GEORGE A. CUSTER'S OWN S&W NO. 2 ARMY REVOLVERThis is a fine, historic Smith and Wesson Model 2 Army Tip-Up Revolver owned personally by George Armstrong Custer from the Dr. Lawrence A. Frost of Monroe, Michigan Custer Collection, marked, “GAC” by Custer and accompanied by a signed document from Wendell Grangaard from The Guns of History, Inc. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The firearm was examined by Wendell Grangaard, author and historian on Custer, the Battle of the Little Bighorn as well as the Togia language. Wendell noted the firearm being marked as such: On the left grip carved GAC (George Armstrong Custer) illustration 1,; On the bottom of the frame JAE (Jubal Anderson Early) and GAC (George Armstrong Custer) illustration 2; On the back of the frame JAE (Jubal Anderson Early) illustration 3; On the inside of the left grip GAC (George Armstrong Custer) illustration 4. The paperwork also includes the iconic photograph of General George Armstrong Custer and his wife “Libby” Elizabeth Custer in their temporary quarters at Fort Lincoln, Dakota Territory circa 1874 showing the entire photograph with the pistol rack on the right side. Dr. Lawrence A. Frost noted this revolver as being the last pistol on the right-hand side. According to the historic research this firearm, marked with General Jubal Anderson Early of the Confederacy’s initials, (Tom Custer wrote letters to his sister-in-law Elizabeth “Libby” Custer) this firearm was captured on March 2, 1865, by Tom Custer led by George Armstrong Custer and was in General Jubal Anderson Early’s personal war headquarters’ wagon. They recovered Early’s map books, his orders for the Spring offensive, his guns which included a Spencer sporting rifle 56-46 serial number 61391, a Smith & Wesson Model No. 2 Army Tip-up in 32 long RF serial number 34528 (this firearm), a 12 GA Lefeavor shotgun as well as Early’s personal chess set, shaving mug and razor, a small collection of pipes, a good supply of chewing tobacco, his uniforms, clothes and many sets of boots and hats. Custer gave Tom Early’s personal records; he sent the chess set to his wife Elizabeth. On March 28, 1865, George sent a letter to his wife from Petersburg, Virginia: “I am sending by Mr. Stires a black dress pattern, captured with other dry goods in one of Gen’ Early’s wagons. All desire you to have it. I think it will make a very nice dress.” In Lacrosse, Wisconsin in 1973 Wendell Grangaard was with Dr. Lawrence Frost and was shown this Smith & Wesson No. 2 Army serial number 34528 (at the time the right grip broke and was replaced with a grip bearing the serial number 37774). Lawrence noted the pistol has been at the bottom of a leather travel trunk that belonged to Elizabeth Custer. After the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Elizabeth Custer packed up and left Fort Lincoln and moved back to Monroe, Michigan, moving to the farm George had bought from Nevin Custer back in 1871. She put all of George’s possessions in the special barn Nevin called “The Armory”. Libby sold the farm and moved to New York leaving behind most of Custer’s belongings. Lawrence bought the contents. It is documented by Heritage Auction that Dr. Lawrence A. Frost of Monroe, Michigan, had the most extensive private collection of Custer artifacts and relics ever assembled, such as the Spencer Model 1865 serial number 3658 that Heritage sold in December 2012 for $179,250 (shown w/ bp). Dr. Lawrence Frost started collecting in the 1930’s collecting mostly directly from the Nevin Custer’s family, the only direct relatives of George A. Custer. Frost’s neighbors included Col. Brice Custer who, along with Col. Charles A. Custer who sold a notable bulldog to Frost in 1956, he also purchased the Custer guidon made by Libby Custer which sold at auction for over $900,000. The sale includes the signed provenance, several copies of Custer images, several of the denoted illustrations showing the faint marks, a Flayderman’s Guide print-out showing a write up of this model of gun as well as noting Custer as being documented to use one, and the Fort Lincoln image showing this firearm in the corner. The pistol hammer clicks back and holds into place and correctly rotating the cylinder, the spur trigger releases the hammer, appearing the function as well as the barrel releases tipping or swinging up allowing the cylinder to be completely removed quickly for quicker loading. Top of the gun is marked “Smith & Wesson Springfield, MASS.” The JAE and GAC marks are very faint, with the documentation showing written mark ups to better identify. From the Dr. Lawrence A. Frost Monroe, Michigan collection, the most notable Custer collection to ever exist comes with signed paperwork from Wendell Grangaard. Wendell Grangaard was pivotal in identifying the Custer Battlefield firearm sold many years ago by Holabird, as well as the notable Custer and Little Bighorn artifacts which were written about by Cowboys and Indians Magazine and sold in the Little Bighorn auction in this year. This is an Antique Firearm that does not require an FFL.
