*EXTRAORDINARY & SPECTACULAR ONE OF A KIND INSCRIBED WINCHESTER MODEL 1886 DELUXE ENGRAVED GOLD INLAID & CARVED LEVER ACTION RIFLE.

*EXTRAORDINARY & SPECTACULAR ONE OF A KIND INSCRIBED WINCHESTER MODEL 1886 DELUXE ENGRAVED GOLD INLAID & CARVED LEVER ACTION RIFLE. SN 124863. Cal. 45-70. This fabulous rifle is one that many consider to be one of, if not the single finest Model 1886 in the world. It has 22″ lightweight tapered rnd bbl with full magazine, pedestal mounted Lyman ivory bead hunting front sight & semi-buckhorn Winchester rear sight. Just in front of the rear sight on top of the bbl is the engraving, in a single line, “BUILT for BENJAMIN TAFT”, reading from muzzle to receiver. Mounted with spectacular center crotch-cut sunburst, flame grain, American walnut with B-style carved forearm & capped pistol grip with Winchester embossed hard rubber shotgun buttplate. Receiver is phenomenally engraved by John Ulrich & signed on bottom tang with deep relief vignettes of a large oval on left side with figures of a walking bull elk, a standing cow & a reclining cow in a mountainous forest scene. Right side of receiver has a deep relief walking bull moose toward front & a smaller oval vignette of a whitetail buck, both with extremely detailed backgrounds. Bottom of receiver has round vignette of the head of a whitetail buck inlaid in gold. Balance of receiver has about 80% coverage of very fine foliate arabesque patterns with heart shaped borders. Top of receiver, receiver ring, bolt, top tang, lever, takedown ring & forend cap are all engraved to match. Large vignette on left side & gold inlay on bottom are surrounded by gold wire inlay with a gold wire border on both sides of the edge of the receiver & around takedown ring, rear edge of receiver & forend cap. Top tang also has gold wire inlay. Chamber & muzzle ends of bbl have gold wire bands. All screwheads are also beautifully engraved which is indicative of the extraordinary level of engraving on this rifle. All this combines to present one of the most stunning Winchesters extant. Left side of lower tang, under wood, is stamped with assembly number “274” and “XX R”. This assembly number is also observed in top tang channel of buttstock, on bbl under forearm & inside forearm cap.____Accompanied by several copies of Cody Firearms Museum letters with different dates all stating the same thing. They fully identify this spectacular rifle as found in caliber 45-70, 22″ rnd bbl, plain trigger, style “B” carved fancy pistol grip stock with oil finish, takedown, with bbl marked “BENJAMIN TAFT”, engraved $50.00, style #3, moose in place of Rocky Mtn. goat, smokeless, received in warehouse July 19, 1901, returned to warehouse Aug. 7, 1901 & shipped again Aug. 7, 1901 to order #100821. Also accompanying is a letter from Waddy Colvert’s Research Service which notes that there were only 2,213 Models 1886 made with 22″ bbls out of the approx. 159,000 produced. Mr. Colvert also states that geneological research of Mr. Taft revealed that he was born in 1854 to Henry Taft of Cincinnati, Ohio & that he was cousin of President William Howard Taft and a distant cousin to Robert Taft, Governor of Ohio. This rifle is pictured on p. 343 of Winchester-An American Legend, Wilson. It was also pictured in the James Fowler Collection of the Antique Arms Annual and was featured as a “Members’ Favorite” in the Winchester Arms Collectors Association publication. PROVENANCE: Norm Flayderman, Feb. 1964 catalogue, item #704; James Fowler; Gary Robertson; LeRoy Merz; Clyde “Junior” Stewart; Randy Saba CONDITION: Extremely fine. Bbl & magazine tube retain about 98% strong orig blue with some slight spiraling on magazine tube from take down with magazine tube turned slightly dull. Receiver retains most of its orig factory blue with some slight sharp edge wear & thinning on bottom. Lever retains traces of orig case colors with balance turned silver & hammer retains about 95% bright case colors. Wood is sound with minor handling & use marks with light wear on carving and overall retains most of its orig oil finish. Right side of forearm has a series of several small bruises. Mechanics are crisp, bright shiny bore. 4-33761 JR82 (175,000-350,000)

