EXTRAORDINARILY RARE, VERY WELL KNOWN NIMSCHKE ENGRAVED WINCHESTER MODEL 1866 SADDLE RING CARBINE.

EXTRAORDINARILY RARE, VERY WELL KNOWN NIMSCHKE ENGRAVED WINCHESTER MODEL 1866 SADDLE RING CARBINE. SN 66601. Cal. 44 RF Henry. Usual configuration with 20″ bbl, full magazine with integral front band/front sight and early forearm band. Rear sight is 2-leaf, 2-positions graduated 100-300-500 yards. Mounted with nicely figured, uncheckered, slab-sawed American walnut with straight stock & crescent buttplate with trap. SN is on outside of bottom tang with last four digits of matching number in top tang channel of buttstock and inside toe of buttplate. Receiver is spectacularly engraved by L.D. Nimschke and, most unusually, signed with his full name in two places, vertically on left side of the receiver just forward of the sideplate and on bottom of receiver in between timing screws. Both signatures have the “N” in Nimschke reversed. Left sideplate is engraved with the famous portrait of a beautiful Spanish lady in great detail with fine shaded background. Right sideplate is engraved with a large oval inscribed “S. COVAS.” The front side flats both have counterpoint empty panels and the entirety of both sides is covered with deep, intertwined, foliate arabesque scrolls that have an unusual diamond shape stamped background instead of the usual round punch dot background. Left forward part of the sideplate has one scroll that terminates in a flower blossom and the right side at the rear has a tiny oval panel and a flower blossom at the terminus of a scroll. Top of receiver is beautifully engraved in foliate & floral patterns with unusual border patterns around top edge. Ejection port is bordered with chip & dot patterns on the sides and feather patterns around rear edge with foliate arabesque patterns around front edge that have a diamond & dot pattern at the top. Hammer slot is bordered by zig zag & dot patterns with a very unusual lion’s or demon’s mask behind the hammer slot. Top tang is engraved with zig zag border and foliate patterns at the tip with a small hunter’s star in the center. Bottom of receiver is engraved with foliate patterns around the timing screws with a very unusual geometric pattern on the carrier. The area behind the trigger is also engraved with a foliate arabesque pattern that has a hunter’s star in the center with chip & dash borders at the tip with foliate arabesque patterns. The front & rear edges of receiver have reeded edges. This rifle also has some unusual markings consisting of a “D / A” on bottom front edge of the receiver, a large capital “D” on the bottom tang forward of SN, a small “FT” back of SN with a tiny “&” (ampersand) by the tiny screw hole. Top of bbl, at the receiver, is stamped with a small “C”. The buttplate tang is engraved with foliate arabesque patterns with chip & dash pattern around entire perimeter. Left side of the top & bottom tangs, under the wood, is stamped with several “practice” patterns of the unusual diamond background as found in the engraving on this rifle. Accompanied by a packet of information including a signed note and receipt over the signature of Charles Bradford to Harold Ball. The note states that Mr. Bradford bought this rifle from Dr. Graves of Canon City, Colorado in about 1937. The receipt is dated June 5, 1962 selling this rifle to Mr. Ball for $700.00. Also accompanying is a letter from Winchester Repeating Arms Co. dated Oct. 11, 1950 to Mr. Bradford giving a brief history of Winchester and stating that no records were available for this SN but asked if their Los Angeles representative could contact him. Additionally accompanying is a Winchester Gun Museum letter to Mrs. Harold Ball advising her that no records are available for this SN. Also accompanying is a copy of p. 24A of the Canon City Daily Record of Feb. 28, 1986 which gives the history of a local hospital which was purchased by Dr. C.H. Graves in 1903 who operated it until the 1930s. Additionally there is a picture of Dr. Herman Graves, presumably Dr. C. Herman Graves who operated the Canon City Hospital until 1936 when he and his wife moved to Denver. He died in California in 1950. Also accompanying is an advertising label that appears to have come from a cigar box with a portrait of a lady that is undoubtedly the source of the image on the left sideplate. This carbine is pictured, both sides on p. 49 of The Book of Winchester Engraving, Wilson, and is identified by SN and states that the Nimschke engraving is circa 1871, with credit to the Gwen & Elmer Taylor Collection. The image of the lady engraved on the carbine is on p. 60 of L.D. Nimschke Firearms Engraver, Wilson, as a smoke pull. This exact carbine is also pictured on p. XXXI of this publication in three views, both sides and the top with credit to Mr. Harold Ball and the notation “Photographs courtesy of Guns & Ammo Magazine“. The lion’s or demon face smoke pull is on p. 16 of the referenced publication with another similar demon face on p. 38 and the left front panel of the receiver is pictured on p. 51. This carbine is also pictured, both sides, on p. 58, in Winchester Engraving, Wilson. The caption states that it is “one of the few pieces known bearing his full signature twice”. Mr. Nimschke’s signature on left side of receiver is completely legible in the bottom photograph and has the reversed “N” as previously mentioned. This carbine has appeared in several other national and international publications. PROVENANCE: Dr. C. Herman Graves Collection; Charles H. Bradford Collection; Harold Ball Collection; Gwen & Elmer Taylor Collection; Doug Beneck Collection; Clarence Parks Collection. CONDITION: Fine, all matching. Bbl, magazine tube, bbl bands, lever & hammer retain a smooth even blue/gray patina with strong blue in the sheltered areas; receiver & buttplate, which were never plated retain a dark mustard patina with moderately worn edges and sharp clean engraving; wood is sound with light handling & use nicks, dings & scratches and a minor halo from the saddle ring and retains a wonderful hand worn patina. Mechanics are fine, strong bore with sharp rifling and scattered light to moderate pitting. 4-45033 JR323 (85,000-145,000)

