A UNIQUE PAIR OF 8-BORE FLINTLOCK BLUNDERBUSSES BY JOHN DICKSON & SON View Watchlist >
MADE FOR CHARLES GORDON
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Item # 933433
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A Unique Pair of 8-Bore Flintlock Blunderbusses
by John Dickson & Son
Serial Nos. 4605 & 4606
Commissioned for Charles Gordon, June 9th, 1893
This extraordinary matched pair of flintlock blunderbusses was custom-ordered by the eccentric
Scottish collector Charles Gordon
from the renowned Edinburgh gunmaker John Dickson & Son.
Crafted in 1893, these firearms are a rare example of 19th-century craftsmanship applied to an already antiquated design.
Each blunderbuss features:
Two-stage 16¾-inch blued iron barrels, with shallow flared muzzles and reinforced breech bands cut with sighting notches.
Top-flats engraved at the breech with “JOHN DICKSON & SON, 63 PRINCES STREET EDINBURGH”.
Colour-hardened locks and furniture, with fine scroll, border engraving, including numbered top-tangs (‘1’ and ‘2’) and ring-necked cocks.
Platinum touch-holes, engraved frizzens, and original brass-tipped mahogany ramrods.
French-polished walnut full-stocks, with white metal escutcheons on the underside of each butt.
Condition: Virtually unfired, with only minor storage marks and a hairline crack on the gun number 1 lock.
Provenance & Legacy
These guns were listed as Lots 333 and 334 in the 1908 auction of Gordon’s collection.
They are referenced in Donald Dallas’s book Magnificent Madness which chronicles Gordon’s passion for commissioning muzzle-loading firearms long after they had fallen out of practical use.
Whilst the pages of the book are pictured in this listing, the book IS NOT included with this lot.
Historical Significance
Charles Gordon’s commissions from Dickson & Son are legendary for their eccentricity and quality.
These blunderbusses stand out as perhaps his most unusual order—functional antiques made during an era of breech-loading innovation.
Their pristine condition and elaborate detailing reflect Gordon’s obsession with tradition and artistry over utility.
Charles Gordon was born in 1853, but shortly after his birth his mother died and since his father was a serving army officer,
he was adopted by his aunt and uncle who lived at Halmyre House near Peebles in the Scottish Borders.
By the time he was 14, his uncle and aunt had both died and although he inherited the large Halmyre estate along with a considerable income, he was left alone to fend for himself.
He was of unsound mind throughout his life, one aspect of this being a desire to collect on a massive scale.
He bought over 300 guns, rifles and pistols of the very best quality, all in sumptuous cases, about half being muzzle-loaders,
a system that was completely obsolete at the time of purchase.
Even his breech-loaders were quirky and out of date and he never fired the majority of his collection.
In 1908 a Curator Bonis had to be appointed to direct his life and his house, estate and his possessions were all sold including his gun collection. He died in 1918 in a humble cottage on his old estate.
PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO ABOUT CHARLES GORDON BY HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR DONALD DALLAS
TELLING THE STORY OF THE INSANE COLLECTOR
There are no questions for this listing.
