AmericanLongRifles Forums

General discussion => Antique Gun Collecting => Topic started by: WESTbury on April 03, 2021, 12:21:43 AM

Title: PRE REV WAR RIFLE Morphy Auction May 18
Post by: WESTbury on April 03, 2021, 12:21:43 AM
Morphy's May 18th aucton--Lot1142 Pre Rev War Rifle

Looking forward to everyone's analysis.

A couple of J. P. Beck rifles.
Title: Re: PRE REV WAR RIFLE Morphy Auction May 18
Post by: Eric Kettenburg on April 03, 2021, 01:36:23 AM
It's a fantastic rifle.  Insofar as dating it, well that's of course a debatable subject but it certainly seems earlier rather than later.

There are a couple of schools of thought as to area of origin.  It also has at least two sisters, clearly same stocker.
Title: Re: PRE REV WAR RIFLE Morphy Auction May 18
Post by: rich pierce on April 03, 2021, 03:08:37 AM
Agree, wonderful gun. Shumway had a nice article on it and rifles with style and carving signatures that he attributed to same hand. “A Case of Lehigh Valley Longrifle Evolution” Muzzle Blasts July 1996.

IIRC Allen Martin made what looks like a bench copy.
Title: Re: PRE REV WAR RIFLE Morphy Auction May 18
Post by: rich pierce on April 03, 2021, 03:15:30 AM
The Newcomer rifle is another iconic rifle in this sale.
http://auctions.morphyauctions.com/catalog.aspx
Lot 1145.

Title: Re: PRE REV WAR RIFLE Morphy Auction May 18
Post by: Daniel Coats on April 03, 2021, 03:16:39 AM
Agree, wonderful gun. Shumway had a nice article on it and rifles with style and carving signatures that he attributed to same hand. “A Case of Lehigh Valley Longrifle Evolution” Muzzle Blasts July 1996.

IIRC Allen Martin made what looks like a bench copy.

Allen's rifle is remarkable and can be found on his website under Gallery of Guns 2 Early Transitional Bucks County Rifle.
Title: Re: PRE REV WAR RIFLE Morphy Auction May 18
Post by: Eric Kettenburg on April 03, 2021, 03:30:17 AM
Shumway's article was interesting and was essentially it's 'coming out' party in print.  I very much disagree with his attribution of RCA 65 to the same guy.

This gun (auction gun) as two very similar sisters that were not pictured in Shumway's article.  Maybe someone will post one of them here that has evolving 'Bucks' furnishings.  There are also one or two potential additional siblings that are not published.  I personally agree with a Bucks origin, pre-"classic" Federal period stockers.
Title: Re: PRE REV WAR RIFLE Morphy Auction May 18
Post by: rich pierce on April 03, 2021, 04:11:55 AM
The early Bucks County-attributed smooth rifle has perhaps the earliest example of a tang carving motif which I personally call “sheaves of wheat”; also seen on other eastern PA rifles.

I wonder about it’s relationships to Berlin’s rifles, the Deschler rifle, the Musician’s rifle, the Antes daisy box gun, even 42. Fun to think about. I can see elements of similarities among these early guns but I’ve been known to see things that are not there.
Title: Re: PRE REV WAR RIFLE Morphy Auction May 18
Post by: WESTbury on April 03, 2021, 05:13:34 AM
Lot 1087, "New England Fowler", has post 1813 Birmingham proofs on the barrel and much of the furniture appears to be British, probably Ketland. This fowler may be a restock, said he who does not like the term, in cherry wood. What do you think?
Title: Re: PRE REV WAR RIFLE Morphy Auction May 18
Post by: WESTbury on April 03, 2021, 02:32:35 PM
In regard to Lot 1087, the side plate is very similar to Grinslade's NE47, as is the triggerguard.

