VERY RARE & IMPORTANT LEMAN MUZZLE LOADING RIFLE FROM THE CUSTER BATTLEFIELD.

VERY RARE & IMPORTANT LEMAN MUZZLE LOADING RIFLE FROM THE CUSTER BATTLEFIELD. Cal. About 54. This cut down Indian trade rifle, converted from flintlock has a 24-3/4″ oct bbl with dovetail homemade copper front sight & typical early fixed rear sight. Lockplate & hammer are lightly decorated and marked “LEMAN / LANCTR PA.” Mounted in a much worn & battered 1-pc walnut stock with a 2-pc brass patchbox & altered brass buttplate. Both sides of forestock have numerous tack holes where tacks have been lost & their impression nearly worn away. Entire cheekpiece area & around buttplate have numerous tack holes with five brass tacks on right side and three on left side, one of which is only partially remaining. Apparently the toe of stock was broken and buttplate simply hammered around broken area. Trigger guard area, where finger rest spur should have been, was also broken during period of use with broken ends showing great patina & wear. There is a groove around wrist with very light colored wood underneath where the wrist was wrapped with rawhide lacing. Stock is much battered & cracked with a very dark worn patina and has paper #98 on right side of wrist. This muzzle loader was apparently picked up on Custer Battlefield by Capt. Benteen or a member of his burial detail and before 1930 it was given to the famous author & Custer historian, E.A. Brininstool of Los Angeles, California. Mr. Brininstool reportedly gave or sold this rifle to Mr. Frank Latta in about 1930. Mr. Latta was also an author & ethnographer who owned the Bear State Museum in Gazos Ranch, California. Apparently this is where the numbers “98” were applied as an inventory control. A copy of the inventory of the Bear State Museum, under item #98, states the following: “A Muzzle loading gun, used in 1876 by the Indians at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. After the battle it was picked up by the burial squad. Donated to Bear State Museum by A.E. Brinenstool (sic), noted authority on the Custer Battle.” Accompanying this rifle is a packet of information which contains a 1-page memo dated Feb. 15, 1982 and signed by Jack Steed. He states that he purchased this rifle from Herbert Puffer, owner of the Folsom Indian Store, Folsom, California. Mr. Puffer, in another letter dated 1981, states that he acquired rifle from Mr. Frank Latta following the closure of the Bear State Museum in 1974. Mr. Steed, in Feb. 1982, visited Mr. Frank Latta at his nursing home with this rifle in hand. Mr. Latta identified it as the one from E.A. Brininstool and that is mentioned in the papers of Mr. Puffer associated it with Capt. Benteen. The statement is signed by Mr. Latta’s nurse, as he was partially paralyzed from a stroke, and then it was witnessed by another nurse. Also accompanied by an NRA certificate and silver medal #436 in its blue plush case with small stand-up plaque which states that this rifle received the “Ten Best Arms Award” at the 2005 Meeting of the National Rifle Association in Houston, Texas on April 17, 2005. CONDITION: As noted above, the condition is poor, with much stock damage indicative of hard Indian use prior to its being lost at the Little Big Horn. All metal is a dark brown patina with moderate rust over the bbl. Lock still functions but no longer has a safety notch. Bore has strong rifling but is dark & worn. One can speculate endlessly about the action that this rifle may have participated in but it is almost certain that it was there when Custer & his troopers rode to their destiny in June 1876 at the Little Big Horn. 4-32363 JR441 (80,000-120,000)

Auction: Firearms - Fall 2007

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
	2054A	$0.00	VERY RARE & IMPORTANT LEMAN MUZZLE LOADING RIFLE FROM THE CUSTER BATTLEFIELD. Cal. About 54. This cut down Indian trade rifle, converted from flintlock has a 24-3/4″ oct bbl with dovetail homemade copper front sight & typical early fixed rear sight. Lockplate & hammer are lightly decorated and marked “LEMAN / LANCTR PA.” Mounted in a much worn & battered 1-pc walnut stock with a 2-pc brass patchbox & altered brass buttplate. Both sides of forestock have numerous tack holes where tacks have been lost & their impression nearly worn away. Entire cheekpiece area & around buttplate have numerous tack holes with five brass tacks on right side and three on left side, one of which is only partially remaining. Apparently the toe of stock was broken and buttplate simply hammered around broken area. Trigger guard area, where finger rest spur should have been, was also broken during period of use with broken ends showing great patina & wear. There is a groove around wrist with very light colored wood underneath where the wrist was wrapped with rawhide lacing. Stock is much battered & cracked with a very dark worn patina and has paper #98 on right side of wrist. This muzzle loader was apparently picked up on Custer Battlefield by Capt. Benteen or a member of his burial detail and before 1930 it was given to the famous author & Custer historian, E.A. Brininstool of Los Angeles, California. Mr. Brininstool reportedly gave or sold this rifle to Mr. Frank Latta in about 1930. Mr. Latta was also an author & ethnographer who owned the Bear State Museum in Gazos Ranch, California. Apparently this is where the numbers “98” were applied as an inventory control. A copy of the inventory of the Bear State Museum, under item #98, states the following: “A Muzzle loading gun, used in 1876 by the Indians at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. After the battle it was picked up by the burial squad. Donated to Bear State Museum by A.E. Brinenstool (sic), noted authority on the Custer Battle.” Accompanying this rifle is a packet of information which contains a 1-page memo dated Feb. 15, 1982 and signed by Jack Steed. He states that he purchased this rifle from Herbert Puffer, owner of the Folsom Indian Store, Folsom, California. Mr. Puffer, in another letter dated 1981, states that he acquired rifle from Mr. Frank Latta following the closure of the Bear State Museum in 1974. Mr. Steed, in Feb. 1982, visited Mr. Frank Latta at his nursing home with this rifle in hand. Mr. Latta identified it as the one from E.A. Brininstool and that is mentioned in the papers of Mr. Puffer associated it with Capt. Benteen. The statement is signed by Mr. Latta’s nurse, as he was partially paralyzed from a stroke, and then it was witnessed by another nurse. Also accompanied by an NRA certificate and silver medal #436 in its blue plush case with small stand-up plaque which states that this rifle received the “Ten Best Arms Award” at the 2005 Meeting of the National Rifle Association in Houston, Texas on April 17, 2005. CONDITION: As noted above, the condition is poor, with much stock damage indicative of hard Indian use prior to its being lost at the Little Big Horn. All metal is a dark brown patina with moderate rust over the bbl. Lock still functions but no longer has a safety notch. Bore has strong rifling but is dark & worn. One can speculate endlessly about the action that this rifle may have participated in but it is almost certain that it was there when Custer & his troopers rode to their destiny in June 1876 at the Little Big Horn. 4-32363 JR441 (80,000-120,000) Auction: Firearms - Fall 2007 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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