Lot 96

Rare & Historic U.S. North & Cheney Model 1799 Flintlock Pistol

Previous image preload Next image preload
Back to catalog
Lot 96
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3 image_4 image_5 image_6 image_7
Rare & Historic U.S. North & Cheney Model 1799 Flintlock Pistol
Rare & Historic U.S. North & Cheney Model 1799 Flintlock Pistol
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3 image_4 image_5 image_6 image_7

Rare & Historic U.S. North & Cheney Model 1799 Flintlock Pistol

Estimate: $45,000 - $65,000

Starting Bid: $40,000

(0 Bids)
by Rock Island Auction Company
June 27, 2026 5:00 PM CDT
Live Auction
3600 Harwood Road
Bedford, TX, US 76021

Extremely Rare and Historic Documented U.S. Second Contract North & Cheney Model 1799 Flintlock Pistol with Authentication Letter 250 years ago, the thirteen original colonies broke away from the British Empire and fought in the American Revolutionary War for years to secure independence as the United States. For several more years, the former colonies operated loosely together under the Articles of Confederation until the writing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. Following the convention, Elizabeth Willing Powel famously asked Benjamin Franklin if we would have a republic or a monarchy, and Franklin replied: "A republic , if you can keep it." Political participation would of course play a major role in deciding whether or not we could keep our republic, but so to would Americans taking up arms as threats remained from European powers east across the Atlantic, from various Native American nations competing for territory on the western frontier, and from internal rebellions. In the late 18th century and early 19th century, the new nation had little that could be recognized as a proper military aside from a couple regiments providing security on the western frontier. A standing army in peacetime was logically considered a drain on the new nation's limited resources and a risk to individual liberties given the experiences of the Revolutionary War, and the Bill of Rights amended to the Constitution enshrined protections to safeguard the citizenry, including the Second Amendment guaranteeing the people the right to keep and bear arms and the Third Amendment limiting the quartering of soldiers in private homes. The Continental Army had demobilized following the Treaty of Paris in 1783, and the remaining ships of the Continental Navy were sold in 1785. Instead, the new nation depended on state based militias for defense. The 1792 Militia Acts gave the president the authority to call up the militia in the case of invasion, imminent danger of invasion, or rebellion and also required that free, able-bodied white male citizens between the ages of 18 and 45 enroll in the militia and required each militiaman to provide himself with a firearm, ammunition, and accoutrements suitable for military service. For example, infantrymen were to secure a musket, bayonet, belt, two spare flints, and twenty-four cartridges. Riflemen were to have a powder horn, quarter pound of powder, and twenty balls. Dragoons were required to own a pair of pistols, twelve cartridges, and a saber. The arms would be exempted "from all suits, distresses, executions or sales, for debt or for the payment of taxes." The Militia Act of 1795 made the statutes permanent. Both the militia and the small U.S. Army required arms. During the American Revolution, a shortage of appropriate military arms and lack of standardization had proved to be a problem. The Continental Army and militias struggled throughout the war to maintain adequate firearms and ammunition, and the wide array of fowling pieces, rifles, and muskets meant that supplying ammunition on a large scale was difficult at best. Many of the arms available at the beginning of the war had been used in the French & Indian War and were in poor repair. The influx of French firearms and components beginning in 1776 was key to the survival and success of the Continental Army. After the war, it was these French firearms that served as the patterns for the first firearms manufactured for the U.S. military, including the Model 1795 muskets manufactured as Springfield Armory and Harper's Ferry which were based on the French Model 1763/66 "Charleville" muskets. In 1799, with the threat of an expansion of the Quasi-War with the First French Republic, the first official pistol model manufactured for the U.S. military was born: the North & Cheney Model 1799 horse/horseman pistol. Like the Model 1795 muskets, the Model 1799 was heavily based on a French design used during the American Revolution: the Model 1777 pistol. These pistols were significantly different than the common military pistols of the era. The lock mechanism was built into a brass frame to which the stock and barrel were mounted, and the frizzen spring is fitted with the fold towards the rear just ahead of the cock. The design was more akin to the "Queen Anne" pistols of the early 18th century but with a fixed barrel. The primary differences between the U.S. Model 1799 and the French Model 1777 aside from the markings are that the U.S. Model 1799 pistols have longer barrels (approximately 8 1/2 inches vs. 7 inches) with a rounder breech section and an additional barrel screw on the bottom of the frame at the front. Since the U.S. Army only included four infantry regiments, a corps of artillery and engineers, and just two troops of light dragoons, the initial contract appears to have been for just 500 pistols completed by Simeon North in Berlin, Connecticut. North's brother-in-law Elisha Cheney, a clockmaker, is also named on the pistols and may have produced small parts or have been a financial backer. A second contract for another 1,500 dated February 6, 1800, was signed by North and completed in 1801-1802. After the Model 1799 pistols, Cheney was not active in arms making, but North remained active producing arms for the U.S. government until 1852, especially pistols. North is often noted as "the First Official Pistol Maker of the United States" since he was the main government contractor in the early national period and the first to manufacture pistols based on official, recognized patterns for the government. He was also crucial in the push towards truly interchangeable parts which was key to what became known as the American system of manufacturing. Interchangeable parts were specified in his 1813 pistol contract and also a key component of the Hall rifles and carbines. The maker's first initials were dropped after the completion of the first contract. These Model 1799 pistols would have been primarily issued to dragoons and cavalry on the frontier. The pairs of "horseman's pistols" carried much further into the West with the Corps of Discovery by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark are both believed to have been Model 1799s. The pistols that remained serviceable would have continued to see service in the War of 1812, but by then the more conventional U.S. Model 1805 and Model 1811 pistols were also in service. The Model 1799 pistols remain among the rarest and most highly prized American military firearms and are certainly the most desirable of all U.S. martial flintlock pistols. In "Historic Pistols: The American Martial Flintlock, 1760-1845" by Smith and Bitter, the authors note that only seven of the First Contract pistols and nineteen of these Second Contract pistols were known to survive. This historic pistol was examined by the renowned late U.S. flintlock pistol expert James M. Wertenberger in 2006 and a copy of his detailed piece by piece evaluation of the pistol is included. He indicates the pistol is in original flintlock configuration and that the markings and components are consistent with the other 1799s he has examined, including the "518" which appears on the left side of the breech plug, under the barrel and inside the brass frame; the "VIII" assembly marks on the back strap, back strap mortise, and barrel, and the "II" assembly marks on the trigger guard bow and the screws. The only replacement components he noted are the lower buttcap screw and small frame screw behind the trigger. The bottom, underside of the frame on the right side of the trigger guard is stamped in an arched curve: "NORTH & CHENEY BER" with the "LIN" portion no longer visible. Wertenberger noted similar light or defaced markings on other original North & Cheney pistols. The top of the barrel is correctly stamped "PV/US" in two lines ahead of the tang. The pommel is not marked with the usual assembly marks, but Wertenberger confirmed it is original to the pistol. Ramrod absent.

