This seven-volume set of books titled Patents For Inventions (Small Arms), 1855-1930, has every British Patent registered between these years. This 7,980-entry reference was originally produced and published by the British Patent Office between 1904 and 1934 to assist inventors and the small arms industry. Each patent description is summarized and most are accompanied by the essential drawings. Several hundred entries are American and continental European. Also included are patents for auxilary and other special use cartridges and small arms accessories. The current publisher produced 1,000 sets, from a rare original, in the mid 1990's and they are now in use by professionals and the public in 24 countries. Less than 200 sets remain.
Collectors of British double shotguns and rifles, and all other types of small arms, will find every British patent registered from 1855 to 1930, seven volume set of books titled Patents For Inventions (Small Arms), 1855-1930. Having access to the patents makes it possible to identify rare action features that can multiply the value of a shotgun, rifle or semi-automatic pistol by hundreds, even thousands of dollars. It gives you a heads-up advantage over competitors in an auction.
This 7,980-entry reference was produced and published by the British Patent Office between 1904 and 1934 to assist inventors and industry, and to reduce the number of applications that had to be rejected because ideas submitted were already protected. Each patent description is summarized and most are accompanied by the essential drawings.
Several hundred entries are American (Colt, Winchester, Smith & Wesson, Savage, Remington are examples) and continental European (Mauser, Luger, Manceaux etc). Also included are patents for auxiliary and other special use cartridges and small arms accessories. The public employees who accomplished this monumental work could not have realized that they were creating an encyclopedic reference for future students of small arms history. It is just one of 140 categories that were summarized and published in this form.
Armory Publications produced one thousand sets from a rare original in the mid 1990s and they are now in use by collector\historians, authors, antique arms dealers and auctioneers, forensic scientists, law enforcement agencies and librarians in 24 countries.
