Brass Bullet Mold for the 1854 Colt's Muzzle Loading Percussion Pistol

Description

This is a brass bullet mold for an 1854 Colts Dragoon percussion cap muzzle loading pistol.  It's in very good condition - given that its going on 170 years old.  It has a government inspectors mark on it "C" (see 5th picture) indicating that it was consigned for military use.  The Colts Dragoon was a top of the line gun in its time, 95% of the firearms were still single shot muzzle loaders.
This model, for sale to the public, usually came in a boxed set that included: Pistol(s), Powder Horn/Tin, Caps & Bullet Mold. This is an early brass mold with expected wear but no major dings, dents, etc..  The hinge does have a tiny bit of waggle in it but nothing of concern.  As a government inspector stamped piece its probably a sure bet that it saw use in the Civil War coming just years before the war, the stories it could tell?  This mold came out of a turn of the century tool box found in a barn in Gettysburg, PA. back in 1955 (my father's commanding officer (Pacific Theatre, WWII) settled in Gettysburg after his war and found this in his barn & gave it to my father during a family visit in 1975).  Its been a neat heirloom but my kids aren't interested in it so its best it goes to someone who'll cherish it and care for it.  Its not unthinkable that this mold could have been there during four of the most important days of the war or maybe some lucky surviving soldier brought it home to Gettysburg with him.  Either way, its a piece of history.  I'm hoping that some collector out there has the pistol and is looking for this mold to complete his set.  Its 9 1/8"th open, 4 3/4"s shut and about 1/2" thick.
OK, now for the boilerplate.  We sell through PayPal.  We ship through the USPS, usually within three days of payment (used to go every day but now with COVID we've cut back on time out of the house).  The little lady and I are comfortably set in retirement and sell stuff "on the side".  As newly minted senior citizens my wife has said its time to sell stuff.  That being said, we're not doing this to nickel and dime anyone on shipping to pad our retirement.  We don't make money off shipping, you pay exactly what it costs to get this mold from our house in Rochester, NY to wherever your ebay address of record is.  Any significant (over ) shipping differential will be refunded via PayPal the day of shipping,
anything less goes into my Fidelity Emerging Markets IRA (I'm up to .75).
Lately, stuff has been taking a bit longer to make its way through the system. P
lease view the pictures, they're included to assist you and are part of this description.  This is a no return sale. Obviously, if there is a problem we'll do what is fair to all parties to address and remedy the situation for common satisfaction.  This hasn't occurred yet but it can't hurt to be up front about our intentions.  Remember, this is pizza and beer money for the grandkids in college and it keeps us busy and out of trouble. Seriously, please ask any questions before buying and we'll do our best to get back to you ASAP with an answer.  I think we've covered all the bases, thanks.