I bet that title got your attention!
No, this isn't a joke, but a legitimate name for this type of pistol. First, a brief explanation: as well as its crude meaning in modern English, in this context, 'muff' refers to a type of hand-warmer that was very popular with women in the Victorian period. These pistols, designed to be compact and easily concealable, could be hidden within the hand-warmer to surprise an unsuspecting mugger. They were in fact carried by women and men alike, but a lack of pockets on women's clothing of the period meant a hand muff was one of the few places a woman could conceal such a weapon.
This example was made by the company 'Lacy & Co.' of London, and is a percussion cap design, dating it to around the latter half of the 19th Century. Earlier models were produced using flintlock mechanisms. The bore is about 1.3 cm in diameter, though I'm not sure what that translates to in terms of caliber. Externally, this pistol is in quite presentable condition, with no significant surface rust or pitting. Internally it's a different story. The inside of the barrel is badly corroded and pitted, as is the nipple for mounting percussion caps. The firing mechanism remains functional.
Though it will obviously never fire again, this little pistol makes a nice curio and conversation piece, and is overall a nice piece of firearms history.
B.B.
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