Fairbanks rifle from AB Fairbanks Boston?

[Ice Nine]

I inherited an antique muzzleloading rifle from my father many years ago. I am interested in selling it but I wonder about its age and collectability. It is around 56 inches long and the only marking on it that I can see is Fairbanks etched on the right side of the breech. I will attach pictures if that is allowed. I am brand new to this forum. Thanks.

[Majorjoel]

The name on the lock plate looks to be Fairbanks. Also pretty sure the gun is a smoothbore fowling piece.

[Jennison]

I couldn't venture a guess as to the value of the piece, but I'm sure others can. That said, the lock plate indeed reads "Fairbanks" and you mention "AB Boston" in your title.  If you mean to reference A.B. Fairbanks of Boston, he died in 1841 so that should establish a "not after" date; being a percussion gun, it most likely wasn't made before 1825, and probably later than that.   If it is a Boston gun, hopefully Joe Puleo can chime in on it.

Jennison

[Ice Nine]

Sorry for the mistake on the name. I don't know how I moved from Fairbanks to Franklin. It is indeed smoothbore and appears to be about 1 and 7/8 inches for an inside diameter.

[Ice Nine]

I pulled the barrel and found Birmingham proofmarks. It has parts and a design that looks British to others that have seen pictures. It could be an umnarked British fowler that was purchased and sold out of AB Fairbanks gun business in Boston. It is in very good shape and all the parts are in good working order. I am attaching pictures of the markings on the underside of the barrel.

[Ice Nine]

Here is a link to an article about AB Fairbanks and his gun business.

https://americansocietyofarmscollectors.org/?s=Fairbanks&post_type=bulletin

There is a picture of my fowler in the article. Figure 18. The author found it on Fireams Forum where I had posted a picture of it in 2011.

[JV Puleo]

I'd be inclined to think it was a completely British made gun marked and sold by a Boston dealer. This was very common...in fact I have a really nice tapered octagonal rifle barrel marked "Lane & Read Boston" that has Birmingham proofs on the bottom.

Having said that, another Boston gunmaker comes to mind. Joseph Tonks made guns that were every bit as fine as the best British quality. He probably used Brazier locks and I suspect British-made barrels. I always wondered about him until I discovered he'd apprenticed at Rigby's and later emigrated to Boston. So, unless we can find out more about this maker/marking it's entirely possible that we have another British trained gunmaker working in Boston.

[Ice Nine]

Thanks for the feedback on my fowler. In the post above there is a link to AB Fairbanks and his gun shop in Boston. He was known to buy and sell products from different sources in addition to the guns he made. He died in 1841 which puts the manufacture or acquisition of the fowler before that. I think Joseph Tonks was active in Boston after that date but it does open the possibility that Fairbanks obtained the fowler from an American gunsmith who used British barrels and parts.