This is a copy of a posting I did yesterday on the CMH forum.
The purpose of this posting is to provide additional information on one of the few surviving Vergruggen 3-pounder guns. I first saw this small bronze cannon barrel in a photo my esteemed friend, the late Val Forgett Jr. showed me in 1993. At that time it was in the midst of a wonderful collection of a total of fourteen small bronze guns and mortars in the Bapty's (famous UK movie prop/special effects company) collection. Val said formerly, the group of weapons had been in a church in Fairwick, St. John, Surrey, UK, where they had served as a memorial to the Battle of Waterloo. Val had purchased the collection and they were enroute to the US, and he said some would be for sale. They all had great natural patinas. I have a photo of some of them as they appeared in England, and plan to add it to this discussion when I find it.
After the collection cleared customs, I visited Val at his Union City NJ warehouse were the cannons were on display. By that time they had all been polished bright, which did not make me happy, however they were still nice, rare, original bronze cannons. Val gave me prices on the few he was selling at that time.
One I liked a lot that was not for sale at that time was a Verbruggen 3-pounder bronze gun. I later determined that this gun was probably the one described in Melvin H. Jackson and Charles de Beer, EIGHTEENTH CENTURY GUNFOUNDING, Smithsonian Inst. Press, Washington, 1974, pp. 156: "In a Private Collection, England, ...21. 3-pounder (?) Calibre 72-73mm; length 121 cm. 'P. Verbruggen Fecit, A. 1782.' Device with R on chase (Duke of Richmond, Master of Ordnance), Royal Cypher of George III on first reinforce."
The Jackson and de Beer description omits a few details of the markings which are in my notes from my visit to the warehouse on 22 November 1994. I recorded the markings on the trunnions which are: Left trunnion: "No. 92" and right trunnion: letter "P" over "J43." The number "3" was marked near the vent.
In case anyone is interested, the thirteen other small bronze weapons I inspected and recorded that day included:
a. Pair of small bronze mortars with bulbous breeches, spherical chambers
b. Spanish eprouvette mortar dated 1799
c. One-pounder French Perrier (naval swivel gun) by LeCourant dated "3 Anee"
d. Another, same type, same year, by Ranius
e. Spanish 3-pounder mountain howitzer, Model 1781 (?)
f. Pair of small mortars with a royal cypher featuring crown and intertwined "F4" (perhaps Danish)
g. French Gomer mortar dated 1840, Cypher of Louis Philippe
h. Pair of Egyptian rifled mountain howitzers, Beaulieu system, ca. 1860's, marked with typical Islamic markings of the period
i. French ship's light one-pounder Espingole, on later wheeled, steel lifesaving gun carriage, as converted for use in the French lifesaving service.
j. Chinese rifled mountain howitzer ca. 1860's, Beaulieu system rifling, with large Chinese characters deeply engraved on top.
Over the next few years, I was lucky enough to acquire five of the pieces listed, but unfortunately the Verbruggen was one that got away.
Further info on the late Val Forgett, Jr., CMH member, is at the link. Val was a giant and pioneer among arms makers, dealers, and collectors. He had an uncanny knack for finding extremely rare and historic arms, and he shopped worldwide. He kept a few items but made the vast majority available to collectors like me, for what I always thought were very fair prices. He didn't try to "gouge" people when he came up with a great piece. If a collector needed time to pay for an upper-end piece, all he had to do was ask. I availed myself of this wonderful interest-free service on many occasions, and in some cases, I simply would not have been able to buy the piece without his help. Many incredible pieces he found, he donated to major museums.
http://www.gunsandammomag.com/cs/Satellite/IMO_GA/Story_C/Val+Forgett+The+Passing+Of+A+LegendIf anyone is interested, the five pieces I bought were those identified above as C, E, H, and J.
