WONDERFUL ENGRAVED BUFFALO BILL PRESENTATION WINCHESTER MODEL 1892 LEVER ACTION RIFLE TO HIS FRIEND JOHN Y. NELSON.

WONDERFUL ENGRAVED BUFFALO BILL PRESENTATION WINCHESTER MODEL 1892 LEVER ACTION RIFLE TO HIS FRIEND JOHN Y. NELSON. SN 28649. Cal. 32 WCF (32-20). Early 92 takedown with 24-1/4″ oct bbl, full magazine, half nickel front sight and semi-buckhorn rear sight. Mounted with nicely figured, uncheckered American walnut with straight stock and crescent buttplate. Receiver, takedown ring, bbl & forend cap, along with buttplate tang, are very nicely engraved, probably by one of the Ulrichs, with the vignette of a standing whitetail buck on right side and a large presentation vignette on left side, all surrounded by foliate arabesque patterns with punch dot background. Bottom & top of receiver, takedown ring, forend cap and about 1-3/4″ over top three flats of bbl are engraved to match. Presentation vignette reads “PRESENTED TO / John Young Nelson / THE BIGGEST AND BEST / LIAR IVE EVER KNOWN / your friend, W.F. Cody”. Left side of buttstock has crudely carved initials “HCN” with the “N” carved backwards. There are two dashes behind the “N” that may or may not have significance. John Young Nelson was born Aug. 25, 1826 in Charleston, in what is now West Virginia. As a youth he ran away from home to New Orleans and worked as a cabin boy before goint to live with relatives in Missouri. Sometime afterward, he joined a freight party headed west over the plains where they encountered a band of Ogalala Sioux Indians. He left the freight party and settled in with the Indians in Spotted Tail’s band of Brule Sioux and married a niece of the chief which was the first of, what is reported to have been nine Indian wives, several of which were at the same time. He became a buffalo hunter and in 1847 guided Brigham Young across the plains to what is now Salt Lake City. He was a mountain man & trapper, fought the Utes, was an interpreter at Fort Kearney, Nebraska and established a saloon in Kearney. He eventually started for California with a herd of 3,000 cattle but had a fight with the owner and returned to Utah where he took up freighting. He worked as a rancher, took part in the building of Fort McPherson and other construction projects in Nebraska and frequently interpreted for the Army. Mr. Nelson claimed to have known Buffalo Bill from 1857 and worked with him in various undertakings. Cody referred to Nelson “as a good fellow though as a liar he has few equals and no superiors”. In 1876 Mr. Nelson went to Deadwood, South Dakota and later helped build Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where he became Chief of Indian Police for a while. He joined the Buffalo Bill Wild West in the early 1880’s and traveled with Buffalo Bill for at least ten years, including the European tour. He traveled throughout the U.S., Great Britain & Europe with Buffalo Bill for about ten years before he returned to the Indians where he died at Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota in January 1903. During his tenure with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West he performed as a stagecoach driver, frequently as a cowboy in some of the stampede scenes etc., was an interpreter for the Indians and occasionally would throw glass balls for Buffalo Bill to shoot. Mr. Nelson was also a friend of world famous shooter Doc Carver. There are several photographs of this irascible frontiersman, one of which is very famous of him sitting on a Concord stage with Buffalo Bill in front and several gentleman inside. Another is a cabinet card of Mr. Nelson in his buckskins wearing his famous pair of Colt revolvers and holding a Winchester 1873 rifle, which was taken in England in 1887. Also accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum yellow sheet identifying this rifle as found without mention of the engraving and shows that it was shipped Oct. 12, 1894 to Order #23910. Given that Mr. Nelson stayed with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West for around ten years, it can be speculated that this rifle, with the ship date of 1894, was a parting gift from Buffalo Bill. That John Young Nelson was a friend of Buffalo Bill there is no doubt. His close association with Buffalo Bill during the years of the company’s tours and the twenty plus years prior acquaintance only gives further credibility to this presentation rifle. It can be speculated that the crudely carved initials “HCN” on the buttstock are from one of Mr. Nelson’s descendants. CONDITION: About good. No orig finish remains with all metal retaining a smooth, dark brown, untouched attic patina with some light pitting on bolt and light hammer marks on top rear shoulder of receiver. Stock does not fit very well and may be an old replacement or one of the tangs could be sprung. Wood is sound with light handling & use marks and a series of small bruises on left side of buttstock, and overall retains a wonderful hand worn patina. Mechanics are fine, worn dark bore. This rifle has all the appearances of an Indian used firearm. 4-38229 JR335 (22,500-35,000)

