There is an interesting story about this matched pair of guns and how they were found. About four years ago a friend from England wrote that he had these guns in his possession and he had gotten them from a collection in Norway. How they got to Norway, only Heaven knows. Anyway, they were so high priced that I passed them up. A friend of mine, Cecil Godwin, did get the guns and two years later I wanted them so badly that I paid him a handsome profit so that I could add them to my collection. They are even so fine that they have the original ramrods intact. Caliber is .420. The breechplug of the barrel on the top flat is marked in two lines with the metal still puffed up around the letters because it is so new and without any wear. They are marked in two lines as follows: F. H. Clark & Co. Memphis F. H. CLARK #268 A Memphis manufactured gun by F. H. Clark with steel trigger guard and thimble. All other inlays are of German silver. Made without screw in forearm or trigger guard that goes direct to barrel. Any derringer such as this one with a barrel 4¾” long is considered to be a large size. Notice that this gun has bag grips and not bird head style. Caliber is .430. Marked on the breechblock at the top barrel flat position as follows: F. H. Clark & Co. Memphis WILLIAM S. SCHNEIDER #248 A Schneider and Company derringer that is a medium size for this brand of gun. Barrel is full octagon. Trigger guard and tear drop buttcap are made of sterling silver and other inlays are of German silver. Made without ramrod. The stock forearm at the nose is fluted. Trigger guard finial has a screw going through to the barrel to hold the gun together, along with the wedge helping to hold the forearm to the barrel. Most of the Schneider guns have a definite pronounced curve shape to the lock. Notice how low the hammer is. The lockplate is very plain with a simple lined border. The caliber of this specimen is .450. The serial number of this gun is #122, the highest known. Of all the Southern made derringers, this is the only maker that serial numbered his guns. Of course this is an assumption that the number on top of the breechblock is the serial number, but all that we have ever seen had a similar number in this position. Assuming that the Schneider Company manufactured one hundred and twenty-two pieces, and that possibly thirty of these guns are in existence, this means that the survival rate is one out of four. Bearing in mind that this survival rate is only an assumption, consider how few guns some of the lesser known makers must have produced. At this rate, for instance, Siebert should not have produced many over six or eight guns.