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| Antique Firearms |
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American Colonial .69-caliber Smoothbore Musket or Fowling Gun; |
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| This item has an American cherry wood stock with English-market lock by John Walker (he was exporting locks to the colonies by the 1740’s). The metal plate on the bottom of the stock is probably from a previous collection. It measures 66 inches in overall length.
PRICE: $6,500.00 |
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Indian .65-caliber Trade Musket
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| This trade gun is made of English-iron furniture (as opposed to brass) and some blacksmith-made parts. Note wear to stock just forward of trigger guard commensurate with pommel/horseback carry. It measures 66.5 inches in overall length.
PRICE: $5,900.00 |
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Revolutionary War .76-caliber “Libertas” Musket; |
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| Although this musket appears at first glance to be a Brown Bess, it is of American manufacture. The lock is that of a First Model Brown Bess and is marked ‘Galton,’ has the Tower proof mark, but the usual King’s cipher, ‘GR,’ has been removed, and the word Libertas (Latin for ‘Liberty’) has been engraved in its place. The “Libertas” mark has been documented on muskets for the militia units from Massachusetts and New Hampshire. This musket is from a Massachusetts family with on oral history of participation in the American Revolution. This is a very rare musket. It measures 58 inches in overall length.
PRICE: $12,500.00 |
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Whitney-Howard .44-caliber Rimfire, Lever-Action Rifle; |
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| The Howard rifle was one of the more unusual weapons that emerged from the Civil War era. Designed and refined by Charles Howard and Sebre Howard, the rifle was also known as the Howard THUNDERBOLT. It was an unusual breechloader that had a sliding breech bolt operated by an attached lever and, unlike any other design of the times, was located on the bottom of the action. Almost all the production of the Howard rifles was made by the Whitney Arms Company of Whitneyville, Connecticut, and is so marked on the barrel. This is the reason the rifle is so often called the Whitney-Howard Rifle. In 1867, the Howard rifle was submitted to the Carbine Trials held by both the United States Army and the State of New York for its militia. Unfortunately for the Howard brothers, the trials required the carbines to be chambered for the .50-.70 cartridge, which was then in use by the U.S. military. This cartridge proved too powerful for the locking mechanism, and it would blow open on occasion. Although an excellent rifle in the small calibers, these trials sounded the death knell for the Howard rifle, and by 1870, the company was no longer in business. This particular Whitney-Howard Rifle is typical of the ones they produced. It's chambered for the .44 rimfire cartridge. It has a straight-grained walnut stock that shows some dings and gouges from 135 years of use. The stock is fitted with a toe plate. The finish is plum with a good bore and action, and the barrel retains its original single-leaf folding sight. Markings are legible with the Howard marking bold and the Whitney marking weak. There are two patent dates-1862 and 1865-indicating an early production rifle as later weapons show an 1866 date. Barrels on Howard rifles varied from 22 to 28 inches with 24 inches being standard. This rifle has a 27 ˝-inch barrel, which has not been altered. With the unusual toe plate and barrel length, it's possible that this was a special-order rifle. This rifle is an interesting and scarce piece of American firearms history. It's in very good condition with a working action and a decent bore.
PRICE: SOLD |
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Frank Wesson .32-caliber Rimfire, Two-Trigger Rifle; |
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| Although there is little modern published material on the guns of Frank Wesson, it is obvious from the number of pistols, and to a much more limited extent, his rifles, that his products were popular and had great public acceptance. Although the firm did make rifles, the main thrust of the company was pistols and what are commonly termed "pocket rifles" or "bicycle rifles." These were basically single-shot, tip-up, long-barreled pistols that had a detachable wire stock. From 1859 until 1871, Frank Wesson produced arms under his own name, when he entered a partnership with his nephew, Gilbert Harrington. Together they formed a company called Wesson and Harrington, continuing to produce pistols, pocket rifles, and two-trigger rifles. This company continued until 1875, when Frank Wesson sold his interest in the company to William Richardson, creating the Harrington and Richardson Company, one of the most prolific firearms companies to operate in America. Interestingly, Frank Wesson continued to produce two-trigger rifles until 1888, but on a much smaller scale. This particular Frank Wesson two-trigger rifle is of the Second Type and has the serial number '7442.' Dating Wesson rifles is difficult, but records indicate that the Second Type started production in 1863 and was phased out about 10 years later. The rifle has a 24-inch barrel, which was considered a carbine length. The bore is in excellent condition for its age although it does show signs of the use of corrosive ammunition of the period. The straight-grained walnut stock is fitted with a crescent butt plate and shows almost no handling marks. In addition, this rifle is equipped with adjustable tang sight as well as the original fixed sights. The bluing on this rifle is outstanding, being one of the best-conditioned Wesson rifles available. There is some slight freckling on the barrel and fore end as well as some minor wear on the sharp edges of the barrel. This rifle is a great example of one of the more interesting American weapons produced in the 19th century.
PRICE: $1,895.00 |
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