My dad has an old 70 or 71 caliber percussion pistol I’m trying to find some info on this beast. It’s been in the family about 60 years. Dad passed back in 2021 and mom asked me to start going through some stuff. I found one identical online but it’s sold and the price isn’t listed anywhere. Who’s the old pistol guru?
This a a picture of the one I found online. Says it’s Italian

Not my wheelhouse but if it is Italian, it is likely not big dollars.

Come on 160 let’s be positive!!!

Ok, quit your job and plan to sell it and retire. Being in your family for 60 years means it could have been made in the 1960's. That isn't "old" as many on here will attest.

Well I don’t think it’s quite retirement material and it’s not for sale so I’ll keep working. It’s marked 1863 or 4 I know dad never shot it so with the current condition I’m guessing it’s older than 60. Even though you kids think 60 is young

are there any stampings or markings on it at all ?

pictures would help, emailing track of the wolf might get you a little info as well he is a sharp guy and was around for an awfull lot of black powder gun buying selling and trading.

This is all I can see GCP

60ish years ago about the only outfit selling that sort of thing was Dixie Gun Works. I can almost picture that pistol in their catalog.

almost 12 gauge. If its a smooth bore I think I would buy some black powder, caps and #4 shot. Play around with it, see if it patterns well enough to reliably kill a turkey at 20 yards.

The Crown RA stamp resembles British Birmingham stamps but I couldn't find an exact match

looking at how it is made I am thinking cast one peice barrel the way the nipple fits in

based on how crisp and clean the markings are on the nipple side the TA1864 and the Crown RA those look more like they were cast in , making me think it is a reproduction of a British pistol but I am not sure

the stamps on the flat opposite the nipple also look of Birmingham but not exactly

https://www.nramuseum.org/media/940944/proofmarks.pdf

anything made before 1960 didn't need Made in country , that started in 1961

you could gently take it out of the stock and see if there are any other markings

next question , rifled or smooth ?

if you could take the lock off to see what it looks like inside it might also point in a better direction.

It might need a musket Cap

My 1 Italian BP Rifle misfired a lot

Those markings look cast in and then the side of the barre surface ground to make them pop

that is my take on it

so thinking manufacturing I think a cast barrel with a drill operation and surface ground flats

if you pull that nipple and get a read on the thread size and pitch that will also give some clues

Striking similarities to a French model 1864 pistol. Images from a gunbroker auction show the same stampings and goofy hammer to nipple alignment.
And another site shows the same pistol is Italian.

General look says mid 19th century military.

the hammer style and nipple placement do look French very much like the 1859 rifle
https://collectorsfirearms.com/1192...ked-perfectly-and-holds-bot-al3306.html/

the proof stamps are even similar

If these pistols are original period pieces.....not replicas......do they have significant value?

About 50 years ago, my dad went on a quest to find an authentic civil war era Army colt revolver, and went to a lot of auctions. Never found what he was looking for, but did come home with 5 or 6 of these old black powder pistols. None of them have ever been fired (by us). Consider them all to be wall hangers. If they are collectables, would likely let them all go. None have sentimental value to us.

it depends what significant is and of course exactly what it is and what it's condition are make a huge difference

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1092175790

That would be significant, since I doubt my dad paid more than $20 for any of them.

Everything has a value, If you want them gone, whatever you can get for them is more than what you started out with.

I would almost guarantee that is a reproduction piece. If I were to guess, I'd say early 70's.
Poor miss-match of the hammer face to the nipple, absolutely zero corrosion around the nipple, etc. lead me to say this.
Get on Ebay and find a mid 70's Dixie Gun Works catalog, you might find it listed for sale. Those old catalogs contain a wealth of information regardless.