Full Stock Flintlock Rifle by Jacob Fordney with Four Piece Patchbox

.34 caliber. 46" wedge retained octagonal barrel. NSN. Browned finish, brass furniture, faux striped maple stock with raised cheekrest and four piece patchbox. Single shot muzzleloading flintlock rifle with double set triggers, fixed notch rear sight, dovetailed blade front sight and wood ramrod. Flintlock appears to be in original flint with a replaced cock and screw, and is marked HENRY ELWELL/WARRANTED in two lines under the pan. Barrel marked J Fordney in script and LANCASTER, PA. Traditional features include the flat Lancaster style two screw side plate, plain four-piece patchbox and plain toe plate with patchbox release. Henry Elwell was a Birmingham England based gunmaker who worked circa 1838-1857, and Jacob Fordney (1808-1878) who produced this rifle often used imported English locks on his guns. Fordney was the son of noted Lancaster gunmaker Melchior Fordney and worked from the 1830s through at least the 1860s. This gun is probably circa 1840s, and although plain is a well made and attractive example of a late flintlock period rifle.

This lot is located in Cincinnati.

Good to very good. Bore dark and heavily oxidized with strong rifling. Metal moderately oxidized with a mottled grayish brown patina and some pitting scattered here and there. Brass cleaned to a bright golden color. Markings remain mostly clear and legible. Mechanically functional lock with what appears to be a replaced cock and screw, but which shows no indication of having been reconverted. Lock fits well and appears to be original to the rifle. Touchhole is well centered in the pan with some wear and erosion. Patchbox release does not work, but patchbox can be opened easily enough. Wood with moderate wear, showing scattered bumps dings and mars. There is some wood loss at the breech due to burn out and wear.

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Mr. Tim Carey

Associate Vice President, Head of Department, Arms, Armor and Militaria

[email protected]513.666.4984

Mr. Carey joined Cowan’s, a Freeman's company, in 2021 and is a 40-year veteran of the sporting arms and outdoor recreation industry. Carey joined Cowan’s from Griffin & Howe at Hudson Farms in Andover, N.J., where he was responsible for the acquisition, appraisal, and consignment of top-tier firearms consignments from important makers such as James Purdey & Sons of London, Beretta, Caesar Guerini, B. Rizzini, Bertuzzi, Renato Telo, and Anderson Wheeler.

Mr. Tim Prince

Senior Consulting Specialist, Arms, Armor & Militaria

[email protected]312 280 1212

Tim Prince has more than 30-years of experience in the field of antique and collectible arms and is a nationally recognized expert in the area of Civil War small arms. A long-time researcher and author, Tim has been a contributing author to two major books about Civil War firearms, including The English Connection: Arms, Material and Support Furnished to the Confederate States of America by Great Britain (2014) and Confederate Shotguns and Southern Agent Marked Shotguns (2017). He was also a major contributor to the recently updated Blue Book of Antique American Firearms & Values – 2nd Edition (2019) as well as the 2010 updates to the Civil War Collector's Price Guide - 12th edition. Over the last decade Tim has authored more than 50 articles on 19th century collectible and military arms, which have been published in such varied publications as Civil War News, North-South Trader, and Military Antique Collector. Since 2016 has appeared as a featured appraiser in the field of Arms & Militaria on the popular PBS television series Antiques Roadshow. He is a member of the American Society of Arms Collectors and currently serves on the board of directors of that organization. He is also a member of and formerly served on the board of directors of the Society of American Bayonet Collectors. Tim is a life member of the Ohio Valley Military Society, the Tennessee Military Collectors Association, the Alabama Military Collectors Association, is a member of the Company of Military Historians and is a member of numerous other colleting groups and societies. He is the owner of College Hill Arsenal, a web based antique and collectible arms retail web site, specializing in the American Civil War and related military items. Tim has engaged in the business of buying, selling, researching, and appraising antique and collectible arms and associated military items for some three decades. Since 2016 he has also served as a senior Consulting Specialist in the field of Arms, Armor & Militaria for Cowan’s Auctions, a Freeman's Company.

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Please email [email protected] for any additional information or questions you may have regarding this lot.

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Full Stock Flintlock Rifle by Jacob Fordney with Four Piece Patchbox

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