Original Item: Only One Available. This is a beautiful engraved example of the Whitneyville Armory No. 1½ Pocket Revolver, chambered for the .32 rimfire cartridge. It features a nickel plated brass frame, blued steel barrel and cylinder, American black walnut grips, and extensive period style engraving. All numbered components, including both grip panels, match serial number 148.

Whitneyville, Connecticut, now part of Hamden, took its name from its association with inventor and firearms manufacturer Eli Whitney. In addition to developing the cotton gin, Whitney established an important arms factory that manufactured U.S. military muskets and other firearms. His son, Eli Whitney Jr., continued and expanded the family’s firearms business, and the factory became widely known as the Whitneyville Armory.

The Whitneyville No. 1½ was a compact, five shot pocket revolver intended for personal protection. Chambered in .32 rimfire, it could be carried easily in a coat pocket while offering more power than many of the smaller .22 caliber revolvers of the period. Its spur trigger, removable cylinder arbor pin, brass frame, and compact dimensions are typical of American cartridge pocket revolvers produced during the 1870s.

This is a particularly attractive upscale example with extensive engraving across the brass frame. The decoration consists of banknote style scrollwork surrounded by finely executed punch dot backgrounds. Additional engraved accents appear on the barrel and cylinder, giving the entire revolver a coordinated and highly decorative appearance.

The top barrel flat bears the early single line address:

WHITNEYVILLE ARMORY CT. U.S.A.

Additional engraving surrounds the address marking. Later examples incorporated patent information into the barrel marking. This early address only variation is generally associated with production during 1871 and 1872, when the applicable patent was still pending.

Serial number 148 appears on the bottom of the grip frame, the underside of the barrel, the rear of the cylinder, and the cylinder arbor pin and ejector assembly. The inside of both wooden grip panels is also numbered 148. Every numbered component therefore matches, with no evidence of replaced or exchanged principal parts.

The revolver originally had a nickel plated brass frame with a high polish blue finish on its steel components. Nearly all of the exposed nickel plating has worn away from the frame, leaving an attractive mellow brass surface. Protected areas beneath the grips retain remnants of the original nickel finish.

The high gloss blue remains remarkably well preserved on the barrel, cylinder, and even the ejector portion of the cylinder arbor pin. There is some denting at the front of the frame near the arbor pin, possibly indicating that the pin became stuck or required force to remove at some point.

The American black walnut grips remain very attractive and display only light wear. Both retain most of their original glossy “piano varnish” finish. The right grip panel has several scattered dents and handling marks, but both panels remain solid and correctly fitted.

The revolver functions beautifully. The hammer cocks and releases correctly, the cylinder advances with accurate indexing, and lockup is solid. The action dry operates crisply without the erratic or finicky behavior frequently encountered in small cartridge revolvers of this age.

The bore remains in very good condition, displaying clear lands and grooves with a partially bright surface. Some oxidation is present within the grooves, as expected from a black powder era revolver that saw use, but the bore remains well above average.

This is an especially appealing Whitneyville No. 1½ Pocket Revolver with extensive engraving, all matching numbered components, strong mechanics, attractive walnut grips, and substantial original blue finish remaining on its steel parts.

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: Circa 1872
Manufacturer: Whitneyville Armory
Model: No. 1½ Pocket Revolver
Serial Number: 148
Caliber: .32 Rimfire
Barrel Length: 3½"
Overall Length: 7¾"
Action: Single Action
Capacity: Five Rounds
Frame: Nickel Plated Brass
Grips: American Black Walnut

NOTE: As this is chambered for .32" rimfire ammunition, this revolver may not be considered "obsolete calibre" in the UK. International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these.

IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers". Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.

Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services.