April 24-25, 2019 Extraordinary, Sporting, & Collector Firearms
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/24/2019
This New England musket has fantastic form and is completely "as found" and untouched. The tapered round barrel has three wedding bands at the breech, along with a series of punched circles and a rear sight mounted on the tang. There is a bayonet lug/front sight mounted on top, towards the muzzle. The early banana lock was converted to percussion during its period of use and is retained by three screws, rather than two. The hardware is of American manufacture with a Brown Bess type buttplate with four-stage tang. The full sideplate is of sheet brass and is crudely but deeply engraved "JOSEPH DURKEE" and has decorative borders and shell designs around the three screws. Diminutive cast trigger guard with simple finial at each end, early style curled trigger with wide face. Four American ramrod ferrules, ferrule closest to muzzle is trumpeted. Vacant silver oval wrist escutcheon is retained with a silver pin in the center. Stock is of partially figured walnut or cherry and is of classic pure New England form with a Roman nose butt. Carved with a relief beaver tail around the barrel tang. Complete with period iron ramrod. CONDITION: Good, as found and unaltered, with dark patinas overall. Barrel and lock retain a dark heavy patina, some corrosion at breech. Brass retains a mellow patina with some darker areas, sideplate has been polished some time ago. Stock has some minor cracks and splinters absent along forend and is about 3" on one side and about 5" on the other, near muzzle, which was obviously broken long ago during its use.
Caliber/Bore
.76 Smoothbore