Brown Bess Revolutionary War musket may strike $15K

By Brendan Magarelli

DOWNINGTOWN, Pa. — Pook and Pook Inc. presents its fall Firearms and Militaria auction on Saturday, November 18th, 2017. From a suit of Cromwellian armor and Brown Bess musket to a rare U.S. Marine Corps decommissioned M45A1 semi-automatic pistol, this sale spans more than three centuries of military history.

Highlights of the sale are sure to be the rare untouched Revolutionary War Brown Bess Long Land pattern musket with a 59” barrel and the outstanding Winchester “yellow boy” model 1866 lever action saddle ring carbine. Furthermore, it is the first model to bear the Winchester name.

As always, Pook & Pook’s militaria auction offers many fine and rare examples of weapons from the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Most noteworthy is an exceptional pair of French silver inlaid flintlock pistols. In addition, a Springfield US model 1808 flintlock musket will come to auction. An R. Johnson model 1814 US Flintlock rifle is coming as well. Plus, a Pennsylvania tiger maple percussion long rifle, and a French iron barrel flintlock blunderbuss.

The Civil War era is also well represented with items including Remington and Colt percussion revolvers. Therefore, coming forward are Springfield and Enfield rifled muskets, and Sharps rifles. In addition, also on offer are Spencer lever action rifles, presentation swords, and Union and Confederate bayonets.

The sale also offers a Burnside fifth model saddle ring carbine, a Perry Patent Arms Co. breechloading saddle ring carbine, and a Remington US model 1863 Zouave rifle. Of particular interest is a Millard Fillmore Union Continental half stock percussion rifle. The rifle bears the inscription of "Union Continental Wm. B. Beck 1861 M. Fillmore Com’d." Of particular importance is a rare John Brown pike with original full-length ash shaft. It is one of approximately 950 in the commission of John Brown. This relates to the 1859 assault on the Federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Va.

In the International sphere, Pook and Pook, Inc. will be offering Indo-Persian battle axes, African

spears and daggers, a French cuirassier helmet, a Persian Shamshir sword and scabbard with signed blade, a Scottish basket hilt sword, German short swords, a Japanese wakizashi, European partisans, Indo-Persian kulah khud spiked steel helmets, and an ottoman matchlock arquebus.

Items from the modern era include a scarce WWI tank crew splatter mask, German WWI pickelhaube spiked steel helmets, German and American WWII helmets, American, German, Russian, Japanese, French, and Italian bolt-action rifles, and an excellent DWM 1916 WWI German artillery Luger semi-automatic pistol with holster. Especially relevant is an identified UD Springfield Krag model 1989 bolt action rifle which belonged to Archy H. Wall, an African-American soldier who served during the Philippine War of Independence.

Finally, numerous Colt 1911 semi-automatic pistols, an L.C. Smith Eagle grade side by side double barrel hammerless shotgun, a rare cased Winchester model 42 slide-action shotgun, two cased Japanese Browning Citori over and under shotguns, and a large number of Smith and Wesson revolvers, including pre-war Smith and Wesson “Registered Magnum” .357 revolvers.

In addition to in-person bidding at the Pook & Pook, Inc. gallery in Downingtown, Pa., bidding via telephone and absentee, internet bidding will also be available through Bidsquare.com.

For more information, visit www.pookandpook.com, email info@pookandpook.com or call 610-269-4040.