EXTREMELY RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 DELUXE “ENGRAVED LIKE 1 OF 1000” LEVER ACTION RIFLE.

EXTREMELY RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 DELUXE “ENGRAVED LIKE 1 OF 1000” LEVER ACTION RIFLE. SN 73522. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Fine 2nd Model ’73 with rare 30″ oct bbl, full magazine, German silver Rocky Mountain front sight, orig, short, semi-buckhorn rear sight with checkered edges and a thick base tang sight with 4″ staff. Mounted with beautiful flame grain American walnut with early style checkered forearm and pistol grip buttstock with fleur-de-lis inlay and crescent buttplate with trap. Receiver is 2nd type with screwed-on dust cover rail and smooth dust cover without thumbprint. Left side of lower tang, under the wood, is stamped with assembly number “1655” and “XXX”. Top tang channel of buttstock has the assembly number “780” which number is also found inside toe of buttplate. The bbl, over the chamber area, is engraved like a 1 of 1000 with engraving extending about 2-5/8″ over the top three flats with lesser patterns on the side flats. Top flat of the bbl is engraved to match around front sight which extends about 2-3/8″ from the muzzle. The top flat has a blank panel that would have contained “1 of 1000” or the engraved caliber on other “Engraved Like” rifles.The observed panel measures precisely the same as if it had a 1 of 1000 inscription. The three side flats are also engraved to match. The muzzle & chamber ends of the bbl are inlaid with wide silver bands. This rifle is pictured on p. 124 of WINCHESTER The Golden Age of American Gun Making and the Winchester 1 of 1000, Wilson, with credit to the Donald M. Yena Collection. It is further identified, by SN, in a chart on p. 126 of the book The Story of the WINCHESTER 1 of 1000 and 1 of 100 Rifles, by Edmund Lewis, and where the barrel engraving is shown on p. 125. Dr. Lewis states in the book that there were 23 Model 1873 “engraved like” rifles listed in the warehouse ledgers. This chart shows that 10 of these Model 1873 “engraved like” rifles, including this one, were shipped on the same day to the same order. The chart also shows three others that were delivered to another order and five more that were delivered to a third order. This chart also discloses that there were only 2 of these 23 rifles fitted with 30″ bbls. According to Dr. Lewis’ book there is very little known of the “engraved like” rifles such as whether there was even an extra charge for them, as apparently no records exist beyond the shipping records. It seems likely that Winchester had a supply of bbls on hand when the 1 of 1000 and 1 of 100 line was no longer offered and being the frugal company they were known to be, never threw anything away and apparently made them available as late as 1886. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum letter identifying this rifle as case hardened with 30″ oct bbl, set trigger, checkered stock with pistol grip, “engrave barrel like 1 of 1000”, shipped with nine other Model 1873s on Work Order #26575. The letter also lists the 10 SNs in this shipment. It was received in the warehouse Sept. 12, 1881 and shipped next day. PROVENANCE: Joe Bates; Donald M. Yena; Paul Sorrell; Ray House; Walt Halstein and Dr. Edmund E. Lewis Collections. CONDITION: Very good. Bbl & magazine tube retain a thin plummy/brown patina with a few minor, very light nicks; receiver retains traces of silvered case colors in sheltered areas being mostly a smooth light plummy brown patina; lever & hammer are a matching patina; wood is sound with a few light nicks & dings and retains about half of an old restored finish on the buttstock with the forearm being a hand worn patina; checkering shows heavy wear. Mechanics are fine, strong bore with sharp rifling and fine pitting, may clean better. 4-44929 JR491 (60,000-75,000)

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
	2209	$46,000.00	EXTREMELY RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 DELUXE “ENGRAVED LIKE 1 OF 1000” LEVER ACTION RIFLE. SN 73522. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Fine 2nd Model ’73 with rare 30″ oct bbl, full magazine, German silver Rocky Mountain front sight, orig, short, semi-buckhorn rear sight with checkered edges and a thick base tang sight with 4″ staff. Mounted with beautiful flame grain American walnut with early style checkered forearm and pistol grip buttstock with fleur-de-lis inlay and crescent buttplate with trap. Receiver is 2nd type with screwed-on dust cover rail and smooth dust cover without thumbprint. Left side of lower tang, under the wood, is stamped with assembly number “1655” and “XXX”. Top tang channel of buttstock has the assembly number “780” which number is also found inside toe of buttplate. The bbl, over the chamber area, is engraved like a 1 of 1000 with engraving extending about 2-5/8″ over the top three flats with lesser patterns on the side flats. Top flat of the bbl is engraved to match around front sight which extends about 2-3/8″ from the muzzle. The top flat has a blank panel that would have contained “1 of 1000” or the engraved caliber on other “Engraved Like” rifles.The observed panel measures precisely the same as if it had a 1 of 1000 inscription. The three side flats are also engraved to match. The muzzle & chamber ends of the bbl are inlaid with wide silver bands. This rifle is pictured on p. 124 of WINCHESTER The Golden Age of American Gun Making and the Winchester 1 of 1000, Wilson, with credit to the Donald M. Yena Collection. It is further identified, by SN, in a chart on p. 126 of the book The Story of the WINCHESTER 1 of 1000 and 1 of 100 Rifles, by Edmund Lewis, and where the barrel engraving is shown on p. 125. Dr. Lewis states in the book that there were 23 Model 1873 “engraved like” rifles listed in the warehouse ledgers. This chart shows that 10 of these Model 1873 “engraved like” rifles, including this one, were shipped on the same day to the same order. The chart also shows three others that were delivered to another order and five more that were delivered to a third order. This chart also discloses that there were only 2 of these 23 rifles fitted with 30″ bbls. According to Dr. Lewis’ book there is very little known of the “engraved like” rifles such as whether there was even an extra charge for them, as apparently no records exist beyond the shipping records. It seems likely that Winchester had a supply of bbls on hand when the 1 of 1000 and 1 of 100 line was no longer offered and being the frugal company they were known to be, never threw anything away and apparently made them available as late as 1886. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum letter identifying this rifle as case hardened with 30″ oct bbl, set trigger, checkered stock with pistol grip, “engrave barrel like 1 of 1000”, shipped with nine other Model 1873s on Work Order #26575. The letter also lists the 10 SNs in this shipment. It was received in the warehouse Sept. 12, 1881 and shipped next day. PROVENANCE: Joe Bates; Donald M. Yena; Paul Sorrell; Ray House; Walt Halstein and Dr. Edmund E. Lewis Collections. CONDITION: Very good. Bbl & magazine tube retain a thin plummy/brown patina with a few minor, very light nicks; receiver retains traces of silvered case colors in sheltered areas being mostly a smooth light plummy brown patina; lever & hammer are a matching patina; wood is sound with a few light nicks & dings and retains about half of an old restored finish on the buttstock with the forearm being a hand worn patina; checkering shows heavy wear. Mechanics are fine, strong bore with sharp rifling and fine pitting, may clean better. 4-44929 JR491 (60,000-75,000) 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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