Manufacturer: North & Cheney

Model: 1799

BBL: 8 5/16 inch round

Gauge: 69

Finish: bright

Grips: walnut

Serial Number518

Class: Antique

  • Condition: Very good plus. The iron components have an untouched brown patina with scattered pitting and surface rust. The "PV/US" markings on the top of the barrel are legible. There is some de-lamination at the muzzle which Wertenberger noted he had seen on another North & Cheney pistol. The brass displays an untouched dark patina with some verdigris on protected areas surrounding the hammer and frizzen spring and faint fractures in the lower tang. The North & Cheney markings on the bottom of the receiver are light but legible as discussed above. The wood is also very good with scattered minor handling marks, some loss at the edges, and two inconsequential hairline cracks. The original mainspring is broken. A Model 1799 North & Cheney flintlock pistol in the original flintlock configuration is a key piece in the evolution of U.S. military handguns and one of the most difficult of all U.S. handguns to obtain. This is a solid example of a rare Model 1799 pistol accompanied by a detailed evaluation by one of the recognized experts in U.S. martial flintlock pistols. This pistol would be a tremendous addition to the most advanced U.S. martial arms collection.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Rock Island Auction will contact you shortly after the auction has completed. We will arrange for shipping and or pickup.

Rock Island Auction Company

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 30% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $199 $10
$200 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000