Great display--I'm anxious to see these "Reading" rifles at the upcoming Eastern Pa. long Rifle Show, Morgantown, PA Oct 1-3 - A good show--(yeah it's a plug for the show, sorry).
Although I've only seen one of these rifles, what's really curious about this is it appears the "Reading" engraving is on rifles from different makers at slightly different periods, yet the hand of the engraver appears to be the same hand, at least it looks like it in the pictures. Any engraving on Reading rifles, is normally about as rare as signatures on Reading rifles. Is this some kind of anomaly or later celebratory purpose? Curious and curiouser?? Similarity to the more than one rifle found by Bonewitz with "Womelsdorf" engraved on the patchbox cover is uncanny.
Sideline: When I half-wrote/published the Kindig collection book, I found their"Reading" marked rifle hidden among the many. I never saw it for the earlier Berks County exhibit/book almost 10 years earlier - whata bummer. So when you think it would be fun to have 400 long rifles - keep that problem in mind. That gun is sold - so don't call them
Patrick Hornberger