Featured in this lot we have a C. Sharps & Co. 22 Long Rifle Model 1 Pepperbox. The pepperbox features a brass frame, four shot barrel, and engraved gutta percha grips. The story of the Sharps four-barrel pistol begins, officially, on December 18, 1849. On that date, the United States Patent Office issued patent number 6960 for a revolver to Christian Sharps, then residing in Washington, D.C. This "revolver" was actually not a revolver at all, but a pepperbox in which the barrels didn't revolve. It was fired by a striker which did revolve on a center post to hit, in sequence, the percussion caps which were placed on nipples on the ends of the barrels. The side hammer served both as a cocking lever and as the force behind the striker. The pistol was not produced on a commercial basis until 1859, after Sharps had become sole owner of the Fairmont Rifle Works in West Philadelphia. By this time, the metallic cartridge had been introduced and Sharps was able to develop his design into a practical repeating pistol. Patent number 22753 was issued to Sharps on January 25, 1859, again for a "revolver". The first model was .22 caliber. Made with a brass frame, it had a spur or stud trigger and was a single-action, four-shot repeater. Approximately 85,000 of these little pepperboxes were made in the ten years between 1859 and 1868. This pepperbox is in good aesthetic condition, showing some signs of wear and use. The side of the frame is marked "C. Sharps & Co Philada, PA". Serial Number: 22790. This firearm qualifies as an antique and does not require FFL Transfer or NICS Background Check.*