April 24-25, 2019 Extraordinary, Sporting, & Collector Firearms
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/24/2019
Features octagon to round barrel, German nickel front sight, dovetail wind drift rear sight. Serial number 1984 stamped under barrel and inside primer door. Right side of frame is stamped "MAYNARD ARMS CO WASHINGTON". Left side of frame is stamped "MANUFACTURED BY MASS. ARMS CO CHICOPEE FALLS". Patchbox is stamped "MAYNARD PATENTEE/SEPTEMBER 22, 1845/MAY 27, 1851/JUNE 17, 1856". Lower tang has the saddle ring and stud. There are no US martial stamps. It is considered a secondary Confederate arm in that over half of the First Models manufactured were purchased by Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida in 1860 and early 1861, prior to secession. There were so many Maynard's in Confederate hands that they printed a Confederate field manual for this weapon. There is an incredible article about Maynards in the Confederacy that was written by Howard Madaus in "The American Society of Arms Collectors" bulletin 52, pages 66 to 79 (copy included). They were sent in a mix of .35 and/or .50 caliber. Known purchases include Mississippi with 325 carbines in .50 caliber; Georgia with 650 in .50 caliber; 1,300 in .35 caliber to Mississippi and Florida; and another 800 to various militia outfits in South Carolina and Louisiana with small quantity purchases to most other Southern states. Compared to known US purchases in .50 caliber, of which 400 were sent to the US Army in 1859 (would have been US Government inspected); 60 to Fort Union, New Mexico; 100 each to Company I and Company H of the 1st Cavalry serving with the Indian Campaigns, the 9th Pennsylvania, 1st Wisconsin; 200 to the Revenue Service; and 60 to the US Navy. Given that carbines issued to any US Service branch would have been US inspected, and that this early serial number carbine lacks any US government inspector stamps and falls into the Southern shipped serial range it is probably safe to assume that this is a Southern purchased and used Cavalry carbine. It is documented that General Wheeler's Confederate Cavalry Corps were issued this weapon and 30 were captured from the Confederate Ironclad Atlanta. The documented serial range for 1st Model Maynards is 1800 to 4100. CONDITION: Barrel is smooth, soft patina. The same can be said for the frame; markings on frame are sharp. Patchbox is grey-brown patina with some week stamps. Bore shows well defined rifling with minor abrasion. Stock has a 3-1/2" crack on wrist on right side, it is all patina and has been there for a century; also has numerous dings, oil staining around metal edges; appears to have some large oval script on right side that looks to be a capital "G" and lowercase "a". Looks to have original nipple. Working order. Very good example of what undoubtedly is an early Confederate shipped First Model Maynard carbine. CORRECTION: Upper tang is an old replacement and is missing the standard folding rear sight.