Queen Anne's reign as the monarch of England, Scotland, and Ireland laseted from 1702 until her death in 1714. She was the first to reign as queen of Great Britain following the Acts of Union. Muskets like this one would have been used by her forces in the War of the Spanish Succession which spanned her reign. The flat lock plate has Queen Anne's "AR" cipher at the center flanked by Ordnance marks and is signed "E/NICHOLSON" behind the dog catch. The lock is not a "true doglock" given it has a half-cock notch on the tumbler, but many English flintlocks in the early 18th century retained the dog catch on the locks as an additional safety feature. The inside of the bridleless lock has a "crown/3" marking. The barrel has a bayonet stud/front sight, Ordnance proofs, and an "EN" maker's mark. The stock has been cut back at the forend tip to allow the mounting of a socket bayonet which became widely adopted in the period. The furniture is brass and is generally very simple aside from the bulbous finial on the trigger guard. The wood ramrod has a brass tip. Provenance: The George Moller Collection

Good with a mix of dark patina and some applied brown, moderate oxidation and pitting concentrated on the breech section and lock, replaced ramrod pipes, repaired trigger guard and dog catch, heavy wear from use on the frizzen, and moderate overall wear. The restored stock is fair and is spliced from the ramrod entry pipe forward and has additional cracks and repairs, slivers and small chips absent from the edges, and mild dings and scratches. Mechanically fine.