The Model 1853 Slanting Breech Carbine was also known as the "John Brown Model" and was manufactured by Robbins and Lawrence in Windsor, Vermont for the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Co. until October of 1856 and produced by Sharps thereafter. The Model 1853 was manufactured from 1854 through 1857 with approximately 10,500 produced. This is a very early model with a brass patch box, barrel band and buttplate. The lock is marked "SHARPS/PATENT/1852" (faint), and the upper tang is marked "SHARPS/PATENT/1848" followed by the serial number. The matching serial number is also marked on the bottom of the barrel under the forearm. It has the small retaining stud mounted on the right side of the frame. The lock is equipped with the Sharps pellet primer, and it also has blade front sight and a folding ladder rear sight with the sliding bar absent. There is a saddle ring bar with ring attached to the left side of the barrel band and receiver, and it is mounted with a smooth forearm and straight grip stock with a "LPC" stamp and Captain Robert Henry Kirkland Whiteley's "RHKW" boxed cartouche on the left wrist and a carbine buttplate. Only a total of 250 are estimated to have been purchased by the U.S. Government making this a very rare specimen!

About good. The carbine has primarily a brown patina with some gray on the receiver. There is some pitting mostly confined to the right side. A few of the screws appear to be replacements as they are much cleaner and brighter than the rest. The brass components have an golden aged patina. The wood is fine with various small pressure marks, some chips on the lower forearm at the junction with the receiver and a larger one at the toe of the butt, and some wear on front of the forearm. The markings including the cartouches are legible but some are partially faded. Mechanically fine. Overall this is a nice example of a rare martially inspected Sharps Model 1853.