General discussion > Antique Accoutrements
Bone Tipped Powder Horns
Tanselman:
I recently picked up a large, bone tipped powder horn with bee-hive butt plug made of cherry wood. So far, I've received varied opinions as to where it was probably made...with VA rifleman's horn at the top of the list. I collect out of Kentucky and have seen a number of bone tipped horns come out of that state, usually without rings like the attributed Carolina horns. This horn has a cherry plug, and I've seen a number of KY horns with cherry plugs...so I'm wondering...can this be a Kentucky horn? I'd think cherry plugs were more common in states where cherry was being harvested for furniture building so it was readily available in dried state and small "cut-off" scrap and chunks well suited for butt plugs, such as PA, OH, and KY to name a few, which are well-known for their cherry furniture...and KY is the most southern of that group.
We seem to know quite a bit about bone tipped horns, but at times it appears to be more opinion than fact, without hard evidence behind it. I think bone tipped horns were made more widely, i.e. in more [southern] states, than we currently give them credit for. I would like to get some thoughts on where this one was probably made. The outside curve is 16+ inches, and the body is scraped very thin.
This horn came from an auction in Indiana, without any provenance behind it. But the fact it came out of the Midwest is interesting to me. Shelby Gallien
Tanselman:
This is moved over from the Antique Gun Collecting board. I hope to get more responses about bone tipped horns in general, and the one pictured specifically, on this board. Thanks, Shelby Gallien
Marcruger:
That beehive base with the bone tip say “North Carolina” to me. Of course, Jay will be able to tell you just where. God Bless, Marc
Howard:
Nice horn Shelby. I like it !!
Tanselman:
Thanks...I have seen bee-hive plugs on a number of known Kentucky horns, but not quite this large or pronounced as this one. In addition, a few of the earlier Tansel horns have original bee-hive type plugs, but again, not quite as pronounced. With the simpler turning of the bone tip, along with the cherry plug, I thought this one might have come from Kentucky...but I don't really know. So hope to get more comments on it. Shelby
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