RARE VERY HIGH QUALITY A.S. BISBING SWIVEL BREECH KENTUCKY COMBINATION RIFLE.

RARE VERY HIGH QUALITY A.S. BISBING SWIVEL BREECH KENTUCKY COMBINATION RIFLE. SN NONE. Cal. 42 Rifle & about 54 Smoothbore. Extraordinary, very high quality, swivel breech percussion rifle with 33-1/4″ superposed oct bbls with dovetailed German silver Rocky Mtn. front sights and fixed rear sights. Both bbls are marked identically on top just back of rear sights “A.S. BISBING” in an arc over “MAKER”. Bbls have a concave solid silver rib on each side that at about 21-1/2″ back from the muzzle transition to about 10-1/4″ convex silver rib. Right side of bbl is mounted with two plain silver guides with the nosepipe as part of the raised convex area, which contains an old replacement hickory ramrod. The breech is octagonal shape with long sides and has a tapered, stepped top tang with two screws. Back action lock is stepped to the rear with rounded tail and a flat sided hammer with Spanner nut. Bbl release is a long lever on the bottom with slightly curled tip through a slot in front tang of trigger guard. Trigger guard is German silver, Kentucky rifle style with dbl finger rests. Buttstock is fantastic tiger maple that has an inlaid false sideplate on the right side, attached with pins and sgl lockplate screw at the tail. Buttstock has a sweeping shallow cheekpiece with a wonderfully engraved snake around entire top edge and the comb of the stock is entirely covered with a tapered, convex, silver plate which mates with the German silver crescent buttplate. The area between the cheekpiece & buttplate is filled with an unusual leaf shaped silver inlay with heart shaped cutout and is nicely engraved in foliate patterns that match the engraving on the false sideplate & convex areas of the bbl ribs. Right side of buttstock is inlaid with a wonderful 4-pc silver patchbox with spring loaded lid with the release button through the silver toeplate that has matching foliate engraving. All four pieces of patchbox are delicately engraved in foliate patterns. Lockplate, trigger guard, top tang and top flats of both bbls are also engraved in fine foliate patterns. Amos S. Bisbing is listed in American Gunsmiths, Sellers, as being in Tannersville, PA in 1861 and White Haven, PA 1870-1890 as a maker of “high quality percussion swivel rifles”. Mr. Bisbing is also listed in Small Arms Makers, Gardner, as being in White Haven, Luzerne County, PA 1868-1870. The census of 1870 shows that he employed one person at $100 per year and that he was equipped with “one boring and one cutting machine”. This is truly an outstanding example of the gun maker’s art suitable for the most discerning collector or museum. CONDITION: Very fine to extremely fine. Bbls retain about all of their strong orig brown finish with a few scattered pin pricks of surface rust. Lockplate & hammer are also a dark brown patina. Stock is sound with a few minor handling & storage nicks & scratches with some staining & dulling by the top tang and otherwise retains about all of its fine orig varnish. Silver is all in fine condition with only one small dent on patchbox lid. Mechanics are fine, strong bores with some shine and light pitting in rifle bbl. 4-40774 JR336 (10,000-15,000)

Auction: Firearms - Fall 2010

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
	2476	$13,800.00	RARE VERY HIGH QUALITY A.S. BISBING SWIVEL BREECH KENTUCKY COMBINATION RIFLE. SN NONE. Cal. 42 Rifle & about 54 Smoothbore. Extraordinary, very high quality, swivel breech percussion rifle with 33-1/4″ superposed oct bbls with dovetailed German silver Rocky Mtn. front sights and fixed rear sights. Both bbls are marked identically on top just back of rear sights “A.S. BISBING” in an arc over “MAKER”. Bbls have a concave solid silver rib on each side that at about 21-1/2″ back from the muzzle transition to about 10-1/4″ convex silver rib. Right side of bbl is mounted with two plain silver guides with the nosepipe as part of the raised convex area, which contains an old replacement hickory ramrod. The breech is octagonal shape with long sides and has a tapered, stepped top tang with two screws. Back action lock is stepped to the rear with rounded tail and a flat sided hammer with Spanner nut. Bbl release is a long lever on the bottom with slightly curled tip through a slot in front tang of trigger guard. Trigger guard is German silver, Kentucky rifle style with dbl finger rests. Buttstock is fantastic tiger maple that has an inlaid false sideplate on the right side, attached with pins and sgl lockplate screw at the tail. Buttstock has a sweeping shallow cheekpiece with a wonderfully engraved snake around entire top edge and the comb of the stock is entirely covered with a tapered, convex, silver plate which mates with the German silver crescent buttplate. The area between the cheekpiece & buttplate is filled with an unusual leaf shaped silver inlay with heart shaped cutout and is nicely engraved in foliate patterns that match the engraving on the false sideplate & convex areas of the bbl ribs. Right side of buttstock is inlaid with a wonderful 4-pc silver patchbox with spring loaded lid with the release button through the silver toeplate that has matching foliate engraving. All four pieces of patchbox are delicately engraved in foliate patterns. Lockplate, trigger guard, top tang and top flats of both bbls are also engraved in fine foliate patterns. Amos S. Bisbing is listed in American Gunsmiths, Sellers, as being in Tannersville, PA in 1861 and White Haven, PA 1870-1890 as a maker of “high quality percussion swivel rifles”. Mr. Bisbing is also listed in Small Arms Makers, Gardner, as being in White Haven, Luzerne County, PA 1868-1870. The census of 1870 shows that he employed one person at $100 per year and that he was equipped with “one boring and one cutting machine”. This is truly an outstanding example of the gun maker’s art suitable for the most discerning collector or museum. CONDITION: Very fine to extremely fine. Bbls retain about all of their strong orig brown finish with a few scattered pin pricks of surface rust. Lockplate & hammer are also a dark brown patina. Stock is sound with a few minor handling & storage nicks & scratches with some staining & dulling by the top tang and otherwise retains about all of its fine orig varnish. Silver is all in fine condition with only one small dent on patchbox lid. Mechanics are fine, strong bores with some shine and light pitting in rifle bbl. 4-40774 JR336 (10,000-15,000) Auction: Firearms - Fall 2010 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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