PAUL MAUSER, THE NOTED GUN DESIGNER AND DEVELOPER   —  TRANSFERS 16 OF HIS GUN PATENTS TO A U.S. MANUFACTURER  ~~ AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE AUTOGRAPH

MAUSER, PAUL   (1838-1914)   German weapon designer and manufacturer on verso. Surprizing scarce, Typed Document Signed twice “Paul Mauser,” and again as “P. Mauser.”   Five full pages, legal folio.  [8¼ x 13 inches].   Stuttgart, Germany with U.S. Patent Office stamp.  January 10, 1905.  Mauser and his company Waffenfabrik Mauser transfer to Justus Lengerke and Ernst Detmold “with full title” to 16 patents in exchange for one dollar.  Patents include “Lock Mechanism for Guns,” and “Shell-Extractor for Bolt Guns.”  Includes a signed receipt from the Commissioner of Patents and acknowledgment with signature from Edward Ozum, U.S. Consul. Docketed with Letters Patent No. 393842.  In Very Good condition with usual folds, some small tears, light toning and punch hole at top left. Original blue ribbon and large red wax seals intact. Mauser’s two signatures are strong and bold. Document reads in full: 

“THIS INDENTURE entered into this day of 1905, between PAUL MAUSER, of Oberndorf-on-the-Neckar, Germany, of the first part, the WAFFENFABRIK MAUSER, a corporation organized. under the laws of the Kingdom of ‘Wurttemberg and domiciled at the same place, party of the second part, and. JUSTUS VON LENGERKE, a resident of Orange, N. J., and. ERNST DETM0LD a resident of the Borough of Manhattan, City of New York, N.Y., copartners trading under the firm name of Von Lengerke and. Detmold, in the Borough of Manhattan aforesaid., parties of the third part, witnesseth that: – WHEREAS the following entitled Letters Patent of the United States were granted. covering certain inventions of said Paul Mauser, namely:— 1. Letters Patent No. 393,842, granted. December 4, 1888, for Lock Mechanism for Guns. 2. Letters Patent No. 427,587, granted May 13, 1890, for Ring Cartridge-Extractor. 3. Letters Patent No. 451,768, granted. May 5, 1891, for Gun-Barrel. 4. Letters Patent No. 455,514, granted July 7, 1891, for Cartridge-Stop for Magazine-Guns. 5. Letters Patent No. 467,180, granted. January 19, 1892 for Shell-Extractor for Bolt-Guns. 6. Letters Patent No. 477,671, granted. June 28, 1892, for Shell-Extractor for Bolt-Guns. 7. Letters Patent No. 488,694, granted. December 27, 1892, for Safety-Trigger for Breech-Loading Bolt-Guns. 8. Letters Patent No. 490,029, granted. January 17, 1893, for Fixed Magazine for Breech-Loading Bolt-Guns. 9. Letters Patents No. 492,543, granted February 28, 1893, for Shiftable Magazine for Bolt-Guns. 10. Letters Patent No. 499,328, granted June 13, 1893, for Coupling for Firing-Pins and Pin-Nuts in Bolt-Guns. 11. Letters Patent No. 527,869, granted October 23, 41894, for Magazine for Breech Loading Firearms. 12. Letters Patent To. 547,933, granted October 15, 1895, for Safety Lock for Breech Bolts of Guns. 13. Letters Patent No. 572,266, granted December 1, 1896, for Means for Affixing Side Arms to Guns. 14. Letters Patent No. 579,994, granted April 6,1897, for Safety Gas Vent for Bolt Guns. 15. Letters Patent No. 590,271, granted September 21, 1897, for Small Lock for Bolt Guns. 16. Letters Patent No. 661,743, granted November 13, 1900, for Cartridge Holder for Charging Magazine Firearms. / AND WHEREAS certain of said inventions and Letter Patent were assigned by said Paul Mauser to said Waffenfabrik Mauser, and as to any of said letters Patent not so assigned, said Waffenfabrik Mauser is entitled to an assignment thereof, and is the suitable near thereof. AND WHEREAS it is desired to vest the parties of the third part with full title to said Letters Patent and full right of recovery thereunder by reason of all past use of the inventions covered thereby. NOW THEREFORE THIS INDENTURE WITTNESSETH, first, that in consideration of the premises, and of good and valuable considerations well and truly received by him, and in order that said Waffenfabrik Mauser may make the assignments expressed in Articles Second and Third hereof, the said Paul Mauser does hereby confirm his aforesaid assignments to said Waffenfabrik Mauser, and it ownership of each and all of his said letters patent, and to that end, does hereby assign, transfer, and quit claim unto said Waffenfabrik Mauser, all right, title, and interest which he has or may have in, to, and under each and. all of said inventions and Letters Patent, in and for the United States of America, together with all claims and demands both at law fees, royalties, and all other proceeds whatsoever accrued or to accrue out of said Letters Patent, and. by reason of any and all infringements thereof, and by reason of all manufacture, sale and use of said inventions authorized or unauthorized, that he has or may have, the same to be held and enjoyed by said Waffenfabrik user, and its successors, assigns or other legal rep-resentatives, to the full ends of the terms for which said Letters Patent are granted.  / Second: That by virtue of said assignments from said Paul Mauser, including that contained in Article First hereof, and in consideration of the premises, and of the sum of one dollar to it paid. by each of the parties of the third part, and. of other good and valuable considerations, due receipt of all of which is hereby acknowledged, the said Waffenfabrik Mauser hereby sells, assigns, and transfers unto said Justus Von Lengerke and Ernst Detmold, the entire right, title and interest in and to each and all of said inventions aid Letters Patent, in and for the United States of America, the same to be held and. enjoyed by said Justus Von Lengerke and Ernst Detmold, and their respective heirs, assigns or other legal representatives, to the full ends of the terms for which said. Letters Patent are granted respectively, as fully and entirely as the same might have been held. and enjoyed by the party of the second part if this assignment and. sale had not been made; and said Waffenfabrik Mauser warrants that it has sole and entire title to each and. every of said letters patent and full right to assign the same. / Third: And by virtue of said assignments from said Paul Mauser, and. for the considerations aforesaid., the Waffenfabrik Mauser hereby sells, assigns and sets over unto said Justus Von Lengerke and Ernst Detmold, and. their respective heirs, assigned other legal representatives, all claims, demands, actions and causes of action, both at law and in equity, for damages, profits, license fees, royalties and all other proceeds whatsoever accrued or to accrue out of said Letters Patent, and by reason of ail manufacture sale and use of said inventions authorized or unauthorized, that it has or may have, together with all rights, claims and demands accruing to it or to which it is or may be entitled by reason of any and all contracts or agreements with the Government of the United States, or any officers and agents thereof concerning the said inventions or any of them. / WITNESS the hand and seal of the party of the first part and the corporate seal and signatures of the executive officers of the party of the second part hereunto set the day and date first hereinabove written. Paul Mauser. / ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. U.S. Consulate, Stuttgart, Wurttemberg, Germany :: On this tenth day of January 1905, personally appeared before me PAUL MAUSER, to me known, who acknowledged to me that he executed the foregoing instrument for the purposes therein mentioned. Edward   R. Ozum, U.S. Consul.”

Von Lengerke & Detmold, founded in 1882, were New York dealers of guns and fishing tackle.  In 1928, they were sold to the well-known sporting company, Abercrombie & Fitch.   His letters and documents are exceedingly rare, and those with content of this type are almost non-existent in the market place, in our experience.  This is a superb item for the collector of fire arms related material or the Mauser enthusiast. 

 

$6500.00