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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$1,500 – $3,000
.58 caliber. 36.25" pinned three-stage octagon to round barrel. SN: NSN. Bright finish, iron and brass furniture, full-length walnut stock. Crudely percussion altered flint lock is marked "MORRIS" in an arc at the tail and appears to have the remnants of a "{Circle-Fox}" logo forward of the hammer, which has been partially cut away to make room for the crude brazed percussion bolster applied at the time of alteration. Lock with commercial percussion hammer added as part of the alteration, screw holes for the flint battery were not filled during the conversion. Barrel marked "LONDON" on the top flat and with British Board of Ordnance proof marks indicating that this gun was produced at part of the 1813 contract to provide arms to the Native Allies of the British during the War of 1812. Barrel with brass blade front sight. Standard Northwest gun features include the ubiquitous brass three-screw serpentine side plate, large iron triggerguard and raised carved apron around the tang. The flat brass buttplate is retained in the early style with nails and the tang screw enters from the plate in front of the triggerguard. Two corrugated pipes secure a wood ramrod. Henry Morris was a Birmingham gunmaker circa 1802-1813, with his wife taking over the business from 1814-1817. While Morris did not appear to directly contract with Ordnance he was a partner with William Grice who was a long time Birmingham maker and Board of Ordnance contractor. Thus the partnership of Grice & Morris (ca1799-1817) did receive part of the 1813 trade gun contract from Ordnance and delivered 1,821 guns between 1813 and 1816 for the use of Native Allies. A scarce, crudely altered Board of Ordnance gun from the War of 1812 with an uncommon contractor's name on the lock.
The Collection of Larry Ness
Good. Well worn, heavily oxidized with scattered pitting, roughness and some impact marks on the metal. Barrel with scattered roughness and pitting. Lock functional, but does not operate easily. Lock fit and bolster fit are less than ideal and the alteration is very crude. Bore is fair, heavily oxidized and pitted. Stock worn, with repaired cracks in the forend, some chipped wood loss at the tip, slivered loss along the upper edge of the forend, some deep grain cracks in the wrist and butt and numerous bumps, dings and mars.
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Tim Carey
Associate Vice President, Head of Department, Arms, Armor and Militaria
