Author Topic: value for early percusion half stock  (Read 2759 times)

severnphoto

  • Guest
value for early percusion half stock
« on: June 04, 2010, 05:55:31 AM »
I got this rifle at an estate auction recently and have decided that it's just not for my collection.  I'm a WWI/WWII man myself and would be better served picking up a few good examples from that era instead of this great half stock collecting dust.  My question for you guys is  What kind of Value does this gun carry?  Any number I put on this when I sell it is just a complete shot in the dark.  Values for these guns seems to be all over the place.  Do I have a $600 example or a $2,000 example or somewhere in between.  The only info I have on this is from what other posters have said on this site and that is only that it is probably of New York origin.  I also may place this up for sale in the for sale forum if anybody is interested.  I just need help getting a target value.  Here are some detailed pics.......

thanks all,

brandon






























Offline Tanselman

  • member 2
  • Hero Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1551
Re: value for early percusion half stock
« Reply #1 on: June 04, 2010, 06:54:27 AM »
This gun has some condition issues to go along with its late style, walnut stock, lack of a cheekpiece and capbox, etc. New York guns, particularly late percussion examples, are not as highly collectable as guns more closely related to the Kentucky rifle. I'd speculate that it might sell in the $200 range... but you never know who's out there looking for a gun like this. You might want to put it in an internet auction with a reserve and see what happens. But if you put the reserve too high, and the gun doesn't sell in the first couple of attempts, it usually turns potential buyers off as you run it additional times.  Shelby Gallien
« Last Edit: June 05, 2010, 06:30:21 AM by Tanselman »

Offline nord

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1548
Re: value for early percusion half stock
« Reply #2 on: June 04, 2010, 02:58:42 PM »
As a rule we seldom mention values here as there's no such thing as a Blue Book for antique rifles of this type. That said I'd agree with Shelby. Long rifle values are based on condition, age (to a degree), region, artistic merit, and maker.

Your gun I'm sad to say comes up short. It's a late gun of a rather pedestrian western NY style. (Possibly a Ohio or Michigan gun, but it  really doesn't matter all that much.)  This type of gun is usually valued for its utility as a shooter. In good condition it might fetch $800 on the right day. Possibly a bit more and just as possibly a bit less.

Your example doesn't approach the above. Too many problems to address and too much potential expense to justify much work. The half-round barrel is interesting and may well be on its second incarnation judging from the signature. Possibly in another life it may have been a fowler. I mention this because the style of the rifle in general and the style of the signature are somewhat unusual to be found together. Not impossible, just somewhat unusual.

If we ignore the question of the antique signature (by the standards of 1860), then I might question if the barrel isn't Belgian. While I doubt the gun itself to be, the style of the barrel and furniture is in keeping with much imported hardware from just prior to and during the early Civil War period.

All interesting questions for which we may never have an answer. Sorry I can't be more upbeat on value but your gun is what it is.
In Memory of Lt. Catherine Hauptman Miller 6/1/21 - 10/1/00 & Capt. Raymond A. Miller 12/26/13 - 5/15/03...  They served proudly.