Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a factory engraved Butterfield Patent self-priming derringer, one of the rarest and most sought-after derringer variations in American firearms collecting. This pistol uses an automatic priming system that feeds mercury-fulminate pellets to the nipple with each hammer cock.
Jesse S. Butterfield and Simeon Marshall of Philadelphia received U.S. Patent 24,372 on December 11, 1855 for their “improvement in self-priming gun-locks.” Their patent model, built as a Henry Deringer style pocket pistol, resides in the Smithsonian under accession number 49064. They also received U.S. Patent 14,850 on May 13, 1856 for an improved cartridge opener.
The self-priming mechanism uses a spring-loaded tube carrying mercury-fulminate pellets connected to a reciprocating arm attached to the hammer. Each time the hammer is cocked, a fresh pellet automatically lines up with the nipple. This eliminated the need to manually place percussion caps, theoretically making the pistol faster to reload and more reliable in adverse conditions.
The lock is marked “BUTTERFIELD’S/PATENT DEC. 11. 1855” with scroll engraving. The barrel has seven-groove rifling, brass blade front sight, and a casehardened breech plug with inlaid German silver bands. Wavy line engraving appears on the upper left barrel flat, and the tang carries scroll engraving with a notch rear sight. German silver mounts feature scroll engraving, a pineapple finial on the trigger plate, and shaded borders on the wrist escutcheon and pommel inlay. The stock has a Schnabel forend tip and checkered bird’s head grip in the Henry Deringer style.
Only a small number of Butterfield derringers are known to exist. Flayderman’s Guide notes “Butterfields are among the most sought after of all variations of derringer pistols.” The rarity stems from limited production and the complexity of the self-priming system, which likely made these pistols expensive and difficult to manufacture in quantity.
Most of our POTDs utilize images from our friends at Rock Island Auction Company, the premier firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse their current auctions – who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!
“Engraved Butterfield Patent Self-Priming Derringer.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/4096/74/engraved-butterfield-patent-selfpriming-derringer. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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