A very fine custom made, cased percussion double barreled shotgun made by W&C Scott & Son/London. Damascus barreled with exceptional engravings. Great overall condition. As found in its original leather custom made case with a plaque on front reading JP LOWER / BUFFALO HUNTER / DENVER COLORADO. Lower was a Pennsylvania gunsmith who traveled west and opened a shop in Denver, ultimately becoming an icon in the firearms industry at the time. Unlike most of Lowers guns, this appears to have been made for or presented to Lower himself. The barrel reads W&C SCOTT & SON (The Gentrical) MAKERS & PANTENTEES LONDON / MADE EXPRESSLY FOR JP LOWER & SONS DENVER COLO. All matching serial numbers. Possibly restocked. A true masterpiece, a great addition to any antique firearm collection.
More on Lower:
Born in 1833 to a Philadelphia carpenter, John Pray Lower soon developed a much keener interest in firearms than carpentry. At 13 he began an apprenticeship with J.C. Grubb, a blacksmith turned gun dealer and trader, and by age 20 Lower had become a master gunsmith with all the known arms of the day. After Grubb sent Lower on the road “drumming,” J.P. developed connections with every known firearms manufactory in the country. His travels as a gun salesman took him abroad and through the States (he avoided the draft during the Civil War, obtaining an appointment to an artillery unit at Fort Barry, Va., in 1863). On one of his trips to the West he met Indian fighter turned gunsmith Carlos Gove and they formed a brief partnership. In 1872 Lower brought his family to Denver and three years later bought out the gun shop of brothers Frank and George Freund.
At his Sportsman’s Depot, Lower primarily sold guns and ammunition but also fishing gear and camping supplies. He continued the practice he had started in the mid-1850s of stamping his name on most of the guns he sold, usually with his city of residence stamped beneath it. Between his gun shop and a partnership in a quarry, Lower was worth $100,000 by 1885. He was known as one of the best shots in Denver and had a private range behind his store. Lower’s wife, Fanny, died in 1888, and soon after his partner in the quarry ran off with their funds. Lower borrowed money. By the time he died on August 22, 1917, he had lost two sons and a daughter-in-law and was in debt. His memoirs reflect his depressed state. (History.net - https://www.historynet.com/j-p-lower-standout-denver-gunsmith-used-sharps-indian-fight/)