[John Blanch and Son, London gunmakers.] Handbill advertisement [by the Banbury printers Cheney & Sons] for 'John Blanch & Son's Hammerless Ejector Gun (Patent)', with engraved illustration by W. C. Bradley.

An attractive piece of Victorian commercial printing. Printed in black on a 31.5 x 21 cm sheet of grey paper. In very good condition, lightly-aged. Beneath the words 'John Blanch & Sons' | Hammerless Ejector Gun | (PATENT)' is the engraving (roughly 8.5 x 15 cm), showing the area around the hinge-pin and trigger of the gun, with a cartridge. Beneath this are thirteen lines of text, beginning: 'THE system upon which this gun is constructed entirely removes the objections which have hitherto hindered the adoption of the ejecting principle, and we confidently recomment these guns for increased speed and conveniencce in handling, without any attendant disadvantage.' Three lines on a 'TRY GUN' follow, above the prices and firm's address. In small type in bottom left-hand corner: 'Established 1809.' Scarce: no copy traced on either COPAC or WorldCat. The printers' details are not given, but the item comes from the archive of Cheney & Sons, 'General, Commercial & Artistic Printers, Banbury'. For more about the firm see 'John Cheney and his descendants, printers in Banbury since 1767' (1936) and the Victoria County History volume for the County of Oxford, Banbury Hundred.