FABULOUS IDENTIFIED ENGRAVED WINCHESTER MODEL 1866 LEVER ACTION RIFLE.

FABULOUS IDENTIFIED ENGRAVED WINCHESTER MODEL 1866 LEVER ACTION RIFLE. Cal. 44 RF Henry. SN 84012. Spectacular rifle with 24-3/8″ oct bbl, full magazine, half nickel front sight & 900 yard Henry style ladder rear sight. Mounted with about 3X feather crotch cut American walnut with uncheckered forearm & straight stock with crescent brass buttplate with trap containing an orig 4-pc iron & brass wiping rod. Receiver is spectacularly engraved, probably by either Conrad or John Ulrich. It has full coverage engraving on sides & top of receiver with a large blank vignette on left sideplate with mirror image eagle heads at forward end of left side panel. Left front side flat has a small elk head with a mirror image pattern on right front side flat containing a cougar head. Right sideplate & full side are a mirror image of left with a bird dog on point. Both full side panels have elaborate intertwined foliate arabesque scrolls terminating in a flower blossom, all with very fine punch dot background. Main side panels have a plain dbl border with tiny notched border around outside & a small fan around each side of lever screw. Both front panels have a large zigzag border with serrated background. Front & rear edges have rounded scallops with three small lines in each one. Top of receiver has beautiful foliate arabesque patterns which extend down beside hammer & on to top tang. Bottom of receiver & carrier have near mirror images of foliate arabesque patterns with a flourish at tip of bottom tang. Buttplate tang & forend cap are engraved to match. Stock & forend cap have factory installed sling swivels. Unfortunately no engraver’s signature could be found. There is however, assembly number “58” on left side of lower tang under wood. Serial number & assembly number both appear inside toe of buttplate & serial number in wood inside top tang channel.

This rifle was apparently presented by Oliver Winchester to Edward Henry Knight probably as a promotional or reward for Mr. Knight’s having devised a new patent registering system at U.S. Patent Office where he was employed as principal examiner in patent classification system. Mr. Knight had emigrated from England in 1840’s & joined Patent Office in 1864. He served as a surgeon in Civil War & owned farms in the Zanesville, Ohio area where he was a pioneer in grafting fruit trees & the hybridization of plants. Beyond the fact that Mr. Knight owned this rifle, little is known to connect him directly with Oliver Winchester. Among the large binder of material is a 6-1/2 page biography of Dr. Knight & provenance for rifle. This notarized biography was written by Edward Knight Campbell in Oct. 1995. Mr. Campbell is grandson of Dr. Knight & states that rifle had never left the family.

CONDITION: Extremely fine plus. Bbl retains 88-90% orig blue mixed with flaked patina with very minor sharp edge wear & a spot or two of light surface rust. Magazine tube retains 96-98% dull orig blue. Receiver retains about 70% strong orig gold wash with exposed areas a fine brass patina. Buttplate tang retains about half of its orig gold wash & along both sides of buttplate with traces of gold around lower screw slot. Forend cap retains virtually all of its orig gold wash. Wood is sound with minor storage & handling marks with a moderate gouge in forearm & overall retains most of its orig piano varnish finish. Mechanics are crisp, bright shiny bore with a few scattered spots of light pitting. One of the truly fine ’66’s, suitable for the most discriminating collector or museum desirous of an exhibition piece. 4-57564 (75,000-175,000)

Auction: Firearms - Spring 2006

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
	343	$97,750.00	FABULOUS IDENTIFIED ENGRAVED WINCHESTER MODEL 1866 LEVER ACTION RIFLE. Cal. 44 RF Henry. SN 84012. Spectacular rifle with 24-3/8″ oct bbl, full magazine, half nickel front sight & 900 yard Henry style ladder rear sight. Mounted with about 3X feather crotch cut American walnut with uncheckered forearm & straight stock with crescent brass buttplate with trap containing an orig 4-pc iron & brass wiping rod. Receiver is spectacularly engraved, probably by either Conrad or John Ulrich. It has full coverage engraving on sides & top of receiver with a large blank vignette on left sideplate with mirror image eagle heads at forward end of left side panel. Left front side flat has a small elk head with a mirror image pattern on right front side flat containing a cougar head. Right sideplate & full side are a mirror image of left with a bird dog on point. Both full side panels have elaborate intertwined foliate arabesque scrolls terminating in a flower blossom, all with very fine punch dot background. Main side panels have a plain dbl border with tiny notched border around outside & a small fan around each side of lever screw. Both front panels have a large zigzag border with serrated background. Front & rear edges have rounded scallops with three small lines in each one. Top of receiver has beautiful foliate arabesque patterns which extend down beside hammer & on to top tang. Bottom of receiver & carrier have near mirror images of foliate arabesque patterns with a flourish at tip of bottom tang. Buttplate tang & forend cap are engraved to match. Stock & forend cap have factory installed sling swivels. Unfortunately no engraver’s signature could be found. There is however, assembly number “58” on left side of lower tang under wood. Serial number & assembly number both appear inside toe of buttplate & serial number in wood inside top tang channel. This rifle was apparently presented by Oliver Winchester to Edward Henry Knight probably as a promotional or reward for Mr. Knight’s having devised a new patent registering system at U.S. Patent Office where he was employed as principal examiner in patent classification system. Mr. Knight had emigrated from England in 1840’s & joined Patent Office in 1864. He served as a surgeon in Civil War & owned farms in the Zanesville, Ohio area where he was a pioneer in grafting fruit trees & the hybridization of plants. Beyond the fact that Mr. Knight owned this rifle, little is known to connect him directly with Oliver Winchester. Among the large binder of material is a 6-1/2 page biography of Dr. Knight & provenance for rifle. This notarized biography was written by Edward Knight Campbell in Oct. 1995. Mr. Campbell is grandson of Dr. Knight & states that rifle had never left the family. CONDITION: Extremely fine plus. Bbl retains 88-90% orig blue mixed with flaked patina with very minor sharp edge wear & a spot or two of light surface rust. Magazine tube retains 96-98% dull orig blue. Receiver retains about 70% strong orig gold wash with exposed areas a fine brass patina. Buttplate tang retains about half of its orig gold wash & along both sides of buttplate with traces of gold around lower screw slot. Forend cap retains virtually all of its orig gold wash. Wood is sound with minor storage & handling marks with a moderate gouge in forearm & overall retains most of its orig piano varnish finish. Mechanics are crisp, bright shiny bore with a few scattered spots of light pitting. One of the truly fine ’66’s, suitable for the most discriminating collector or museum desirous of an exhibition piece. 4-57564 (75,000-175,000) Auction: Firearms - Spring 2006 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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