Auction: Firearms - Spring 2012

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
	2207	$161,000.00	EXTRAORDINARILY RARE, VERY WELL KNOWN NIMSCHKE ENGRAVED WINCHESTER MODEL 1866 SADDLE RING CARBINE. SN 66601. Cal. 44 RF Henry. Usual configuration with 20″ bbl, full magazine with integral front band/front sight and early forearm band. Rear sight is 2-leaf, 2-positions graduated 100-300-500 yards. Mounted with nicely figured, uncheckered, slab-sawed American walnut with straight stock & crescent buttplate with trap. SN is on outside of bottom tang with last four digits of matching number in top tang channel of buttstock and inside toe of buttplate. Receiver is spectacularly engraved by L.D. Nimschke and, most unusually, signed with his full name in two places, vertically on left side of the receiver just forward of the sideplate and on bottom of receiver in between timing screws. Both signatures have the “N” in Nimschke reversed. Left sideplate is engraved with the famous portrait of a beautiful Spanish lady in great detail with fine shaded background. Right sideplate is engraved with a large oval inscribed “S. COVAS.” The front side flats both have counterpoint empty panels and the entirety of both sides is covered with deep, intertwined, foliate arabesque scrolls that have an unusual diamond shape stamped background instead of the usual round punch dot background. Left forward part of the sideplate has one scroll that terminates in a flower blossom and the right side at the rear has a tiny oval panel and a flower blossom at the terminus of a scroll. Top of receiver is beautifully engraved in foliate & floral patterns with unusual border patterns around top edge. Ejection port is bordered with chip & dot patterns on the sides and feather patterns around rear edge with foliate arabesque patterns around front edge that have a diamond & dot pattern at the top. Hammer slot is bordered by zig zag & dot patterns with a very unusual lion’s or demon’s mask behind the hammer slot. Top tang is engraved with zig zag border and foliate patterns at the tip with a small hunter’s star in the center. Bottom of receiver is engraved with foliate patterns around the timing screws with a very unusual geometric pattern on the carrier. The area behind the trigger is also engraved with a foliate arabesque pattern that has a hunter’s star in the center with chip & dash borders at the tip with foliate arabesque patterns. The front & rear edges of receiver have reeded edges. This rifle also has some unusual markings consisting of a “D / A” on bottom front edge of the receiver, a large capital “D” on the bottom tang forward of SN, a small “FT” back of SN with a tiny “&” (ampersand) by the tiny screw hole. Top of bbl, at the receiver, is stamped with a small “C”. The buttplate tang is engraved with foliate arabesque patterns with chip & dash pattern around entire perimeter. Left side of the top & bottom tangs, under the wood, is stamped with several “practice” patterns of the unusual diamond background as found in the engraving on this rifle. Accompanied by a packet of information including a signed note and receipt over the signature of Charles Bradford to Harold Ball. The note states that Mr. Bradford bought this rifle from Dr. Graves of Canon City, Colorado in about 1937. The receipt is dated June 5, 1962 selling this rifle to Mr. Ball for $700.00. Also accompanying is a letter from Winchester Repeating Arms Co. dated Oct. 11, 1950 to Mr. Bradford giving a brief history of Winchester and stating that no records were available for this SN but asked if their Los Angeles representative could contact him. Additionally accompanying is a Winchester Gun Museum letter to Mrs. Harold Ball advising her that no records are available for this SN. Also accompanying is a copy of p. 24A of the Canon City Daily Record of Feb. 28, 1986 which gives the history of a local hospital which was purchased by Dr. C.H. Graves in 1903 who operated it until the 1930s. Additionally there is a picture of Dr. Herman Graves, presumably Dr. C. Herman Graves who operated the Canon City Hospital until 1936 when he and his wife moved to Denver. He died in California in 1950. Also accompanying is an advertising label that appears to have come from a cigar box with a portrait of a lady that is undoubtedly the source of the image on the left sideplate. This carbine is pictured, both sides on p. 49 of The Book of Winchester Engraving, Wilson, and is identified by SN and states that the Nimschke engraving is circa 1871, with credit to the Gwen & Elmer Taylor Collection. The image of the lady engraved on the carbine is on p. 60 of L.D. Nimschke Firearms Engraver, Wilson, as a smoke pull. This exact carbine is also pictured on p. XXXI of this publication in three views, both sides and the top with credit to Mr. Harold Ball and the notation “Photographs courtesy of Guns & Ammo Magazine“. The lion’s or demon face smoke pull is on p. 16 of the referenced publication with another similar demon face on p. 38 and the left front panel of the receiver is pictured on p. 51. This carbine is also pictured, both sides, on p. 58, in Winchester Engraving, Wilson. The caption states that it is “one of the few pieces known bearing his full signature twice”. Mr. Nimschke’s signature on left side of receiver is completely legible in the bottom photograph and has the reversed “N” as previously mentioned. This carbine has appeared in several other national and international publications. PROVENANCE: Dr. C. Herman Graves Collection; Charles H. Bradford Collection; Harold Ball Collection; Gwen & Elmer Taylor Collection; Doug Beneck Collection; Clarence Parks Collection. CONDITION: Fine, all matching. Bbl, magazine tube, bbl bands, lever & hammer retain a smooth even blue/gray patina with strong blue in the sheltered areas; receiver & buttplate, which were never plated retain a dark mustard patina with moderately worn edges and sharp clean engraving; wood is sound with light handling & use nicks, dings & scratches and a minor halo from the saddle ring and retains a wonderful hand worn patina. Mechanics are fine, strong bore with sharp rifling and scattered light to moderate pitting. 4-45033 JR323 (85,000-145,000) Auction: Firearms - Spring 2012 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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