GUN SPRING 2017
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/11/2017
EXTREMELY RARE & IMPORTANT MARLIN MODEL 1893 TAKEDOWN LEVER ACTION RIFLE RELIEF ENGRAVED WITH GOLD & PLATINUM INLAY. MARLIN 1893 139494 30-30 Cal. 30-30. Fantastic, special order, takedown, deluxe engraved rifle with 26" oct to rnd bbl, half magazine, half nickel front sight & semi-buckhorn rear sight with Lyman loop tang sight with large disk. Manufactured February 18, 1897. Receiver is wonderfully semi-relief engraved in #10 patterns by Conrad Ulrich with large vignettes of a bull and cow elk in a very detailed woodland scene on left side and a very highly detailed bust of a grizzly bear on right side. Left side vignette has a fine gold rope border and right side vignette has a solid gold wire border. Both sides of receiver have large coverage grape leaf, berry & vine pattern engraving with an extremely fine shaded background. Both sides have Ulrich's typical curlicue borders with larger feather style borders around top flats. Side of bolt is engraved with grape leaf and berries with a small rnd vignette that has a gold wire inlay. Sides of lever boss also have leaf & vine patterns. Front & rear edges of receiver have gold wire inlay with inlaid platinum wire on sides of hammer and with wire and curls in platinum over chamber area of bbl. Forend cap, sides of takedown ring and top front of receiver have fine arabesque pattern engraving & there is a platinum wire inlay around forend cap. Sides of lever and down top tang have light arabesque pattern engraving. Mounted with extremely beautiful burled walnut stock and pistol grip with serpentine grip cap, 12-3/4" over the orig Marlin hard rubber buttplate. Stock and forend cap have sling eyes. This rifle is pictured on p. 347 of Steel Canvas, Wilson. Pattern #10 engravings with a combination of gold and platinum inlay are extremely rare and considered the highest form of decoration ever on an American manufactured firearm. PROVENANCE: Ex-Carl Press Collection; Ex-Clarence Parks Collection; Ex-Wes Adams Collection. CONDITION: Very fine to extremely fine. Bbl retains about 94-96% strong bright orig blue, slightly thinned & turning plum on rnd section & over chamber area. Magazine tube retains about all of its strong bright orig blue. Receiver retains about 80% orig case colors, mostly faded but strong & bright in sheltered areas. Lever retains about 50% orig case colors, strong & bright in sheltered areas, faded elsewhere. Hammer retains 75-80% strong orig case colors, mostly on sides. Wood is sound & retains about all of an extremely fine piano varnish finish. Mechanics are crisp, strong bright shiny bore. 50412-16 JR328 (20,000-40,000)