Auction: Firearms - Fall 2008

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
	2169	$0.00	EXTRAORDINARY & SPECTACULAR ONE OF A KIND INSCRIBED WINCHESTER MODEL 1886 DELUXE ENGRAVED GOLD INLAID & CARVED LEVER ACTION RIFLE. SN 124863. Cal. 45-70. This fabulous rifle is one that many consider to be one of, if not the single finest Model 1886 in the world. It has 22″ lightweight tapered rnd bbl with full magazine, pedestal mounted Lyman ivory bead hunting front sight & semi-buckhorn Winchester rear sight. Just in front of the rear sight on top of the bbl is the engraving, in a single line, “BUILT for BENJAMIN TAFT”, reading from muzzle to receiver. Mounted with spectacular center crotch-cut sunburst, flame grain, American walnut with B-style carved forearm & capped pistol grip with Winchester embossed hard rubber shotgun buttplate. Receiver is phenomenally engraved by John Ulrich & signed on bottom tang with deep relief vignettes of a large oval on left side with figures of a walking bull elk, a standing cow & a reclining cow in a mountainous forest scene. Right side of receiver has a deep relief walking bull moose toward front & a smaller oval vignette of a whitetail buck, both with extremely detailed backgrounds. Bottom of receiver has round vignette of the head of a whitetail buck inlaid in gold. Balance of receiver has about 80% coverage of very fine foliate arabesque patterns with heart shaped borders. Top of receiver, receiver ring, bolt, top tang, lever, takedown ring & forend cap are all engraved to match. Large vignette on left side & gold inlay on bottom are surrounded by gold wire inlay with a gold wire border on both sides of the edge of the receiver & around takedown ring, rear edge of receiver & forend cap. Top tang also has gold wire inlay. Chamber & muzzle ends of bbl have gold wire bands. All screwheads are also beautifully engraved which is indicative of the extraordinary level of engraving on this rifle. All this combines to present one of the most stunning Winchesters extant. Left side of lower tang, under wood, is stamped with assembly number “274” and “XX R”. This assembly number is also observed in top tang channel of buttstock, on bbl under forearm & inside forearm cap.____Accompanied by several copies of Cody Firearms Museum letters with different dates all stating the same thing. They fully identify this spectacular rifle as found in caliber 45-70, 22″ rnd bbl, plain trigger, style “B” carved fancy pistol grip stock with oil finish, takedown, with bbl marked “BENJAMIN TAFT”, engraved $50.00, style #3, moose in place of Rocky Mtn. goat, smokeless, received in warehouse July 19, 1901, returned to warehouse Aug. 7, 1901 & shipped again Aug. 7, 1901 to order #100821. Also accompanying is a letter from Waddy Colvert’s Research Service which notes that there were only 2,213 Models 1886 made with 22″ bbls out of the approx. 159,000 produced. Mr. Colvert also states that geneological research of Mr. Taft revealed that he was born in 1854 to Henry Taft of Cincinnati, Ohio & that he was cousin of President William Howard Taft and a distant cousin to Robert Taft, Governor of Ohio. This rifle is pictured on p. 343 of Winchester-An American Legend, Wilson. It was also pictured in the James Fowler Collection of the Antique Arms Annual* and was featured as a “Members’ Favorite” in the Winchester Arms Collectors Association publication. PROVENANCE: Norm Flayderman, Feb. 1964 catalogue, item #704; James Fowler; Gary Robertson; LeRoy Merz; Clyde “Junior” Stewart; Randy Saba CONDITION: Extremely fine. Bbl & magazine tube retain about 98% strong orig blue with some slight spiraling on magazine tube from take down with magazine tube turned slightly dull. Receiver retains most of its orig factory blue with some slight sharp edge wear & thinning on bottom. Lever retains traces of orig case colors with balance turned silver & hammer retains about 95% bright case colors. Wood is sound with minor handling & use marks with light wear on carving and overall retains most of its orig oil finish. Right side of forearm has a series of several small bruises. Mechanics are crisp, bright shiny bore. 4-33761 JR82 (175,000-350,000) Auction: Firearms - Fall 2008 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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