Jacob Sell the elder (1741-1825) is the patriarch of the Sell gunmaking family and almost certainly the father of Jacob Sell the younger (1780-1855) and Frederick Sell (1781-1869). The family is noted as among the best gunmakers of the early national period. Sell was active as a gunmaker from the era of the American Revolution through approximately 1820. Of the eight examples pictured in "Thoughts on the Kentucky Rifle in Its Golden Age," only two are signed like the example here. The present rifle is unlike any of those pictured but does have some similar attributes. In the above work, Joe Kindig, Jr. states: "The earlier gunsmiths tried never to repeat themselves; they tried to make each gun different and finer than the one before. I like to see this because to me it exemplifies the spirit of a real artist. I think Jacob Sell the elder represents this type of workman. . . Jacob Sell the elder was a great artist. He was an extremely versatile gunsmith of the early period. Although his engraving and carving are not as fine as some of a slightly later period, they should not be belittled, because he probably was one of the first men to use these details so extensively on Kentucky rifles." The barrel has blade and notch sights and is signed "Jacob * Sell" near the breech. It is fitted with an unmarked lock and a single trigger. The full length stock has brass furniture including the forend cap, a silver thumb piece, and a cheek rest surmounted by rococo carving. The side plate, toe plate, thumb piece, and patch box are all engraved. Both the thumb piece and the patch box door have engraved busts of 18th century men. Similar engraving designs are found on two of the rifles in Kindig's book.

Fair. The barrel and reconverted lock have an artificial dark brown patina with some light oxidation and flash pitting. The brass and silver display pleasant aged patinas. The stock is fair as sanded and refinished with a break at the breech and toe, a few minor cracks, some slivers and chips absent along the edges, and some minor scratches and dings overall. The lock functions fine, and the engraving patterns are crisp. This is a representative example of an early Golden Age long rifle manufactured by the head of a talented gunmaking family.