Anyone know about.....

[mike116]

......  this flask?     
I picked it up at an antique gun store.  I know the owner of the store so he said take it home and find out what it might be worth.   I can't find any info on this one but did find a couple similar.  It has three compartments,  One main compartment for powder and two bottom compartments for balls and caps. 
Does anyone have one or know anything?   Trying to figure out what to pay for it.   It's an interesting little flask but seems to be an everyday use type.   Nothing fancy about it.    I'm going to examine it closer to look for marks but there is nothing obvious.

Front


Back


Top


Bottom


With an '51 Navy for size reference

[Fingers McGee]

cute little flask.  Looks like one designed for a cased set derringer

[jaxenro]

Agreed possibly a screw barrel pistol flask it is small

Hard to put a price on it being unmarked but assuming everything works correctly over $100 but under $300 would be my guess

[mike116]

I've found several similar.  A couple mentioned these flasks were used in cased sets with a brace of single shot pistols from the early 1870's.   Hawksley, Dixon, and Batty all had similar designs but not exactly the same.   

I think Joel is in the right ball park on this.   I'll keep looking.

[jaxenro]

If it was marked with one of those names I would add $100 and go $200-$400

[99whip]

Really cool flask, I like it.

[G Dog]

What amount does it throw?  Does it say “Hawksley” anywhere on the nozzle portion?

https://www.rubylane.com/item/1101977-227/Hawksley-three-way-Pistol-Copper-Powder

[mike116]

No Marks that I can find G Dog.    I haven't put any powder in it to check how much it throws.   My guess would be 15 grains.   I've looked at all the Dixon, Hawksley, Batty and American Flask Co.  photos I can dig up.  None match up exactly.   The size and type of the screws and the shape of the compartment covers don't match anything I have found.   

[mike116]

This is the closest match I have found.   https://tortugatrading.com/products/pistol-size-3-way-powder-flask-1652   
the seller is a friend and I do a lot of trading with him.   I want to be fair even though I could offer $50 or $60 bucks for it and he would take it.   The flask was in with some other stuff that came with some guns he bought from an estate or something.   The other stuff is interesting old stuff but not expensive.   Below is a pic of the other things.

(top to bottom)  Shot/Powder measure, small hand carved horn measure,  carved wooden powder dipper, carved horn percussion cap container, brass inline capper.


I 'm always drawn to this handcrafted stuff so I when I first saw it I claimed it.   Now I have to decide what to pay.

[mazo kid]

Mike, you said you claimed it. So you are in possession of those pieces? I don't know what that sort of thing brings out your way, but I would say $225.00 for the ensemble might be pretty fair to you both. I couldn't find anything similar in "The Powder Flask Book".

[mazo kid]

I have 3 cap/ball/powder type small flasks in my collection. One is very similar to yours....but a bit different in the screws holding the head to the flask, also the screws holding the base ring. It is the only one that is maker-marked: G. & J.W. Hawksley.

[mazo kid]

The smallest one (3-1/4" OAL) is missing the base cover. The leather covered one is heavy, being made of "Brittania metal" as Riling says in his Powder Flask book.

[mazo kid]

One last picture of the trio:

[mike116]

Mazo,

Thanks for those photos.  Those are some nice compartment flasks.   I now have a copy of Riling's book,  "The Powder Flask Book".    I can't find much in there either but #148 is a pretty similar looking set up.   The shape is not exactly a match but it's close and the top and bottom are very similar.   The book doesn't help much in identifying non marked pieces and of course the values are from 1950.   You can extrapolate the book values into 2018 dollars by multiplying by approximately $10.   That doesn't mean that you come up with an actual value but it can give you an idea.   

I do have the pieces in my possession.  The guy I got them from is willing to trade for some leatherwork.   We'll see where that leads.

[mazo kid]

That's great. It sounds like you are both satisfied in the outcome. Where did you find your Riling book? It has been out of print for a long time!