Interesting Trade Gun relic on Ebay

[rich pierce]

Cool! Thanks for sharing.

[Avlrc]

Awesome.  Just think of the journey this gun took, riding the currents of the wind & ocean for nearly three hundred years.  "Have gun will travel", well this gun has traveled.  Thanks for sharing.

[Collector]

As Rich Pierce has offered in a previous post, the trigger guard matches, almost exactly, the trigger guard on my Savannah 'Parts Gun'/American Colonial Musket, identified by Mike Brooks as being of 1730-1740's Belgian, or Dutch origin.  Comparison and comments welcome.







Somebody needs to make a digital photo file of this piece before those displayed in the auction are removed.   

[Mike Brooks]

Fellows here’s the lock for this trade gun....!




This is the configuration this lock was in the last time this weapon was used, the whole gun is unmolested. And everyone knows how hard it is to find them that way . COVID permitting it will be at the Knoxville show

Bob

Although old, I don't believe  this is not the right lock for these Belgian/Dutch trade guns. These rather low end guns didn't have tumbler bridals. In my experience finding these Beligian/Dutch guns with their original locks is fairly rare, less that 50% of the ones I have seen have had replacement locks or no locks. I suspect the original locks were near junk when new.   There is one of these guns in one of the moravian books, I don't recall if it has it's original lock or not. it's the only one I know of that has a cheek piece. It has picked up the dog's head Christian's Spring cast box sometime along the way.....

[Rajin cajun]

Agree the lock is off another gun, but all parts are from other guns. But this gun was built with these parts. In my humble opinion, it an all original gun in its present configuration. But as I said I’m just a old porch dog so what do I know. I do know what Arthur Conan Doyle said, “It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence, it biases the judgment.”
The owner just informed me he will not be posting photos of this weapon on the forum, but he would be more than glad to discuss it face to face with anyone at the coming shows.


Bob

[Ric Carter]

I'm with you Eric. When Fleabay first started out I bought a 1728 French Infantry musket from a guy in Canada. I had been in an old church in Montreal that was being torn down. The kicker was that the guy listed it all in pieces. I think there were four lots with all of the parts. I just noticed the auction when it it started so I wrote the guy and practically pleaded with him to sell me all of the parts. I made him a good offer on it and he did. I just couldn't fathom that someone would break up an original 1728 musket, and this was even before Ebay started banning gun sales.

It happens with a lot of guns. I've bought a complete Trapdoor Springfield from parts on Ebay, for about the same as I would pay for one complete elsewhere. The advantage is being able to pick the quality of parts I bought.

[Collector]

It's been an interesting discussion.

[Eric Kettenburg]

You know I love the "aging" on that gun.  Seriously.  I love to see pieces that were really used hard, almost to a matchstick!

Someone either polished those forward two brass tacks or replaced missing tacks fairly recently.  They're like two headlights. My only quibble.  I wonder if there are empty pinholes for tacks on the other side of the butt?  Can't really tell via eBay photos.

[Mike Brooks]

You know I love the "aging" on that gun.  Seriously.  I love to see pieces that were really used hard, almost to a matchstick!

Someone either polished those forward two brass tacks or replaced missing tacks fairly recently.  They're like two headlights. My only quibble.  I wonder if there are empty pinholes for tacks on the other side of the butt?  Can't really tell via eBay photos.

yes, lots to  like about this old gun. The tang carving is 100% nifty.

BTW, the gun I was referring to in the Moravian book does have it's original lock plate, but appears to be a conversion back to flint.

[bama]

I am not much of an authority on trade guns but I have built a few rifles. To me all of the parts appear to be original to this particular gun. Now the parts appear to be identifiable to a specific time and type of trade gun to some of you that are knowledgeable but to me not so much. I just see an old gun that is early and well built and well used. Was it used by the Indians, who knows, was a few tacks replaced, who cares. This gun is a fine example of an early piece that from appearance has a great history of use in this nation and probably before we were a nation. It would be welcomed in my collection anytime and to me for a piece of history as great as this one $1400 sounds pretty cheap.

[mr. no gold]

A very nice honest early gun. Thank you for bringing it in and for your concern about keeping in as found condition. Great job! If you would please post a photo showing the lock in the gun.
Would like to see it in its complete form. I really like the ramrod in it, too. This one clearly went the full measure in its useful lifetime.
Dick