November 5th & 6th 2016 Premier Firearms Sale
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/6/2016
One of the most desirable of all advertising collectibles are the factory cartridge boards put out to advertise various ammunition. This board was assembled by the Union Metallic Cartridge Co. of Bridgeport, Connecticut circa 1880's. The original magnificent oak frame features the gesso 3D lettering. Top reads "Trademark UMC" while the bottom reads "Union Metallic Cartridge Co.", letters are over 2" tall, finished in silver and stand out against the oak frame. The center diamond artwork measure 24"x18" and features a wild antlered game scene. Within the framed borders are well over 100 examples of all the famous cartridges available at that time: there are over ten Sharps cartridges, along with Remington single shot, Ballards, the entire Winchester line and numerous oddball rimfires. The shot section includes paper shells from 4 bore down and brass shells from 4 bore down with a nice separate display of primers and wads. All of the cartridges are original to the board and all but a few have their original ties. This entire piece has been blacklighted inch by inch and there is absolutely no in-painting or repairs within the borders. There are a few minor repairs to the outside edge, noted only for accuracy, none of which extend into the display. The colors are vibrant with no fading. Condition of the frame and gesso is near mint with no repaints. The inside image itself measures 43" x 33" while the entire display 54-1/2" x 41-1/2". These were produced in very limited numbers during their time frame and only given to the largest and most productive dealers and were never offered to the retail trade. When they are found they are usually in various degrees of disrepair and are often found stripped of their expensive and rare individual cartridges. The UMC board appears to be far scarcer than the usually encountered Winchester boards. If a finer all original cartridge board exists, we have not seen it nor heard of it. Simply put, this large display piece is nearly impossible to obtain and would impossible to improve upon. It is simply breathtaking in all respects and would be a center show piece in any gun room. It is actually handsome enough to make it into the living room.
Item Dimensions: 41 - 1/2" High, 54 - 1/2" Wide