AmericanLongRifles Forums

General discussion => Antique Gun Collecting => Topic started by: rich pierce on June 22, 2025, 02:58:04 PM

Title: 1800s interesting New England fowler
Post by: rich pierce on June 22, 2025, 02:58:04 PM
The Ketland and Co lock make this a bit later than my primary area of interest, but it’s a gun that is unique in my experience. Very nicely made. What might appear to be the ramrod protruding from the belly of the forearm is a carving feature.

(https://i.ibb.co/JjYRXjCh/IMG-4436.webp) (https://ibb.co/DfBD3fLq)
(https://i.ibb.co/QjMh5c8Q/IMG-4428.webp) (https://ibb.co/HpqRJ2N4)
(https://i.ibb.co/MyyQSXRp/IMG-4430.webp) (https://ibb.co/ZRR7XZhK)
(https://i.ibb.co/xK1YZ5vZ/IMG-4431.webp) (https://ibb.co/1YrMc2Vc)
(https://i.ibb.co/b5yQhTQj/IMG-4432.webp) (https://ibb.co/Sw15Tb5D)
(https://i.ibb.co/ntFJQKV/IMG-4433.webp) (https://ibb.co/Z70Dcbw)
(https://i.ibb.co/WpjFSK93/IMG-4434.webp) (https://ibb.co/pr5ZCXDP)
(https://i.ibb.co/WWZVbHms/IMG-4435.webp) (https://ibb.co/XZ1YhWcV)
Title: Re: 1800s interesting New England fowler
Post by: John Proud on June 22, 2025, 03:23:25 PM
Nice architecture, very appealing. Interesting side plate and carving design to say the least. Thanks for sharing it. Looking forward to seeing you at Kempton next month.
Title: Re: 1800s interesting New England fowler
Post by: Robert Wolfe on June 22, 2025, 04:29:06 PM
Wow, that is unique!
Title: Re: 1800s interesting New England fowler
Post by: whetrock on June 22, 2025, 04:39:10 PM

I have never seen anything like it, Rich.
Can you post a few more photos?
Title: Re: 1800s interesting New England fowler
Post by: Jim Kibler on June 22, 2025, 07:19:09 PM
That is wild and awesome!
Title: Re: 1800s interesting New England fowler
Post by: Stoner creek on June 22, 2025, 07:53:58 PM
What a difference a little bit of folk art does to enhance a piece like that!
Title: Re: 1800s interesting New England fowler
Post by: rich pierce on June 22, 2025, 08:25:41 PM
It just sold today and lot is closed. Orange Coast Auctions.
Title: Re: 1800s interesting New England fowler
Post by: Jim Kibler on June 22, 2025, 08:27:52 PM
what did in bring?
Title: Re: 1800s interesting New England fowler
Post by: rich pierce on June 22, 2025, 08:52:40 PM
what did in bring?
They haven’t posted final prices yet. I wasn’t watching it. I think it’s related to one in Grinslade’s book on fowlers or is the same gun.
Title: Re: 1800s interesting New England fowler
Post by: rich pierce on June 22, 2025, 10:38:16 PM
Says $900. Worth that for the parts.
Title: Re: 1800s interesting New England fowler
Post by: Avlrc on June 23, 2025, 01:14:05 AM
Says $900. Worth that for the parts.
Holy Toledo Batman, that was a steal. What a unique piece.
Title: Re: 1800s interesting New England fowler
Post by: rich pierce on June 23, 2025, 02:00:18 AM
Says $900. Worth that for the parts.
Holy Toledo Batman, that was a steal. What a unique piece.
New England fowlers suffer from little to no attribution ( vast majority not signed) and don’t have the romance of rifles for many. So the cellar is pretty deep sometimes, and the ceiling not that high.
Title: Re: 1800s interesting New England fowler
Post by: JV Puleo on June 28, 2025, 12:41:20 AM
Rich, of course, is absolutely correct. While there have always been a hard core of collectors that appreciated the NE fowler there have never been many of them and, at least here in NE, they tend to know about each other. I'm reminded of a story told me by the late Don Andreason, one of the small number of collectors that did appreciate them as early as the 1950s. A gentleman was offering an extremely early (17th century) fowler with a slam-dunk American provenance for sale...this is the gun now known as the Thompson Fowler and I believe it's in the Smithsonian. At the time he showed it to three different collectors with what was a stupendous asking price. (He clearly knew that it was extremely desirable) All three declined and made an offer...and all three offers were very close. Don was the last of the three...until then he hadn't seen it and didn't know who had but the seller exploded in frustration with "are you guys all in cahoots?".

I'd say the same is true for NE rifles today. I think I have 15 or 16 of them. All of them are the fairly plain, run of the mill versions and only two of them are in original flint but the most expensive of all of them cost me $1000. (I think there are two of those) All the others cost less.