AmericanLongRifles Forums

General discussion => Antique Gun Collecting => Topic started by: Shreckmeister on September 01, 2014, 10:35:04 PM

Title: Whitmore, Wolf and Co.
Post by: Shreckmeister on September 01, 2014, 10:35:04 PM
Anyone with interest in western PA longrifles will recognize Whitmore, Wolf & Co. as being a hardware dealer in Pittsburgh that sold locks and gun hardware in the mid 19th century.  I found a store journal at auction in Corsica PA (along Olean Trail) that had entries where the owner was buying hardware from Whitmore Wolf on May 6, 1854.  The entry says 2 " Rifles 40 80.  The ditto is coming down from the dozen above, so I interpret this as 2 dozen rifles $40 each dozen $80 total, but the number entries are in the cents column which confuses me.  I'm wondering if the dollars are in the wrong column or maybe rifles means rifflers.  Would a gun cost as little as $3 in 1854?

(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1116.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk570%2Fsuzkat11%2FWhitmore_zps0471f371.jpg&hash=d37f788cb19591cb0e6e50827219a31dc4ec7956) (http://s1116.photobucket.com/user/suzkat11/media/Whitmore_zps0471f371.jpg.html)

(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1116.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk570%2Fsuzkat11%2FWolf1_zps6827334e.jpg&hash=4a4c2b29ef8a3d31fb7a1049b1c486c13630484c) (http://s1116.photobucket.com/user/suzkat11/media/Wolf1_zps6827334e.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Whitmore, Wolf and Co.
Post by: Dennis Glazener on September 01, 2014, 10:45:54 PM
Possibly rifle cutters @ 40 cents a doz? Still seems too cheap.
Dennis
Title: Re: Whitmore, Wolf and Co.
Post by: WadePatton on September 02, 2014, 07:02:42 AM
I can't quite make out anything on the list but yeah, it's two for 80c total. 

Maybe it was "Ruffles" tater chips...okay maybe not. 

I just don't think a "rifles" are going to be lost and low-cost on a ticket as this would make them.  It's something diff't.

Title: Re: Whitmore, Wolf and Co.
Post by: oakridge on September 02, 2014, 07:24:13 AM
It's 2 doz. ??? @ .40 a doz. Total of $.80    That comes out to 3 1/3 cents each.