RARE & SPECTACULAR CASED PERSONAL CUSTOM FLINTLOCK/PERCUSSION “SQUIRRREL RIFLE” OF CECIL G. BROOKS.

RARE & SPECTACULAR CASED PERSONAL CUSTOM FLINTLOCK/PERCUSSION “SQUIRRREL RIFLE” OF CECIL G. BROOKS. SN None visible.. Cal. 32. Absolutely spectacular contemporary hand made rifle by master gunmaker Cecil G. Brooks of Marietta, Ohio. This was Mr. Brooks personal rifle that he made for himself and sold in 1987 to the consignor. Mr. Brooks is a well-known, even famous, Kentucky rifle maker having made all of the annual NRA keynote speaker presentation Kentucky rifles since 1955. Mr. Brooks passed away in Sept. 2006 at age 93. His most famous rifle was the one presented to NRA President Charlton Heston when he made the impassioned statement “from my cold, dead hands”. The Dec. 1983 issue of American Rifleman carried an article by Don Durant about Mr. Brooks. Accompanied by a copy of a statement prepared by the consignor detailing his acquisition of this set. Also accompanied by a copy of the American Rifleman article with inscription “Best Wishes to my Friend John Painter 4-10-87” and signed “Cecil Brooks”. Mr. Brooks’ personal rifle, which he labeled his “Squirrel Rifle” is typical Southeast Ohio/Pennsylvania-style with 39-1/2″ oct bbl, gold dovetailed Rocky Mtn. style front sight and a fixed gold semi-buckhorn rear sight. Mounted in delicate, fantastic, highly figured, tiger maple 1-pc stock with raised carved flute by ramrod channel and raised carved teardrop side panels with a raised carved teardrop at front of comb, with raised carved foliate arabesque patterns around top tang and behind shallow cheekpiece on buttstock. Buttstock carving has a diamond & dot background pattern. All the furniture is wonderfully engraved silver by Mr. Brooks himself. The bbl is secured in forestock with four gold keys through bow tie-shaped escutcheons and has a long, nicely engraved nosecap. Bottom of stock has three matching engraved fluted silver guides with a decorative nosepipe containing its orig hickory ramrod with engraved silver tip. Bbl is fantastically engraved over much of the area between rear sight and breech plug with a gold inlaid oval engraved in script “C. G. Brooks”. Breech plug has two gold bands with two more around muzzle with decorative engraving on and around front sight. Top tang is engraved to match with a Masonic emblem at the rear tip. Bottom of forestock and around nosepipe are also raised carved in foliate arabesque patterns. Center bottom of forestock has a matching engraved bow-tie shaped saddle plate. Sideplate is typical Pennsylvania-style, engraved to match with engraved screwheads and two raised gold flower blossoms. Front & rear of both raised side panels have decorative inlays. Cheekpiece has an engraved inlaid silver American eagle with an engraved silver pick plate & holder containing a beautifully detailed gold eagle head with ruby eyes as a handle on the pick. Right side of buttstock has an extremely ornate filigree engraved 4-pc silver patchbox with two raised gold squirrels with ruby eyes on the patchbox cover. Top part of the patchbox frame has two raised gold flowers. Buttplate is typical crescent shape with faceted heel and long toeplate which houses the patchbox release which is a raised gold flower. Buttplate, toeplate and heel of buttplate are engraved to match. Thumbplate on the wrist is a small silver oval engraved with a “B”. This rifle is configured to accept either the percussion lock setup as currently installed or the accompanying flintlock setup with delicate gooseneck hammer. Both lockplates & hammers are identically engraved, front action, with “BROOKS” engraved in the front center. Trigger is very elaborate with several scrolls and a curl on the tip with a gold face. Trigger guard has a swelled bow with tapered square end finials and a serpentine finger rest. The bow is engraved with a leafless tree and a raised gold squirrel with ruby eye. Finger rest area is engraved in script “C.G.B.”. The percussion hammer nose is filed in dolphin shape with ruby eyes. Also accompanied by its orig, furniture quality, tiger maple, full length case with brass oval centered in the lid engraved in script “Personal / Squirrel Rifle / of / C.G. Brooks”. Center of plate is engraved with a log in a forest scene with a raised silver squirrel with ruby eye. Interior is padded & lined with green felt and compartmented in bottom for rifle, the spare flintlock, a custom sgl cavity 32 caliber ball mold with sprue cutter that is lightly engraved and marked on left side “C.G. Brooks”. Handles are of deer antler with brass ferrules. Also accompanying is a deer antler priming horn, a deer antler cover for a nipple pick with silver eagle head handle with ruby eyes, identical to the gold one on the rifle. Also accompanied by a spare frizzen and a large silver powder flask, apparently made by Mr. Brooks, which he has hand-engraved with matching patterns to the rifle with the inscription “BROOKS / 1986” on one side near the top with a “B” inside a diamond on the same side and a large script “B” on the other side. One side has a large raised gold flower blossom with a raised gold squirrel sitting on a stump that has a ruby eye. The other side has two raised gold flower blossoms. And finally accompanied by a red du Pont 1/2 lb. tin of “INDIAN RIFLE GUN POWDER”. Altogether an extraordinary set by one of America’s most famous & finest modern Kentucky rifle makers. PROVENANCE: Cecil Brooks. CONDITION: New and unfired. Retains all of Mr. Brooks wonderful custom finish with the bbl, lockplates & hammers “in the white”. Case & accessories are equally new. 4-38512 JR372 (8,000-13,000)

