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LOT 1049
Historic Cincinnati Griffiths & Siebert Marked Percussion Half Stock Target
Shooting Prize Trophy Rifle with Silver Plaques on Stock - NSN, 40 cal., 33 inch octagon
bbl., brown finish, walnut stock. Manufactured by Griffiths & Siebert of Cincinnati, Ohio, this fine trophy rifle features a heavy 33 inch octagon barrel with a globe front and fixed iron rear sights, and was made for a false muzzle (absent). The top barrel flat behind the rear sight is marked “GRIFFITHS/& SIEBERT/
CIN TI O.”The back action lock is unmarked. Iron finger grip trigger guard, double set triggers, hickory ram rod and fitted with a nicely figured smooth straight grip half stock with a crescent buttplate. The right side of the stock has an inset silver oval and shield. The oval is inscribed “Presented/to the/Prairie Shooting Club/of Cincinnati/by/Jacob Strader Esq./1855”. The shield is inscribed “PRIZE OF HONOR/ Winners/at annual trap match of Prairie Shooting Club/Horace E. Perry 1855 Jno. W. Beesley 1856”. Frank Sellers “American Gunsmiths” lists Griffith & Siebert as being in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1852 to 1854. Jacob Strader Esq. (1795-1860) was a steamboat owner, lawyer and was listed as President and solicitor of the Commercial Bank in 1851. He was on the Board of Trustees of the Cincinnati Medical Center, President of
the Little Miami Railroad and in 1853 the side-wheel steamboat “Jacob Strader” was launched in Cincinnati and was built for the U.S. Mail line running a Cincinnati to Louisville route. During the Civil War, the boat carried supplies to Union troops for the U.S. Sanitary
Commission and also transported sick and wounded soldiers.
CONDITION: Very good. The barrel has a brown patina with scattered minor
pitting. The remaining metal surfaces have a smooth grayish mottled patina.
The stock is very fine retaining almost all of the original finish and showing
a small chip and minor crack on the left side near the breech and overall
some minor dings and scratches. The plaques remain bright for the most
part, showing some small spots of discoloration on the shield. The barrel
markings are legible. The action is excellent. A very nice trophy gun with
Cincinnati history.
Estimate: 3,500 - 5,500
LOT 1050
Finely Engraved “Mule Ear” Half-Stock Percussion Target Rifle with False Muzzle Attributed to Billinghurst - NSN, 38 cal., 29 1/4 inch part octagon bbl., blue/bright finish, walnut stock. Features: false muzzle, globe
the emperor of Brazil and
the maharajah of Bombay, and
he is known to have produced a wide array of
firearms, including revolving rifles, underhammer rifles, “mule
ear” rifles, and combination guns.
CONDITION: Fine overall. 40% of the lightly fading original blue finish mixed
front sight, banded transition point, “NGHURST” (almost certainly Billinghurst), on top at the breech, a threaded “lollipop” tang peep sight,
plain trigger, floral engraved lock and hammer, pewter forend cap, plain brass furniture, and a nicely figured and varnished walnut stock. Presumably the rifle’s barrel was marked before the barrel was fitted given it lacks any suggestion of shortening from the breech end. William Billinghurst (1807-1880) of Rochester was one of the most prominent and prolific gunmakers in New York in the 19th century. Among his reported clients were
with brown patina remains on the barrel. The lock has light gray patina. The brass
has attractive aged patina. There is some minimal oxidation and scattered marks and scratches. The stock has glossy varnish, attractive figure in the butt, minor edge wear, small dings and scratches, a few minor hairline cracks, small repairs by the lock, and minimal light dings and scratches. The trigger needs to be manually reset; otherwise, it is mechanically fine.
Estimate: 2,000 - 3,000
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