I like this fowler (Morphy's) but I believe that is obviously, in light of the post 1813 Birmingham proofs, 1st quarter 19th Century. Check out Joe Puleo's Ketland article in Vol 33, No 6 2011 Man at Arms Magazine.
Title: Re: PRE REV WAR RIFLE Morphy Auction May 18
Post by: Eric Kettenburg on April 03, 2021, 02:57:50 PM
Rich they always have looked that way to me, too!  I always think of the "John Barleycorn Must Die" album cover.
Title: Re: PRE REV WAR RIFLE Morphy Auction May 18
Post by: Mike Brooks on April 03, 2021, 03:37:40 PM
I'm going to assume EK built this.
Title: Re: PRE REV WAR RIFLE Morphy Auction May 18
Post by: Eric Kettenburg on April 03, 2021, 03:42:17 PM
I only build new, shiny pieces for 2021.  :P

IIRC, I remember there is a sister rifle to #9 on the KRA Lehigh disc that has a wood box rather than the brass box on #9, and it too (the wood box rifle) has something of an early version of the "sheaf of wheat" at the tang.  Those two rifles (#9 and the wood box gun) also seem fairly early imho.
Title: Re: PRE REV WAR RIFLE Morphy Auction May 18
Post by: rich pierce on April 03, 2021, 03:50:46 PM
In regard to Lot 1087, the side plate is very similar to Grinslade's NE47, as is the triggerguard.

I like this fowler (Morphy's) but I believe that is obviously, in light of the post 1813 Birmingham proofs, 1st quarter 19th Century. Check out Joe Puleo's Ketland article in Vol 33, No 6 2011 Man at Arms Magazine.

Great gun, lots of nice details on this one. It bring an 1800s gun would not surprise me. Altogether looks that way. Lock style, guard, buttplate. Cool gun to re-create. There are a lot of cool fowlers. 

I don’t know what to make of 1059 with that guard on there.
1070 has a very cool cheekpiece design and carving. Unique I’d say. Not sure where this gun fits in with what I know of Bucks county guns. Carving behind cheekpiece is unexpected. Seems earlier than typical Bucks county and folksy.

I think the fowler estimates are a little low.
Title: Re: PRE REV WAR RIFLE Morphy Auction May 18
Post by: Mike Brooks on April 03, 2021, 04:07:43 PM
Lots of fowling gun goodness in that auction.
Title: Re: PRE REV WAR RIFLE Morphy Auction May 18
Post by: Daniel Coats on April 03, 2021, 04:17:54 PM
There's some nice contemporary Kentucky rifles there too. Does that make them Contemporuckies?

Anyway I like the Jud Brennan guns 1067 and 1068. Also 1069 catches my eye.

Title: Re: PRE REV WAR RIFLE Morphy Auction May 18
Post by: ScottNE on April 03, 2021, 07:26:15 PM
There's some nice contemporary Kentucky rifles there too. Does that make them Contemporuckies?

Anyway I like the Jud Brennan guns 1067 and 1068. Also 1069 catches my eye.

That Brennan 1067 is almost breathtaking. Love everything about it.
Title: Re: PRE REV WAR RIFLE Morphy Auction May 18
Post by: D. Taylor Sapergia on April 03, 2021, 07:34:06 PM
Could someone post a link?
Title: Re: PRE REV WAR RIFLE Morphy Auction May 18
Post by: JTR on April 03, 2021, 07:39:07 PM
Here you go, Taylor;

https://issuu.com/morphyauctions/docs/flipdoc_may_18_early_arms?fr=sZGNmZjQ2NjA1NQ
Title: Re: PRE REV WAR RIFLE Morphy Auction May 18
Post by: Daniel Coats on April 03, 2021, 09:04:22 PM
Another link

https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/catalog.aspx?auctionid=544

Select the auction you want on the left and down select a category.
Title: Re: PRE REV WAR RIFLE Morphy Auction May 18
Post by: D. Taylor Sapergia on April 03, 2021, 11:45:34 PM
Thank you very much for the links my friends.  Wonderful viewing.