100% original, 100% complete, mechanically perfect, all matched serial numbers. A very solid example. What makes this 1849 Pocket extra interesting is the incised inscription on the butt strap. It reads "H.E.Sny" The surname Sny is very rare. In the 1870 census there are 8 people with last name Sny in the US and they all lived in St. Clair, Michigan. None of these people had a first name beginning with H. The 1860 census shows only four people named Sny... three living in El Dorado, California, the fourth living in Placer, Calif. These gold field Californians all have unusual first names, possibly Chinese. Hop, Sum, Ah. and Chrs. Further research into Hop Sny may tell the story. By 1860, the Chinese constituted the largest component of the foreign-born population of California. The 1860 census counted 35,000 Chinese people in California, almost one-tenth of the state's population, many of them miners. Beginning with the Foreign Miners' Tax in 1850, the Chinese were unfairly targeted and were frequently the victims of white vigilante and quasi-legal violence. Perfect reason to need a gun. On the other hand, it is possible that the Sny marking on our gun refers to State of New York as represented on that state's military belt plates. The soldiers initials either "H.E." or "H.E.S." into which he inserted his military affiliation... Sny. California Gold Rush? Civil War State of New York? Your turn to play history detective. I have done the heavy lifting.

As with all my items No Reserve.

Materials, Packing, and Shipping is $20.00. Insurance is $1.50 per hundred, and $7 for UPS signature required service. We ship only inside the USA.

VG