RARE INDIAN USED SHARPS NEW MODEL 1863 SADDLE RING CARBINE, PROBABLY FROM THE CUSTER MASSACRE.

Revised: 2/28/2011

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Little is known about the significance of the most unusual 5-pointed star with a circle located on the right side of the buttstock. Well known and respected collector/dealer Robert W. Smith of Casper Wyoming discovered the marking on one of his Springfield carbines. He became curious about the marking when he encountered another carbine with an identical marking in the same place on the buttstock. He began searching and questioning his friends & acquaintances and over a period of years discovered eight Springfield carbines, two Sharps carbines and a Colt Model 1860 Army all with the same marking. Mr. Smith has a great love for the West and a long abiding interest in all things Indian, Western and Cavalry. He continued his research on this star symbol and eventually wrote a 7-page article entitled “Weapons with Spiritual Power” which appeared in the August 1995 issue of Man at Arms magazine. In addition to the eleven firearms Mr. Smith discovered marked with this star symbol he also learned of a ghost dance shirt which is on exhibit at the Denver Art Museum which, in addition to various other symbols including fish, butterflies and a mythical bird, has a 5-pointed star with a circle in its center. He also learned of a Sioux woman’s dress, circa 1858, which was believed to have been made by Eagle Woman, the Hunkpapa Sioux wife of a Caucasian trader. Eagle Woman was a relative of Sitting Bull, the spiritual leader of the Hunkpapa Sioux who participated in the Custer Massacre at Little Big Horn. This woman’s dress was given to Father Pierre De Smet while he was doing missionary work with the Indians in South Dakota. He sent the dress to the Queen of Belgium in 1868 and it is now on display at the Royal Museum of Art & History in Brussels. The top center of the front of the dress, just below the neckline, is the symbol of a cross and on each side are three stars with circles in the centers. Given the two absolutely authentic and documented usages of this star symbol it can almost certainly be stated that the star with circle in the center has a spiritual meaning for the Sioux and possibly other Indian tribes of the region, but the known usages of this symbol were by the Sioux. Another possible significance of the star symbol could be that it was used as the emblem of a warrior society. Kate Bighead, a Cheyenne who watched the Custer fight stated that during the fight “the Indians mostly were in warrior society bands at different places, because the men of each warrior society understood each others’ ways.”This certainly would make sense that the Sioux of a particular warrior society would have decorated their guns to designate their membership and also to give their weapons spiritual power.

RARE INDIAN USED SHARPS NEW MODEL 1863 SADDLE RING CARBINE, PROBABLY FROM THE CUSTER MASSACRE. SN C27117. Cal. 50. Standard New Model 1863 carbine with 22″ rnd bbl, crude replacement German silver front sight and a fixed Kentucky rifle style buckhorn rear sight in the Lawrence Patent ladder rear sight dovetail. Receiver & lockplate have usual markings and it is mounted with very worn straight grain American walnut. Right side of buttstock, at the buttplate, has a carved 5-pointed star with circle in the center. There is another smaller, lightly carved 5-pointed star forward of the larger one. Also there is a carved 13/16″ shallow rnd hole carved above and forward of the large star. This hole is about the size of an American five cent piece. The spiritual significance of the star marking is discussed in the additional information preceding the listing. PROVENANCE: The Kirk Budd Collection, Ex-Robert Smith Collection. CONDITION: Fair. No orig finish remains with the bbl being a cleaned medium gray patina with heavy scattered rust pitting. Receiver, lockplate & hammer are a dark brown patina with scattered light rust pitting. The wood is much battered, worn & weathered with the forearm showing heavy saddle bow wear and some light splintering along bbl channel. Buttstock also shows very heavy wear with numerous small grain checks but is sound and intact. Mechanics are fine, strong bore with good shine on the lands, dark in the grooves. 4-40785 JR338 (7,000-10,000)

Auction: Firearms - Spring 2011

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
	2460	$6,325.00	Revised: 2/28/2011 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Little is known about the significance of the most unusual 5-pointed star with a circle located on the right side of the buttstock. Well known and respected collector/dealer Robert W. Smith of Casper Wyoming discovered the marking on one of his Springfield carbines. He became curious about the marking when he encountered another carbine with an identical marking in the same place on the buttstock. He began searching and questioning his friends & acquaintances and over a period of years discovered eight Springfield carbines, two Sharps carbines and a Colt Model 1860 Army all with the same marking. Mr. Smith has a great love for the West and a long abiding interest in all things Indian, Western and Cavalry. He continued his research on this star symbol and eventually wrote a 7-page article entitled “Weapons with Spiritual Power” which appeared in the August 1995 issue of Man at Arms magazine. In addition to the eleven firearms Mr. Smith discovered marked with this star symbol he also learned of a ghost dance shirt which is on exhibit at the Denver Art Museum which, in addition to various other symbols including fish, butterflies and a mythical bird, has a 5-pointed star with a circle in its center. He also learned of a Sioux woman’s dress, circa 1858, which was believed to have been made by Eagle Woman, the Hunkpapa Sioux wife of a Caucasian trader. Eagle Woman was a relative of Sitting Bull, the spiritual leader of the Hunkpapa Sioux who participated in the Custer Massacre at Little Big Horn. This woman’s dress was given to Father Pierre De Smet while he was doing missionary work with the Indians in South Dakota. He sent the dress to the Queen of Belgium in 1868 and it is now on display at the Royal Museum of Art & History in Brussels. The top center of the front of the dress, just below the neckline, is the symbol of a cross and on each side are three stars with circles in the centers. Given the two absolutely authentic and documented usages of this star symbol it can almost certainly be stated that the star with circle in the center has a spiritual meaning for the Sioux and possibly other Indian tribes of the region, but the known usages of this symbol were by the Sioux. Another possible significance of the star symbol could be that it was used as the emblem of a warrior society. Kate Bighead, a Cheyenne who watched the Custer fight stated that during the fight “the Indians mostly were in warrior society bands at different places, because the men of each warrior society understood each others’ ways.”This certainly would make sense that the Sioux of a particular warrior society would have decorated their guns to designate their membership and also to give their weapons spiritual power. RARE INDIAN USED SHARPS NEW MODEL 1863 SADDLE RING CARBINE, PROBABLY FROM THE CUSTER MASSACRE. SN C27117. Cal. 50. Standard New Model 1863 carbine with 22″ rnd bbl, crude replacement German silver front sight and a fixed Kentucky rifle style buckhorn rear sight in the Lawrence Patent ladder rear sight dovetail. Receiver & lockplate have usual markings and it is mounted with very worn straight grain American walnut. Right side of buttstock, at the buttplate, has a carved 5-pointed star with circle in the center. There is another smaller, lightly carved 5-pointed star forward of the larger one. Also there is a carved 13/16″ shallow rnd hole carved above and forward of the large star. This hole is about the size of an American five cent piece. The spiritual significance of the star marking is discussed in the additional information preceding the listing. PROVENANCE: The Kirk Budd Collection, Ex-Robert Smith Collection. CONDITION: Fair. No orig finish remains with the bbl being a cleaned medium gray patina with heavy scattered rust pitting. Receiver, lockplate & hammer are a dark brown patina with scattered light rust pitting. The wood is much battered, worn & weathered with the forearm showing heavy saddle bow wear and some light splintering along bbl channel. Buttstock also shows very heavy wear with numerous small grain checks but is sound and intact. Mechanics are fine, strong bore with good shine on the lands, dark in the grooves. 4-40785 JR338 (7,000-10,000) Auction: Firearms - Spring 2011 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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