A.F. Wishing Gallery Air PIstol

[leh22]

Gentleman:

I need some research help from fellow semi-oldtimers in trying to track some provenance. Back in 1981, Dennis Hiller did a brief article in Airgun World about an A.F. Wirshing American gallery air pistol. Dennis apparently did not own the pistol, as he gives credit of its loan to him from "M.T. of London". This pistol must have then subsequently been cased sometime within these last 40 years, eventually finding its way into David Swan's incredible collection, and was brought back to its home in the States a couple of years ago by way of the David Swan Estate auction and into the late Ingvar Alm's collection. Any idea of who M.T. was/is, or any of the other links in between him and David Swan?

Thank you,
LarryH

[draitzer]

Hate to pick nits Larry, but it is really A. F. Wirsing isn't it?

DAR

[Garvin]

Ingvar's Wirsing:

[ccdjg]

Unfortunately I do not know who MT of London was, but I do recall this gun doing the rounds in the mid 1980's when it was eventally offered to me for sale for £1000 in the early 1990's. That was way behind my means at the time so I had to pass, much to my regret. The pistol was then bought by David Swan, who had the case made up for it.

I have a strong suspicion that the pistol may have come originally from the collection of Joe Gilbart, which was auctioned in London in 1982. I was not there unfortunately, and in fact I had not started seriously collecting air pistols then. The auction listing described one lot as "An Eisenwerke EG, s. no. 570, and a brass gallery pistol". Amazingly this bundle sold for the magnificent sum of £25. So if this "brass gallery pistol" was the Wirsing, it was going to have quite a mark-up over the next 30 or so years.

Joe had quite an interest in the early American spring air pistols, so he could have bought it from the USA. The person to ask would be John Atkins, who knew Joe personally, and he covered the original auction in one of his very early Airgun World articles.

[leh22]

Hate to pick nits Larry, but it is really A. F. Wirsing isn't it?

DAR

Your good catch...my weary eyes!

[leh22]

Unfortunately I do not know who MT of London was, but I do recall this gun doing the rounds in the mid 1980's when it was eventally offered to me for sale for £1000 in the early 1990's. That was way behind my means at the time so I had to pass, much to my regret. The pistol was then bought by David Swan, who had the case made up for it.

I have a strong suspicion that the pistol may have come originally from the collection of Joe Gilbart, which was auctioned in London in 1982. I was not there unfortunately, and in fact I had not started seriously collecting air pistols then. The auction listing described one lot as "An Eisenwerke EG, s. no. 570, and a brass gallery pistol". Amazingly this bundle sold for the magnificent sum of £25. So if this "brass gallery pistol" was the Wirsing, it was going to have quite a mark-up over the next 30 or so years.

Joe had quite an interest in the early American spring air pistols, so he could have bought it from the USA. The person to ask would be John Atkins, who knew Joe personally, and he covered the original auction in one of his very early Airgun World articles.

John:

Thanks for the info. I had thought about the Dr. Gilbart auction, but I didn't recall seeing it mentioned by name. Your reference to lot 570 sure seems like a possibility. But even with those crazy cheap prices in that auction, that almost seems like an impossibility. Also, the timing would seem rather tight for the transfer to Gilbart , as Hiller's MT reference appeared in the October, 1981 Airgun World issue.

If lot 570 did include the Wirsing pistol, it most certainly was grabbed up by our dealer friend John Galloway who founded V.A.G. on the basis of that sale.

Thanks again,
LarryH