Offered for sale is a J. P. Lower Marked Uhlinger .32 Rimfire Pocket Revolver. The revolver features a 5" octagon barrel, rosewood grips, spur trigger, six shot cylinder, and a blue'd finish. William P. Uhlinger produced about 10,000 rimfire cartridge revolvers (two types in .22 caliber and one type in .32 caliber) in Philadelphia, PA between 1861 and 1865. He had purchased the tools and parts on hand of William Hankins, who had left his former gun making business behind to form a new venture with Sharps rifle inventor Christian Sharps, thus forming the firm of Sharps & Hankins. Since the guns that Uhlinger was producing were revolvers with bored through cylinders, he was in violation of the Rollin White Patent, which was held by Smith & Wesson. As a result Uhlinger produced the guns under a variety of trade names such as WL Grant, JP Lower and DD Cone in an attempt to conceal the identity of actual manufacturer, and avoid any legal troubles. About 50% of his pistols were also manufactured with no markings at all. He assumed this would help to avoid detection of his patent violations by Smith & Wesson, but it did not. He was eventually sued by Smith & Wesson for patent violations, and they won the case handily. The suit essentially put Uhlinger out of the gun business, and resulted in his gun being an interesting footnote in firearms history. In reality, his solid frame, single action cartridge revolvers were well made and relatively successful. In an era where the total production of some successful handguns was measured in hundreds of units (Allen & Wheelock is a perfect example of a successful maker with relatively low production of some models), his production totals that approached 10,000 units were a sign of their success and acceptance. There is no doubt that many a Union soldier went to war with a small frame Uhlinger .22rf pistol in his pocket for emergencies, and many line officers probably found the robust design of his solid frame .32rf pistol as a much sturdier choice for their personal defense than the Smith & Wesson #2 Old Army revolver. The revolver is marked "J. P. Lower" across the top of the barrel near the frame. This revolver shows good condition overall with a blue'd finish and light pitting across the frame. The mechanics show a good tight action with good trigger. Serical Number: 2129. This firearm qualifies as an Antique, and does not require FFL Transfer or NICS Background Check.