WEMBLEY MARK 2 .32/22 SPORTS STARTING PISTOL, boxed, and a WORLD WAR I DEATH CERTIFICATE Pte Maurice Rothwell, Lancashire Fusilier's (2)
Springfield Model1898 Krag Jorgensen BA Rifle: For your consideration is a Springfield Model 1898 Krag Jorgensen . 30-40 Krag bolt action sporting rifle. The Springfield Model 1898 Krag–Jørgensen rifle is a Norwegian-designed bolt-action rifle that was adopted in 1892 as the standard United States Army military longarm, chambered for U. S. caliber . 30-40 Krag cartridges. All versions and variants were manufactured under license by the Springfield Armory between 1892 and 1903 and famously served as the longarm during the Spanish–American War. The Army began testing bolt action designs in the 1870s and 1880s, but it was not until the trials in 1892 that the Krag Jorgensen became the new standard issue longarm. It was designed by Norwegian military officers, Ole Herman Johannes Krag and Erik Jørgensen, and subsequently adopted by Norway, Denmark, and the United States. The most distinct aspect of the Krag Jorgensen rifles and carbines is the built-in magazine design, which hinges open from the right side of the action. When the United States adopted the Krag Jorgensen in 1892, it was under the nomenclature of the Model 1892, despite production not starting until 1894. With the new rifle came the new 30-40 Krag ammunition. Also known as . 30 Army, . 30 Government, and a host of other monikers, it was the first smokeless powder cartridge adopted by the U. S. Government. They served as the standard U. S. military firearms in the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American war, the Moro Rebellion, and remained in use into the 21st century even after the adoption of the famous Springfield Model 1903. This Model 1898 features a 20” round barrel fit with a raised blade front sight and Lyman adjustable rear sights. The rifle is also fit with a mannlicher walnut stock, showing impeccable condition and rubber butt stock. The left of the receiver is stamped “U. S. Model 1898 Springfield Armory”. Serial Number: 213393. This firearm qualifies as a Curio & Relic, and requires FFL Transfer or NICS Background Check.
WINCHESTER MODEL 1892 LEVER ACTION RIFLE. W.C.F. 38 caliber 24'' round barrel open sporting sight walnut stock and crescent-style butt plate. S/n 803798. Bore is clear rifling clear but worn action is strong. 75% blue on barrel and magazine. Frame shows uneven wear of bluing. Number ''7'' is stamped on right side of frame and also directly behind hammer. Letters and numbers are clear but starting to fade on upper barrel. Some light corrosion on frame. Circa. 1915. *Requires FFL form 4473.
1932 BSA Beeza De Luxe 3-WheelerFrame no. SA3086
Birmingham Small Arms, Ltd. is best known to motorcycle collectors as the former makers of sturdy motorcycles with the quirky name representing their past connection as the makers of fire arms. B.S.A. began making motorcycles in 1909 and the company included guns and bicycles as part of their manufacturing empire. Many people are unaware that B.S.A. also ventured into the short lived manufacture of cars as early as 1907. Reemerging in 1921, the company produced their first 3-wheeled vehicle using a proprietary engine of Hotchkiss design and was a rear wheel drive. By 1929, a new version was brought to the market and was powered by B.S.A.'s own motor based on the previous Hotchkiss engine and was an air-cooled sidevalve V-twin, across the car, displacing 1021cc and fed with a Solex updraft carburetor. Being front wheel drive, a long drive shaft was eliminated as well as a chain drive if the 3-wheeler maintained its motorcycle roots. With front wheel drive, the 3-wheeler featured independent front and rear suspension. Upstaging the competing Morgan, the B.S.A. came with 3 forward speeds plus reverse, and also had the convenience of electric start. It also featured all weather protection with a collapsible top and side curtains, and a storage area in the rear. The car was a bargain at £115. Some 5200 units were manufactured in the Small Heath facility until production ended in 1936.
