Description:

Cogswell & Harrison 12 bore top-lever boxlock ejector SxS sporting gun SN 45650. Steel barrels with game rib; blacked action and furniture; checkered straight-hand stock with strengthening pin at head; checkered buttplate; matching snap-on splinter forend.
choked: L-Improved/Modified R-Modified, chambered: 2 1/2", LOP: 14 1/4"
overall L46" barrel L30" ***Subject to State & Federal Firearms Laws***

Other Notes: Benjamin Cogswell and Edward Harrison were both involved in gunmaking before forming their partnership in 1863, when the firm was renamed Cogswell & Harrison. In 1874 Edgar Harrison joined the firm and in 1883 it moved to 226 Strand. In 1884 they acquired a small 'factory' and the Blagdon Shooting Ground.
In 1887 the firm had a factory in Harrow including a test range, where they offered live pigeon and starling shooting, on which substantial betting took place.
In 1888 the firm patented a boxlock ejector (Nos. 11550 and 18157) called the 'Avant Tout'. this was further modified by patent No. 13591 of 1889.
On 15 June 1893 Horatio F. Phillips patented a lightweight shotgun which fired a 12-bore cartridge into a barrel that was reduced to 20-bore dimensions in the first third of its length. He named this the 'Vena Contracta'.
In 1894 the Harrow factory burned down and manufacturing moved to Victoria. In 1897 the firm became a limited liability company and moved to 141 New Bond Street and in 1901 a shop was opened in Paris. Then, in 1911, a joint venture was entered into with the Schultze Co to establish Cogschultze Ammunition & Powder Company Ltd.
In 1918 the shop at 141 New Bond Street was closed and a new shop opened at 168 Piccadilly, but business was slow and remained so for two or three years. In 1919 a depot was opened in Exeter at 94 Queen Street.
Tragically, in a repeat of history, in 1922 the factory in Gillingham Street burned down and all the stock, machinery, guns in for repair and some of the records were lost. This was a major blow at a difficult time. Very few guns were sold in the second half of the 1920s and in 1928, due to lack of business, the Strand shop was sold, and the company operated only from Piccadilly. In 1931 the shop in Paris closed.
By 1932 the situation was dire, Edgar Harrison put the company into voluntary liquidation and a new company was formed. In 1933, having lost the skilled staff in Feltham, Edgar opened a factory in Birmingham but this closed soon after.
For the duration of WW2 the company was involved in gun repairs and spares, and making Sten gun parts. Business was poor after WW2 and in around 1958, Interarmco (UK) bought a controlling interest in the company and opened a new factory at Cannon Works, Acton.
By 1963 the company was not doing well and John Peskett, Ted Holden and others bought the name, goodwill and retail business of Cogswell & Harrison back from Interarmco but in 1982 the company ceased trading and Farlows of Pall Mall bought the name, goodwill and records, which were licensed to J. Roberts & Son from 1984 to 1989 but then reverted to Farlows.
In 1993 Cogswell & Harrison (Gunmakers) Ltd was formed by the new owners. Professor Mike Cooley owns the company and Alan Crewe (ex Purdey) is Director of Gunmaking.

    Condition:
  • *** Notice to bidders: The absence of a condition report does not imply that an object is free of defects or restoration. All lots are sold 'As Is' and in accordance with the Conditions of Sale. Condition reports and additional photographs are provided by request as a courtesy to our clients. Condition reports are not to be considered substitutes for physical examination by you and/or your advisors. Charlton Hall's specialists are not trained professional conservators or restorers; we urge you to inspect each lot yourself or have your agent do so on your behalf. Prospective buyers should satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Charlton Hall Galleries, Inc., or its specialists is merely a subjective opinion, notwithstanding written reports or any discussion concerning condition in this catalogue. Prospective buyers should bear in mind that these reports will not disclose any imperfections which may only be revealed during the course of subsequent restoration and/or repair. Buyers are reminded that Charlton Hall Galleries' warranties with respect to property are limited as set forth in our Conditions of Sale and do not extend to condition. Condition reports are provided by request on a 'first come, first served' basis. Requests submitted close to or during the auction may not be completed.

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December 2, 2011 1:00 PM EST
West Columbia, SC, US

Charlton Hall

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