A prior post raised the question about carved powder horns possibly peaking after the F&I and Rev War horns. I've posted several later Tansel horns, and one Mercer County [Ohio] carved horn, to show the continuing quality of American carved powder horns well into the mid-1850s. Since everyone likes to see good carved horns, I did a quick photo shoot on two Mercer County horns in my desk drawer to show that great carved horns continued well into the nineteenth century, i.e., mid-1850s. The larger horn, shown on top, is dated "1847," and the smaller horn on bottom is dated "1854." These were carved by the Mercer County carver, William Dunwoody, and have a strong Masonic connection. A good number of these horns are known.
Sad footnote: The smaller "1854" horn was still with its original bag when sold by Cowans Auction in Cincinnati 15-20 years ago. When I acquired it last year, the bag was gone, and the owner had no idea it had a bag just a few years prior. So it's not just the old timers who discarded old, worn, "worthless" hunting bags...
If anyone wants to read a more in-depth study of these Mercer County horns and see finer examples, check out the blog articles on the web site
www.kentuckygunmakers.com.
Shelby Gallien