This 1932 B.S.A. Special Sports 3-wheeler was restored by Ted Tine's Motorsports and is offered in black with red spoke wheels. This is a unique machine and quite enjoyable on the road, and very capable of touring in a variety of terrains. It can cruise all day at 40mph, topping out at 50mph.
SPORTING - [Jesse Y. KESTER].The American Shooter's Manual, comprising, such plain and simple rules, as are necessary to introduce the inexperienced into a full knowledge of all that relates to the dog, and the correct use of the gun; also a description of the game of this country. By a gentleman of Philadelphia County. Philadelphia: Carey, Lea & Carey, 1827. 12mo (180 x 110 mm). Frontispiece and 2 plates, lacking adsContemporary half-brown morocco over marbled boards.Condition: hinges starting, foxing and browning; binding rubbed. Provenance: Alexander M. Byers (bookplate); two contemporary ownerhip signatures. first edition of the first american illustrated sporting book, second issue with "ribbon" correctly spelled on p. 235. Henderson, American Sporting Books, p. 6; Howes K108.
Sgt. George F. Masson 5th Virginia Cavalry Quarter Plate Ambrotype with Daguerreotype of Masson as a Boy An outstanding clear plate ambrotype of a casually posed wartime cavalryman sporting an imported Continental saber and belted Colt Navy revolver. He wears a grey six button shell jacket edged with tape trim having corporal's chevrons and cloth epaulettes. Inside the case penciled on a loose piece of paper is a comprehensive salutation and patriotic verse that reads: Ambrotype of George / F. Masson Son of Wm / Masson Presented to his / Mother March 12 1863. He is one of Virginia's noblest / defenders long may he live / to enjoy the Liberty for which / he is now fighting and for/which so many of her / bravest sons have/been made to bite the dust crushed by / an insolent foe. The other side of the paper continues with the start of a history: He enlisted in the CSA / May 7th 1861 remained at / Gloucester Point until May 4 1862. Still more writing is found inside the case itself Presented to my Mother / by her son George followed by George F. Masson / Culpeper CH / March 12 1863 and the cost of $10.00 in Culpeper CH.The earlier sixth plate daguerreotype bears a later unknown third party inscription that reads George F. Masson/ambrotype (sic) taken when he was 10/years old February / 1 1853 in first month when/at school. Which of the two boys is George Masson is not stated but he is more than likely the older boy in the view.?George F. Masson (1841-1916) is shown to have enlisted in June 1861 probably as a private in the 5th Virginia Cavalry Provisional Army. Masson re-enlisted in March 1862 joining the Gloucester Light Dragoons that became Company A. 5th Virginia Cavalry upon its organization in June 1862. Masson served for the duration as corporal and sergeant in the regiment and was wounded at Kelly's Ford Virginia on March 17 1863 five days after this ambrotype was taken. He is still listed as absent sick in November 1863 but had returned to the company rolls by January 1864. A clothing allotment is noted for July 1864; afterwards nothing more is known of Sergeant Masson as we are not in possession of his National Archive Records.George F. Masson was active in the later 19th century veteran's movement being a member of the UCV the Army and Navy Society and the Maryland Line well into the 1890s. He had resided in Baltimore and in 1894 is recorded as living in the Old Soldier's Home in Pikeville Maryland. Masson died on August 28 1916 and was buried in Mathews County Virginia.The 5th Virginia Cavalry was an illustrious regiment that served with the Army of northern Virginia until the very end. The regiment participated in every major action from Second Manassas through the Valley Campaign when it was consolidated with the 15th Virginia Cavalry in November 1864. The regiment did not surrender at Appomattox but simply melted away and disbanded. Tom Rosser was among the 5th Virginia Cavalry's notable commanders. Condition: Clear plate near EXC. with minor mat abrasions and average clarity. Daguerreotype with tarnish ring; resealed with new tape. Both images housed in original composition cases.
