The Providence Tool Co. manufactured the Peabody and Peabody-Martini rifles in many styles in the 1860s-1882. The latter were manufactured c. 1873-1882. Unfortunately, the company never secured U.S. government contracts. They sold 600,000 of these rifles to the Ottoman Empire alone, and the failure of the Ottoman government to pay in full ultimately bankrupt the company in 1882. This example is a one-of-a-kind and is an unusual exhibition grade military rifle engraved by Conrad F. Ulrich and plated in silver and gold. It is marked "C.F. ULRICH" on the front of the frame. The rifle is believed to have been embellished for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. It was on the cover of the Vol. 37, No. 4 of "Gun Report" from September 1991. The bayonet socket and locking ring, forend cap, barrel bands, breech end of the barrel, action, lever, and buttplate feature highly detailed interlaced scroll engraving with shell and crosshatch accents and finely textured backgrounds. The left side of the action has "PEABODY & MARTINI. PATENTS./MANF'D'D BY/PROVIDENCE TOOL CO./PROV. R.I. U.S.A." hand engraved. The right side of the action also has a spread wing bald eagle perched on Columbia's shield, a fitting motif for the United State's centennial celebrations which not surprisingly included renditions of both Columbia as well as bald eagles with Columbia's shield. The eagle on the shield may be based on Old Abe, the mascot of the 8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. Old Abe was displayed in the Agricultural Hall during the exposition. He was probably the best known bald eagle in the country in the 19th century and had a special perch with a rendition of Columbia's shield as the base. The forend cap, barrel bands, and action are finished in gold. The barrel, buttplate, and lever appear to have been silver plated. It has military style sights. The musket length forearm has multi-point checkering in the grasping section as does the wrist of the buttstock. The buttplate has coarse checkering. The silver plated bayonet has a cruciform blade. This rifle is pictured in Tom Rowe's "Engraved & Interesting Peabody Martinis."