I am offering this gun for sale to this Winchester Community prior to signing a consignment deal with RIAC. Figured we could "Keep it in the club" if anyone has interest, otherwise, let the world take a crack at it. 

This is a Henry pattern rifle Dated 1870 and marked “LEOPOLD BERNARD CANNONIER A PARIS,” on the underside of the damascus steel barrel. This extraordinary French lever-action repeating rifle has a documented collector history stretching back more than six decades. By 1962, it was in the collection of Robert F. Wolfskill and featured in Shooting Times in the article “A French Henry Rifle.” In 1992, it was again documented by C.W. Slagle in The Winchester Repeater and illustrated in R.L. Wilson’s landmark book Winchester: An American Legend, pp. 16–17. The rifle later appeared at major firearms auctions, including Little John’s in 1998, Lot 776, and James D. Julia in 2003 and 2007, giving it an unusually strong published and auction-record trail for such a rare experimental arm. It ultimately remained in the Ladd Hellenbrand collection before being gifted in 2026 to me, preserving an exceptional chain of provenance around what appears to be a highly unusual, possibly one-off French interpretation/collaboration of the Henry/Winchester repeating-rifle system.

I'm asking $20,000 OBO, and the rifle includes original copies of all the provenance publications mentioned above. 

Feel free to PM me for more pictures and details. 

oldcrankyyankee said
Sorry Bert, it came back with the same message. HTTP Error. Upload URL might be wrong or doesn't exist..
  

Your image is attached to your post, it is just not showing with your text.  It might be a wee bit too large.  Here it is smaller and rotated for you.

oldcrankyyankee said

Sorry this sight will no longer let me post pics for some reason, but would be happy too other wise.
  

Tom,

As a bona fide WACA member, there is no reason why you cannot post pictures.  That stated, you must verify that you are attempting to upload .jpg files versus a .heic file.  Many of the new (modern) cell phones and digital camera automatically (default) save all pictures as a ".heic" files unless you change the setting on your camera.

Bert

mrcvs said

oldcrankyyankee said

mrcvs said
https://whiskeyrebellionantiques.com/products/antique-winchester-model-1886-45-90-wcf-manufactured-1894-special-order-26-half-octagon-half-round-barrel?_pos=1&_psq=winchester+1886&_psid=d567ff7ef&_ss=e
Rough.  At $4650, priced at two to three times what it’s worth.
  

Ian, I concur. The internet has made every one think they have something special. I would be embarrassed to tell what 4600 has gotten me.
  

You’re joking.  Don’t tell me you purchased that wonderful carbine Birthday treat firearm for just that—$4600!
  

Defiantly can't say that! But I have bought some very nice 86's for that including a deluxe 33 from 1902 and a semi deluxe ELW. And for Mr. Ellison's sake an antique 86 in 45-90 with an extra heavy 30" barrel and X wood. Yes it letters. Sorry this sight will no longer let me post pics for some reason, but would be happy too other wise.

oldcrankyyankee said

mrcvs said
https://whiskeyrebellionantiques.com/products/antique-winchester-model-1886-45-90-wcf-manufactured-1894-special-order-26-half-octagon-half-round-barrel?_pos=1&_psq=winchester+1886&_psid=d567ff7ef&_ss=e
Rough.  At $4650, priced at two to three times what it’s worth.
  

Ian, I concur. The internet has made every one think they have something special. I would be embarrassed to tell what 4600 has gotten me.
  

You’re joking.  Don’t tell me you purchased that wonderful carbine Birthday treat firearm for just that—$4600!

mrcvs said
https://whiskeyrebellionantiques.com/products/antique-winchester-model-1886-45-90-wcf-manufactured-1894-special-order-26-half-octagon-half-round-barrel?_pos=1&_psq=winchester+1886&_psid=d567ff7ef&_ss=e
Rough.  At $4650, priced at two to three times what it’s worth.
  

Ian, I concur. The internet has made every one think they have something special. I would be embarrassed to tell what 4600 has gotten me.

Rough.  At $4650, priced at two to three times what it’s worth.