This musket is pictured and discussed on pages 36-37 of "American Military Shoulder Arms, Volume I: Colonial and Revolutionary War Arms" by George D. Moller. He list it as a "William III period (1688-1702) English matchlock musket. Its configuration is typical of British military muskets of the late 17th century. (Robert Nittolo Collection.)" Moller also states: "There is a round red wax seal under the forearm, forward of the trigger guard. This appears to be an Ordnance seal designating this musket as a pattern to be followed in the subsequent manufacture of muskets. The barrel is smoothbore, has no sights, and has a smooth transition from round to octagon. The top has an early Ordnance proof/view stamp. It has a serpentine side plate with three screws securing the convex lock which has a pointed teat at the tail, a fence, and a pan cover with a long arm. The furniture is iron and includes two sheet iron forend bands, a ramrod entry pipe, trigger guard with bulbous finial, blank oval wrist escutcheon secured by two screws, and an sheet buttplate. The stock has raised flats, a raised "bar" around the upper tang with a divided box stamp, and a rounded butt. Includes a forked musket rest. Provenance: The George Moller Collection
Very good with silver gray and light brown patina on the iron throughout, minor pitting, repaired forend band, separation at the breech/barrel tang, and general mild wear. The partially conserved stock has an older dark applied finish, some subtle repairs, moderate scrapes and dings throughout, some insect holes and lines, and a few chips and cracks. Mechanically excellent. The rest is very good with dark patina and moderate wear on the wood including stable cracking.
There are currently no customer product questions on this lot