Auction: Firearms - Fall 2009

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	2047	$20,700.00	WONDERFUL ENGRAVED BUFFALO BILL PRESENTATION WINCHESTER MODEL 1892 LEVER ACTION RIFLE TO HIS FRIEND JOHN Y. NELSON. SN 28649. Cal. 32 WCF (32-20). Early 92 takedown with 24-1/4″ oct bbl, full magazine, half nickel front sight and semi-buckhorn rear sight. Mounted with nicely figured, uncheckered American walnut with straight stock and crescent buttplate. Receiver, takedown ring, bbl & forend cap, along with buttplate tang, are very nicely engraved, probably by one of the Ulrichs, with the vignette of a standing whitetail buck on right side and a large presentation vignette on left side, all surrounded by foliate arabesque patterns with punch dot background. Bottom & top of receiver, takedown ring, forend cap and about 1-3/4″ over top three flats of bbl are engraved to match. Presentation vignette reads “PRESENTED TO / John Young Nelson / THE BIGGEST AND BEST / LIAR IVE EVER KNOWN / your friend, W.F. Cody”. Left side of buttstock has crudely carved initials “HCN” with the “N” carved backwards. There are two dashes behind the “N” that may or may not have significance. John Young Nelson was born Aug. 25, 1826 in Charleston, in what is now West Virginia. As a youth he ran away from home to New Orleans and worked as a cabin boy before goint to live with relatives in Missouri. Sometime afterward, he joined a freight party headed west over the plains where they encountered a band of Ogalala Sioux Indians. He left the freight party and settled in with the Indians in Spotted Tail’s band of Brule Sioux and married a niece of the chief which was the first of, what is reported to have been nine Indian wives, several of which were at the same time. He became a buffalo hunter and in 1847 guided Brigham Young across the plains to what is now Salt Lake City. He was a mountain man & trapper, fought the Utes, was an interpreter at Fort Kearney, Nebraska and established a saloon in Kearney. He eventually started for California with a herd of 3,000 cattle but had a fight with the owner and returned to Utah where he took up freighting. He worked as a rancher, took part in the building of Fort McPherson and other construction projects in Nebraska and frequently interpreted for the Army. Mr. Nelson claimed to have known Buffalo Bill from 1857 and worked with him in various undertakings. Cody referred to Nelson “as a good fellow though as a liar he has few equals and no superiors”. In 1876 Mr. Nelson went to Deadwood, South Dakota and later helped build Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where he became Chief of Indian Police for a while. He joined the Buffalo Bill Wild West in the early 1880’s and traveled with Buffalo Bill for at least ten years, including the European tour. He traveled throughout the U.S., Great Britain & Europe with Buffalo Bill for about ten years before he returned to the Indians where he died at Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota in January 1903. During his tenure with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West he performed as a stagecoach driver, frequently as a cowboy in some of the stampede scenes etc., was an interpreter for the Indians and occasionally would throw glass balls for Buffalo Bill to shoot. Mr. Nelson was also a friend of world famous shooter Doc Carver. There are several photographs of this irascible frontiersman, one of which is very famous of him sitting on a Concord stage with Buffalo Bill in front and several gentleman inside. Another is a cabinet card of Mr. Nelson in his buckskins wearing his famous pair of Colt revolvers and holding a Winchester 1873 rifle, which was taken in England in 1887. Also accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum yellow sheet identifying this rifle as found without mention of the engraving and shows that it was shipped Oct. 12, 1894 to Order #23910. Given that Mr. Nelson stayed with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West for around ten years, it can be speculated that this rifle, with the ship date of 1894, was a parting gift from Buffalo Bill. That John Young Nelson was a friend of Buffalo Bill there is no doubt. His close association with Buffalo Bill during the years of the company’s tours and the twenty plus years prior acquaintance only gives further credibility to this presentation rifle. It can be speculated that the crudely carved initials “HCN” on the buttstock are from one of Mr. Nelson’s descendants. CONDITION: About good. No orig finish remains with all metal retaining a smooth, dark brown, untouched attic patina with some light pitting on bolt and light hammer marks on top rear shoulder of receiver. Stock does not fit very well and may be an old replacement or one of the tangs could be sprung. Wood is sound with light handling & use marks and a series of small bruises on left side of buttstock, and overall retains a wonderful hand worn patina. Mechanics are fine, worn dark bore. This rifle has all the appearances of an Indian used firearm. 4-38229 JR335 (22,500-35,000) Auction: Firearms - Fall 2009 Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

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