Very cool Imperdix, and Stephen Helsley. Those documents are priceless. And they give a solid documentary foundation to Stephen Nash's earlier essay on the beginning of pin-fire break action guns In Birmingham.
Returning briefly to the subject of Eley pin-fire shells: Eley in 1856-58 made "cartridges" for muzzle loaders and needle-guns, etc. Thus, in his advertisements, when he mentions "cartridges" it's difficult to sort out what is what. I gather that "green" are muzzle loading cartridges, and "Red" were unloaded pin-fire shells, but this isn't sure. I believe his "wire fire" "cartridges" for instance are for muzzle loaders though some adapted them to pin-fire shells. We badly need a series of Eley catalogues from the era.
Here is an advertisement from
05 June 1858 "The Field" dealing with both muzzle-loading cartridges and breech-loading husks.
Those 7 years from 1855 to 1862 were truly a time of ferment and change in the British gun industry.
Note: In addition take a look at the H.Holland advertisement between the two Eley ads. Harris Holland puts out a claim similar (not a definitive) to the one that Reilly advertised four years later...i.e.
"As all the work is manufactured upon the premises, sportsmen will have the advantage of viewing it through every stage of its manufacture."