Stevens Marksman . 22 Long Rifle Single Shot Rifle: Included in this lot is a Stevens Marksman . 22 Long Rifle single shot rifle. Stevens Arms Company, well known for its Tip-up Pistols, Boy's Rifles, and Ideal Target and Sporting Rifles, got its start at Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts in 1864. Founder Joshua Stevens was a New England toolmaker who had gained experience in firearms manufacture while employed at various times by C. B. Allen, Eli Whitney, Samuel Colt, and Edwin Wesson. While employed as production superintendent for the Chicopee Falls-based Massachusetts Arms Co. , he filed a successful patent claim for improvements to percussion pistols produced by this firm. Stevens received a patent for a tip-up pistol design during the same year in which he, along with financial backers W. B. Fay and James Taylor, founded the company that bore his name. The company's early years saw production carried out in a former Chicopee Falls grist mill by fewer than 60 employees. J. Stevens and Co. underwent an expansion in 1880 and in 1886, the firm changed its name to J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co. The Marksman was less common than the popular Stevens' Favorite and other like-size rifles and was made between circa 1912 and 1933 by the Stevens Arms Company, made in Chicopee Falls, Mass. It was a major improvement over its smaller cousin the No. 15 Maynard Jr. and replaced it in 1914. This rifle utilizes a 22” round barrel with dovetailed front sight and rear sight. The rifle has a break lever action design for a single shot . 22 Long Rifle cartridge. The barrel is stamped on top “22 – Long Rifle” and the left of the receiver is marked “J. Stevens Arms Company Chicopee Falls, Mass. U. S. A. – Marksman -. Serial Number: P659. This firearm qualifies as a Curio & Relic, and requires FFL Transfer or NICS Background Check.
W.W. Greener 12 bore boxlock ejector SxS sporting gun made in 1883 SN 26415. Appears to be a F-35 or 40; sleeved barrels with game rib; case-hardened Facile Princeps boxlock action heavily engraved with fine foliate scroll with floral details beaded fences hold open feature crossbolt side safety ejectors; finely checkered straight stock of figured walnut with 5/8'' horn extension vacant silver oval and finely-checkered forend with horn tip. choked: L-Improved/Modified R-Improved/Cylinder chambered: 2 1/2'' LOP: 14 1/4'' barrel: L28''overall: L44 1/2'' Other Notes: William Wellington Greener was the second of four sons born to William Greener gunmaker 1806-1869. In 1864 W.W. Greener patented and started to manufacture an under-lever pin-fire half-cocking breech loader and in 1869 he patented a self-acting striker and protection was sought for an over/under gun with laterally opening barrels. In 1890 he claimed that his factory which fronted on St. Mary's Row and had spread along Loveday Street to Bath Street was the largest in Britain and by 1923 the firm of W.W. Greener Ltd. was to claim that the factory was the largest sporting gun factory in the world. The business continues today under the propriortorship of his descendants. Good condition. Bluing 90% + minor mark on left barrel 4'' from muzzle some pitting under fore-end loose on face. Stock with good patina well- figured and refinished original checkering minor loss to wood on upper rear edge of fore-end
Webley sports starting pistol in original box
(2) LARGE 19TH C. FOLK ART DIORAMAS OF SPORTING IN THE WILDERNESS, AFTER CURRIER & IVES PRINTS, IN MATCHING SHADOWBOX FRAMES One from "An Early Start" of the "American Hunting Scenes" series, depicting a hunter loading his rifle while his friend prepares their canoe, two beagles waiting patiently, another canoe already moving downstream; PLUS a Family Outing at the Falls, depicting three men, a woman and a child at falls cascading over a stone wall, one man has just hooked a fish, another man waits with the net, the little boy floats a toy boat. In matching gold molded paint, under old glass, 23" x 29", SS: 17" x 23", 4" deep. Fine condition, one small frame bit missing.
**H&R Model 165 "Leatherneck" Semi-Auto Rifle.
Serial # 418 Rifle features a 23" barrel, blued finish, sporting front sight, Redfield adjustable target rear sight, chambered for the .22 LR cartridge, original magazine, blued finish and walnut one piece stock. All metal finishes retain 90% blue starting to plum on frame. Walnut stocks are excellent. Wear to trigger guard. Comes with a leather sling. Fine bore and action.
