GUN FALL 2016
The live portion of this session begins on Tuesday, October 4, 2016.
A WONDERFUL HISTORIC PAIR OF RIFLES THAT WERE THE PROPERTY OF THOMAS M. PRINGLE WHO WAS A SHARP SHOOTER WITH THE BUFFALO BILL WILD WEST SHOW WHOSE STAGE NAME WAS T.H. FORD. PAIR CONSISTS OF A FACTORY PRESENTATION MARLIN 92 FACTORY ENGRAVED RIFLE AND A WINCHESTER MODEL 1892 SMOOTH BORE RIFLE WITH FULL SILVER FINISH. MARLIN / WINCHESTER 92 / 1892 123275 / 262395 22 CAL / 32 WCF MODERN; C&R 1) Cal. 22. 24" half rnd half oct bbl. Blue and case color finish. Nicely figured checkered walnut stocks with pistol grip. Engraving, although not mentioned on the letter is definitely of the factory style. Left side of receiver has a circular vignette with an image of a squirrel in a tree eating an acorn. Vignette is surrounded by vine scroll work with a very fine punch dot background. Bolt is line engraved. Engraving has a line and punch dot border. Right side of receiver has vine and floral motif engraving also with a fine punch dot background. Top of receiver has vine scroll on forward end with line engraving accenting the Marlin safety mark. Triangular accents are seen around hammer ending in line scroll border. Upper tang mark is also bordered with line scroll. Upper tang screw has sunburst accents. Bottom of receiver also shows diamond accent with vine scrolling. Bbl shows 2-line Marlin address rolled in front of rear-sight. Front-sight is a fine blade. Rear-sight is unique with a fine notch and is tilted to rear. Breech end of bbl has line scroll engraving with fine line accents. Top of bbl is engraved "Compliments of" at rear of rnd section in front of Marlin address. No cal mark. Forend cap has line borders with circular accents. Upper tang of receiver is marked Model 1892. Top of receiver is marked Marlin Safety with finials. SN is stamped on bottom of receiver at forward end. Stocks show a fine varnish finish with nicely figured wood and diamond pattern checkering. Accompanying this rifle is a Cody Firearms Museum Letter confirming cal, half oct bbl, pistol grip, and showing shipment on October 15, 1895. No mention is made of the engraving, but engraving is, in the opinion of this cataloger, 100% orig, as is the "Compliments of" engraving on bbl. This rifle is accompanied by a notarized affidavit from Lydia Harris dated December 31, 1987, in which she states "that she is the grandaughter of Thomas M. Pringle and that this rifle, mentioned by SN, was his personal gun that he used in exhibition shooting". 2) Cal. 32 WCF. Smooth Bore. 24" oct bbl. Full magazine. Full silver finish with XX checkered walnut stocks with pistol grip and hard rubber shotgun butt. Bbl shows standard 2-line Winchester address rolled in front of rear-sight with cal mark at breech-end and a WP proof in an oval. Front-sight is of the sheard type made by Marble. Rear-sight is sporting style with sliding elevation adjustment. Receiver is marked Model 1892 over Winchester over trademark on upper tang. There is a WP proof at forward top of receiver. SN is stamped on forward bottom of receiver. Assembly no. "20946" is stamped on left side of lower tang followed by "XX" and "R". Upper tang mortise of buttstock also shows assembly no. "20946". Buttplate is not marked. This rifle is accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum Letter dated February 24, 2004. Letter states rifle, 32 cal, oct smooth bore bbl, plain trigger, checkered stock with pistol grip, Lyman Jack front-sight, shotgun butt with rubber buttplate, and full silver plated. Shipment was on April 29, 1905. Order number 7807, with a return and repair on January 27, 1910. Order number 28244. This rifle is accompanied by a notarized affidavit from Lydia Harris dated December 31, 1987, in which she states "that she is the grandaughter of Thomas M. Pringle and that this rifle, mentioned by SN, was his personal gun that he used in exhibition shooting". CONDITION: 1) Very fine. Bbl shows 80% dull blue finish with a few handling marks and slight muzzle wear. All markings and engraving are sharp. Bore is bright with sharp rifling. Magazine tube shows a plumb-brown patina with traces of blue in protected areas. Receiver engraving is sharp and crisp. Receiver shows generous traces of case color in protected areas at front end rear of frame and on lower tang under lever. All receiver markings are sharp. Stocks are very fine and retain nearly all orig varnish finish with only slight handling marks. This is a very well maintained rifle that belonged to a professional shooter. 2) Very fine. Bbl retains 90% of orig silver finish turning a pleasing black patina with only some high point wear and a few light scratches. Bbl marks are sharp. Bore is slightly frosty and very clean. Magazine tube retains a generous amount of silver finish, blending with some plumb-brown patina on bottom. Receiver retains 80% silver finish that has turned a black patina on left side, around trigger, on bolt and around hammer. Right side of receiver has a speckled appearance. Lever also retains almost all the silver finish that has speckled with black patina in protected areas. Hammer retains almost all of silver finish that has turned a dark black patina. Trigger shows black patina finish overall. Stocks are fine and retain nearly all of varnish finish with some handling marks, especially on right side of buttstock. Checkering is sharp. Hard rubber buttplate is very good with a few small scratches and dents, with a sharp Winchester logo. Pistol grip cap is very good with sharp markings and a nicely engraved screw. Forend cap retains 80% speckled silver finish with some black patina blended in. NOTE: These rifles are accompanied by a ream of rock solid provenance that substantiates the claims made in the Affidavit by Lydia Harris. Both rifles also show ample evidence of their use by a professional shooter. 50677-4 TEP (30,000-50,000)