I suspect that this rifle is one of dozens of spuriously marked guns, that were sold by the Rock Island Auction Company, at one of their regional auctions, Feb. 25, 2006. In fact, I would bet that it is Lot # 117 in the catalog for that auction. It matches the description exactly. These guns all came from the estate of a collector in St. Charles, Illinois. Many of them were marked with the names of Galena area/Jo Daviess County, Illinois gunsmiths. Joseph R. Bean is one of those gunsmiths. There were over a dozen marked with the name of "J. A. Maltby, Galena", who was a noted Plains rifle maker during the 1850's. All of these guns are stamped with individual letter stamps, not one-piece stamps like gunsmiths typically used. Whoever faked these markings, also stamped the lock plates with the same names, which instantly raises a red flag. These guns are definitely old, but were apparently unmarked pieces that were stamped with these names in recent times. After being scattered to the four winds at the auction, most of them have now changed hands a number of times, and seem to have developed a life of their own. I have seen a number of them turn up at gun shows, and online. I have kept that auction catalog, so that I can identify them when they turn up. The forgeries are not limited to guns, there are also knives, powder horns, and other accouterments, which are more difficult to spot.
