Harpers Ferry Model 1855 Rifle Musket Dated 1860 with Iron Patchbox

American Civil War

.58 caliber. 40" barrel secured by three flat, spring-retained barrel bands. NSN. Bright finish, iron furniture and patchbox, walnut stock. Single shot muzzleloading percussion ignition rifle musket with Maynard automatic tape priming system, M1858 three leaf rear sight, Barleycorn combination front sight and socket bayonet lug, sling swivels and a swelled shank tulip head ramrod. Lock marked U.S./HARPERS FERRY forward of the tape primer magazine, primer door with {Spread-Winged Eagle}, rear of lock dated 1860 horizontally. Breech with no visible date and left angled flat with V/P/{Eagle Head} inspection marks. Counterpane with a pair of script cartouches, first the AMB of Harpers Ferry Master Armorer Armistead M Ball and second the JAS of Harpers Ferry's James A Schaeffer, the foreman of the stocking department. Only 7,349 Model 1855 Rifle Muskets were produced at Harpers Ferry in 1860. {ANTIQUE}

From the Lifetime Collection of Robert G. Paulsen

This lot is located in Cincinnati.

Good. Bore about very good, moderately oxidized with crisp rifling. Metal lightly cleaned with some scattered surface oxidation and light pitting, mostly at the breech. No breech date present, breech plug and tang may be a replacement. Otherwise markings remain clear in metal and fairly clear in wood. Mechanically functional lock, including the Maynard tape priming system. Wood with moderate wear, showing numerous scattered bumps, dings and mars with minor chipped and slivered loss along the edges of the ramrod channel.

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October 17, 20, 21, or by appointment. Please contact the Auction Specialist for details.

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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Arms, Armor and Militaria

Harpers Ferry Model 1855 Rifle Musket Dated 1860 with Iron Patchbox

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