Author Topic: Old powder horn I picked up (Read 1141 times)

NDduckhunter · « **on:** November 17, 2024, 07:20:30 PM »

I recently picked up this horn pretty cheaply I might add. I was drawn to the bird possibly a rail carved into it. It had a lot of amateurish carving done on it, much is worn off. Unfortunately it has no history attached and really don’t even know where it came from other than it was bought at an estate sale at some point. What do yall think about age and region? It is air tight still even with some bug damage and a perfect size for a hunting trip stowed in my bag.

rich pierce · « **Reply #1 on:** November 17, 2024, 10:54:08 PM »

Great find!

NDduckhunter · « **Reply #2 on:** November 18, 2024, 03:07:22 AM »

Thanks! It was less than $60 to boot lol.

rich pierce · « **Reply #3 on:** November 18, 2024, 03:08:54 AM »

I’d give you $70!

Terrific find. I love these “owner decorated” horns.

NDduckhunter · « **Reply #4 on:** November 18, 2024, 05:46:56 AM »

lol, I sure would like to get an opinion on if it has east coast characteristics, I’ve seen a couple New England horns that are similar. I imagine it would be hard to put a finger on what region and era it was built. I too like the owner built/modified horns. There’s a standing duck on the other side but it has been mostly obliterated by wear.

rich pierce · « **Reply #5 on:** November 18, 2024, 03:50:39 PM »

Looks eastern to me though Great Lakes is a possibility. Overall style of decoration suggests 1800 or earlier to me.

NDduckhunter · « **Reply #6 on:** November 19, 2024, 05:15:10 AM »

Thanks for the feedback Rich!

Tanselman · « **Reply #7 on:** November 19, 2024, 08:51:40 PM »

I cannot see the wood plug clearly, but its low dome style and what appears to be a wide-grained soft wood, suggest an eastern origin. The small, long-legged bird with a long bill looks like some kind of a northern shore bird in the snipe school.

Shelby Gallien

Tim Crosby · « **Reply #8 on:** November 20, 2024, 04:47:08 PM »

The bird looks like a Jack Snipe/Wood Cock to me. We had a lot of them back in Virginia.

Tim

https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.fdd5fa97095f56a21e0b9150bcb44803?rik=9f4y7ZlBMOKcrg&riu=http%3a%2f%2fblog.nwf.org%2fwp-content%2fblogs.dir%2f11%2ffiles%2f2012%2f03%2fWoodcock-Flickr-Chris_Barron.jpg&ehk=1q9kU3EmqIqiQfdIUj3nMezMXuMyEP6klYXUrs6vbxo%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0

old george · « **Reply #9 on:** November 20, 2024, 06:13:59 PM »

I thought it looked like a "timberdoodle" myself.

george

NDduckhunter · « **Reply #10 on:** November 20, 2024, 06:30:12 PM »

It definitely could be, I think based on the bird, whether it’s a rail or a woodcock/snipe it lends itself to east coast origin though we will never know for sure. What do yall think the initials say about the horn. Is the shading style indicative of a certain time period?

Tanselman · « **Reply #11 on:** November 20, 2024, 09:18:26 PM »

The horn's dimensions are not posted, but it looks only moderate in size and simple in construction. Those facts suggest to me that it's a percussion era horn based on size, probably 1840s from its simplicity and not much later since it was decorated. Assuming a New England origin due to the soft wood butt plug, if the horn were earlier, I'd expect a touch more detail on it, such as simple chip carving round the lower edge of the spout tip. The owner was better than average at depicting birds; you can actually get an idea of what he was trying to show on this horn, when on a lot of carved horns, a bird is often a simple generic figure.

Shelby Gallien

NDduckhunter · « **Reply #12 on:** November 21, 2024, 03:39:40 AM »

Here’s a couple more pictures….

rich pierce · « **Reply #13 on:** November 21, 2024, 05:45:37 AM »

With that size it’s less likely to be an early horn. Super cool regardless of when it was made.

NDduckhunter · « **Reply #14 on:** November 21, 2024, 05:54:46 AM »

Very interesting stuff! I’ve heard bore size went down as the country expanded westward, is that the reason the horns became smaller?

rich pierce · « **Reply #15 on:** November 21, 2024, 06:29:08 AM »

Quote from: NDduckhunter on November 21, 2024, 05:54:46 AM

Very interesting stuff! I’ve heard bore size went down as the country expanded westward, is that the reason the horns became smaller?

We can only guess. Smaller caliber guns, fewer muskets being loaded from the horns*, more places to re-supply, fewer people way out there for long periods, are my best guesses.

*I believe many of the large early horns were for muskets and big gauge fowlers and trade guns.

Jeff Murray · « **Reply #16 on:** November 23, 2024, 05:24:44 AM »

The initials look like they could be TV on top and WV on the bottom. Pure speculation but could WV be West Virginia. There were WV hill folk that used smaller caliber rifles and owned gear of a more simple construction.

JSMOSBY · « **Reply #17 on:** November 23, 2024, 03:18:44 PM »

I thought the same thing, TV/WV. West Virginia was founded in 1863. Therefore, no earlier than 1863. There is much prior history. A very nice horn.

Tanselman · « **Reply #18 on:** November 24, 2024, 01:16:25 AM »

Can someone tell me which image shows a "WV" on the horn? All I can see is a "W" below the "T V" initials.

Shelby Gallien

JSMOSBY · « **Reply #19 on:** November 24, 2024, 02:31:52 AM »

Shelby,
Same image as the TV. I see W below the T and V below the V in TV. Similar "shading" on both right legs of the V's.
John

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Author Topic: Old powder horn I picked up (Read 1141 times)