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Frontier Firearms from the Lifetime Collection of Larry Ness
|
- Sale 1987
Live
| Cincinnati
Jun 8 | 10:00 AM EDT
Live
| Cincinnati
Sale 1987
| Cincinnati
| Cincinnati
Estimate$6,000 – $8,000
.45 caliber. 43.5" octagonal barrel retained by three wedges with hammered copper escutcheons. SN: NSN. Browned finish, lightly figured maple stock, brass furniture. Barrel marked in two lines "H DERINGER/PHILADA" with the commercial percussion lock marked with the same die. Although fit with a drum percussion bolster, there is no evidence that this rifle was ever flint and seems to have been produced by Deringer as a percussion gun. The percussion lock is likely of English origin and is decorated with simple engraved floral motifs at the front and rear. The percussion hammer is engraved with similar motifs. The rifle has a classic Pennsylvania full-stock profile with a Roman nose butt and raised cheek rest. Brass furniture includes an S-shaped, two-screw side plate, nose cap, triggerguard with finger extension, ramrod pipes, buttplate, toe plate and simple four-piece patchbox with rudimentary eagle head motif. A concealed release for the patchbox is located under the toe plate. The rifle is decorated with a hammered copper oval escutcheon featuring a leaping buck on the cheek rest, a similarly decorated copper thumb plate and decorated hammered barrel wedge escutcheons. The rear sight has a somewhat decorative base that is missing the notch and the front sight is dovetailed brass blade. The rifle retains what appears to be its original wooden ramrod. While Henry Deringer is well known to have produced a wide variety of firearms from simple trade guns to the pocket pistols that are referred to by his name to this day, higher end rifles of this style are somewhat uncommon and quite desirable. A wonderful example of Deringer's work in the classic Pennsylvania Rifle form, probably dating from the 1840s.
The Collection of Larry Ness
Very good. Barrel with a thickly oxidized brown patina showing some scattered roughness and some pitting, most notably in the breech and bolster area. Markings remain clear and crisp throughout. Lock remains mechanically functional, skirt of hammer with some chipped damage, bore retains strong rifling but is heavily oxidized and moderately pitted. Patchbox release does not function, but box can still be opened. Brass with a rich golden patina, copper decorations with a deep ocher appearance. Stock with an attractive and uncleaned patina showing the expected repairs for a Pennsylvania rifle of this age, including repaired cracks and breaks through the lock mortise area, repaired cracks and splinters in the forend and numerous scattered bumps, dings and mars.
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Tim Carey
Associate Vice President, Head of Department, Arms, Armor and Militaria
