RARE AND FINE J.J. AND WILLIAM HENRY EARLY TRADE RIFLE

RARE AND FINE J.J. AND WILLIAM HENRY EARLY TRADE RIFLE

01-24778
Cal. .46 caliber
NSN

57.5″ overall. 43.5″ octagonal barrel. Pictured and described on pages 150-151 of “The Fur Trade”, author Milton Von Damm: “This is a beautiful stock original flintlock smoothbore rifle which was made between 1808 and 1812 at the Philadelphia plant when William Henry III was serving as the apprentice to his brother, John Jacob. J.J. Henry was only 21 when his father sent him to Philadelphia in 1808 to manage the new plant and his younger brother / apprentice was just 14. These two young men could not have been older than 25 and 18 respectively when this rifle was made. The plain original lock is marked only with I & W HENRY.

The brass furniture is modest and tastefully engraved with a three section patch box with a pineapple finial, a small oval engraved cheek plate and a simple design on the escutcheon. The plain sideplate holds the two screw lock and is the typical Roman curve down the comb of the stock. There is no sign of Indian or hard western use. A total of 78 rifles were made by J.J. Henry for the Indian department from 1806 to 1812 and many early Indian rifles were smoothbore.”

PROVENANCE: from The Lifelong Collection of author Milton Von Damm.

STATUS: ANTIQUE