Auction: Firearms - Fall 2009

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
	2594	$17,250.00	RARE & SPECTACULAR CASED PERSONAL CUSTOM FLINTLOCK/PERCUSSION “SQUIRRREL RIFLE” OF CECIL G. BROOKS. SN None visible.. Cal. 32. Absolutely spectacular contemporary hand made rifle by master gunmaker Cecil G. Brooks of Marietta, Ohio. This was Mr. Brooks personal rifle that he made for himself and sold in 1987 to the consignor. Mr. Brooks is a well-known, even famous, Kentucky rifle maker having made all of the annual NRA keynote speaker presentation Kentucky rifles since 1955. Mr. Brooks passed away in Sept. 2006 at age 93. His most famous rifle was the one presented to NRA President Charlton Heston when he made the impassioned statement “from my cold, dead hands”. The Dec. 1983 issue of American Rifleman carried an article by Don Durant about Mr. Brooks. Accompanied by a copy of a statement prepared by the consignor detailing his acquisition of this set. Also accompanied by a copy of the American Rifleman article with inscription “Best Wishes to my Friend John Painter 4-10-87” and signed “Cecil Brooks”. Mr. Brooks’ personal rifle, which he labeled his “Squirrel Rifle” is typical Southeast Ohio/Pennsylvania-style with 39-1/2″ oct bbl, gold dovetailed Rocky Mtn. style front sight and a fixed gold semi-buckhorn rear sight. Mounted in delicate, fantastic, highly figured, tiger maple 1-pc stock with raised carved flute by ramrod channel and raised carved teardrop side panels with a raised carved teardrop at front of comb, with raised carved foliate arabesque patterns around top tang and behind shallow cheekpiece on buttstock. Buttstock carving has a diamond & dot background pattern. All the furniture is wonderfully engraved silver by Mr. Brooks himself. The bbl is secured in forestock with four gold keys through bow tie-shaped escutcheons and has a long, nicely engraved nosecap. Bottom of stock has three matching engraved fluted silver guides with a decorative nosepipe containing its orig hickory ramrod with engraved silver tip. Bbl is fantastically engraved over much of the area between rear sight and breech plug with a gold inlaid oval engraved in script “C. G. Brooks”. Breech plug has two gold bands with two more around muzzle with decorative engraving on and around front sight. Top tang is engraved to match with a Masonic emblem at the rear tip. Bottom of forestock and around nosepipe are also raised carved in foliate arabesque patterns. Center bottom of forestock has a matching engraved bow-tie shaped saddle plate. Sideplate is typical Pennsylvania-style, engraved to match with engraved screwheads and two raised gold flower blossoms. Front & rear of both raised side panels have decorative inlays. Cheekpiece has an engraved inlaid silver American eagle with an engraved silver pick plate & holder containing a beautifully detailed gold eagle head with ruby eyes as a handle on the pick. Right side of buttstock has an extremely ornate filigree engraved 4-pc silver patchbox with two raised gold squirrels with ruby eyes on the patchbox cover. Top part of the patchbox frame has two raised gold flowers. Buttplate is typical crescent shape with faceted heel and long toeplate which houses the patchbox release which is a raised gold flower. Buttplate, toeplate and heel of buttplate are engraved to match. Thumbplate on the wrist is a small silver oval engraved with a “B”. This rifle is configured to accept either the percussion lock setup as currently installed or the accompanying flintlock setup with delicate gooseneck hammer. Both lockplates & hammers are identically engraved, front action, with “BROOKS” engraved in the front center. Trigger is very elaborate with several scrolls and a curl on the tip with a gold face. Trigger guard has a swelled bow with tapered square end finials and a serpentine finger rest. The bow is engraved with a leafless tree and a raised gold squirrel with ruby eye. Finger rest area is engraved in script “C.G.B.”. The percussion hammer nose is filed in dolphin shape with ruby eyes. Also accompanied by its orig, furniture quality, tiger maple, full length case with brass oval centered in the lid engraved in script “Personal / Squirrel Rifle / of / C.G. Brooks”. Center of plate is engraved with a log in a forest scene with a raised silver squirrel with ruby eye. Interior is padded & lined with green felt and compartmented in bottom for rifle, the spare flintlock, a custom sgl cavity 32 caliber ball mold with sprue cutter that is lightly engraved and marked on left side “C.G. Brooks”. Handles are of deer antler with brass ferrules. Also accompanying is a deer antler priming horn, a deer antler cover for a nipple pick with silver eagle head handle with ruby eyes, identical to the gold one on the rifle. Also accompanied by a spare frizzen and a large silver powder flask, apparently made by Mr. Brooks, which he has hand-engraved with matching patterns to the rifle with the inscription “BROOKS / 1986” on one side near the top with a “B” inside a diamond on the same side and a large script “B” on the other side. One side has a large raised gold flower blossom with a raised gold squirrel sitting on a stump that has a ruby eye. The other side has two raised gold flower blossoms. And finally accompanied by a red du Pont 1/2 lb. tin of “INDIAN RIFLE GUN POWDER”. Altogether an extraordinary set by one of America’s most famous & finest modern Kentucky rifle makers. PROVENANCE: Cecil Brooks. CONDITION: New and unfired. Retains all of Mr. Brooks wonderful custom finish with the bbl, lockplates & hammers “in the white”. Case & accessories are equally new. 4-38512 JR372 (8,000-13,000) Auction: Firearms - Fall 2009 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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