look at 11419 (Early 1860)...there are definitely two addresses "315 & 502 Oxford Street" on the barrel (Dated per the chart in early 1860). This is now the first extant long gun with "315" on the gun (building occupied in Jan 1859) - This is definitely the first gun with "315" on the rib....but 10811 has "Oxford Street"...so...for now 2nd place.

Last edited by Argo44; 06/16/20 09:53 PM.
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