Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! This golden Peabody Martini is what happens when an American gun company pulls out all the stops to impress a foreign buyer. Made by Providence Tool Company in the 1870s, it’s basically a gold-plated sales pitch to Ottoman Sultan Abdulaziz during a time when Turkey was buying rifles by the hundreds of thousands. Legendary engraver Conrad F. Ulrich went wild on this one. The action panels show everything from moose and deer to zebras and a lion attacking a horse. The Sultan’s personal tughra (fancy signature) appears prominently on the right side. Even the fancy walnut stock got the deluxe treatment with detailed checkering. The backstory is classic American business ambition. Providence Tool Company landed contracts for 600,000 military rifles from the Ottoman Empire – an absolutely massive deal for the 1870s. They likely made this golden showpiece for the 1876 Centennial Exposition before presenting it to Turkish officials. The sad irony? After successfully building all those rifles, the company went bankrupt in 1882 when Turkey couldn’t pay its bills following the costly Russo-Turkish War. Providence Tool Company bet everything on this contract, expanded their factories, and ultimately collapsed when the checks stopped coming. Very few fancy Peabody-Martinis exist today, making this gold-covered diplomatic gift one of the rarest American rifles from the period – a flashy reminder of a gun company’s meteoric rise and fall.
“Presentation Peabody-Martini Rifle-Musket with Bayonet.” Rock Island Auction Company, https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/4094/48/presentation-peabodymartini-riflemusket-with-bayonet. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Writer | TheFirearmBlog
Writer | AllOutdoor.com Instagram | sfsgunsmith Old soul, certified gunsmith, published author, avid firearm history learner, and appreciator of old and unique guns.
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