1900 – Correspondence related to the sale of custom-made shotgun for an American in Iowa by a prestigious British gunmaker
Birmingham, England: 1900. Envelope or Cover. There are three items in this group, a letter from the gunmaker, an enclosure providing specifications for creating a personalized shotgun, and a mailing envelope that contains both. All are in nice shape.
The letter from Wlliam Cashmore of Birmingham, England, dated 17 August 1900, to W. A. Hurless of Perry, Iowa, was typed on impressive red and black stationery with illustrations of medals won at several expositions.
The letterhead reads in part:
“William Cashmore. / Manufacturer of / Military and Sporting / Breech and Muzzle Loading Guns, / Rifles and Revolvers. / Steelhouse Lane, / Birmingham.”
Its text notes that the 10 gauge 30” shotgun will be of “’Specialty’ quality . . . fine damascus [which] makes a really fine wild fowl gun . . . for rough hard shooting. . ..”
The “Directions for Measurement” form shows top and side views, with dimensions annotated in red ink, of the shotgun to be made for Hurless.
The envelope bears a printed corner card that reads “Highest Awards / Adelaide, / Melbourne, / and / Tasmania” as well as double-oval cache on the reverse flap that reads “William Cashmore / Birmingham / Gun Maker.” It is franked with a British blue and purple 2½ pence Queen Victoria stamp cancelled by a circular Birmingham postmark, dated 17 August.
. Very good. Item #010747In 1895, William Cashmore patented an improvement of a shotgun locking mechanism which used downward hinging external arms to operate internal locking lumps on either side of the action. He later patented selective trigger mechanism in which the trigger could be located in either a left or right position. These were incorportated into this shotgun. Cashmore also patented improvents to extractor and ejection mechanisms for revolvers and a rotating striker mechanism for four barrelled guns. One of his customers was Annie Oakley.
(For more information, see “William Cashmore, Gunmaker 1819-1877” at Richard Fletcher’s Blog, online.)
At the time of listing, no similar items are for sale in the trade. OCLC shows nothing similar is held in institutional collections. Worthpoint shows that this grouping sold on eBay for $299 in 2025.
.Price: $200.00