36.25" H x 1.5" Diameter

A desirable mid to late Victorian muzzle loading pneumatic cane gun in faux wood grain finish. Rather than gunpowder, it uses compressed air to fire the ball. The upper half of the cane acts as an air reservoir and the lower half contains the firing mechanism and the gun barrel. There are missing pieces including the pump used to charge the reservoir with compressed air, the key used to cock the internal lock, and the ramrod used to load the ball. The ramrod would have been attached to the brass tip that unscrews off of the end of the cane. Near the upper end of the lower section there is a small square hole where a key is inserted and rotated to cock the internal lock. At the same time, a small button "trigger" drops out of the cane body. Pushing this button releases a firing pin that hits the head of a valve, allowing a quantity of pressurized air to be released from the reservoir. This pressurized air propels the ball down the barrel. A small split in the metal exists approximately 5 inches above the base brass tip. A little material loss is evident at the seam between the upper and lower halves as well as the seam between the lower half and brass tip. Several areas of minor surface loss, scratches and a couple of shallow impressions are evident as well. Missing pump, ramrod, and cocking key. Untested as it is missing components to test. Most likely English. 1850s-1900s. 36.25" H x 1.5" Diameter. CODE-FIREA