A Webley & Scott Sports starting pistol, brown bakelite grip, boxed with instructions and tin of 6mm pellets.
U.S. Springfield Model 1884 Custom Sporting Rifle.
Serial # 389769 This sporting rifle was assembled utilizing an 1884 Trapdoor. It is chambered for the standard .45-70 cartridge. Barrel is 26-3//4" with a dove tail sporting blade front sight, standard 1884 rear sight, and "VP" eagle head proof. Retains one barrel band. Stock shortened and contoured 1-3/4" from band. Left side of stock stamped "C.K.". The rifle remains in excellent condition. Barrel retains approximately 85% of the blue finish starting to plum. Extremely nice case colors on block. Perfect action. Mint bore. Wood is near mint with no cracks or chips, just some usual dents. Even the trigger guard retains approximately 70% original blue. Extremely fine condition overall of a period altered Trapdoor sporting rifle. More of these types of rifles saw use on the Western frontier than any other model manufactured.
Scarce Winchester Model 1886 50/110 Express Rifle.
Serial # 106878 According to the factory letter, this rifle was shipped on January 24th, 1896 as a rifle, caliber .50/110, round barrel and plain trigger. This rifle matches that shipping information. Standard features include 26" full round barrel, full magazine, blued finish, straight grip walnut stock and crescent steel buttplate. Top of barrel is stamped "50 EX", has the Winchester sporting front with German nickel blade and fire blue three leaf folding express rear sight. The barrel is basically a smooth clean patina. Tube retains approximately 40% original blue starting to plum. The frame is also basically a smooth clean patina with some traces of finish in recesses. Walnut stocks are excellent and appear to have had extra finish added. A tang sight was present at some time. Strong rifled bore and perfect action. These large caliber Model 1886's are amongst the most desirable Winchester lever actions and this example bears no apologies.
Willet John Dilley Willet
John Dilley
Quogue, Long Island, NY, c. 1890
14 in. long
O’Brien owned eighteen Dilley decoys over the decades; this rare willet was his favorite.
Regarding the rig of six Dilley shorebirds that he first acquired, William J. Mackey, Jr. recounted in "Classic Shorebird Decoys: A Portfolio of Paintings," "These decoys had real class and were envied by fellow collectors such as Joel Barber and Edgar Burke, who left my house walking on air because I had given them each a snipe."
When referring to Dilley shorebirds in "American Bird Decoys," Mackey states, “There is no question that the detailed, stylized painting is unsurpassed. They are beautiful examples from the hand of a fastidious workman.” Starting with clean lines and a solid form, Dilley applied some of the finest representations of plumage ever demonstrated. Using a two-tiered paint technique, he was able to imply detail without carving or painting every feather. This grand willet displays the maker's best paint and deep S-shaped wing carving that sweeps back to resolve under the tail. Its large size and sophisticated carving set it apart from the field.
In excellent original paint with minimal gunning wear.
Provenance: Adele Earnest Collection
Donal C. O'Brien, Jr. Collection
Literature: Laurence Sheehan, "The Birding Life," New York, NY, 2011, p. 95, exact decoy illustrated.
Laurence Sheehan, "The Sporting Life," New York, NY, 1992, p. 80, exact decoy illustrated.
Peter Johnson and Alf Wannenburgh, “The World of Shooting,” Lausanne, Switzerland, 1987, pp. 259-261, exact decoy illustrated.
Jackson Parker, “O’Brien Classic Decoys on Display at Museum of American Folk Art,” North American Decoys: Wildfowl Carvers and Collectors News, Spanish Fork, UT, Spring/Summer 1982, p. 30, exact decoy illustrated.
Jeff Waingrow, “The American Decoy: Folk Sculpture from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Donal C. O’Brien, Jr.,” The Clarion: America’s Folk Art Magazine, Fall 1981, p. 31, exact decoy illustrated.
Exhibited: New York, New York, “The Art of the American Decoy: Folk Sculpture from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Donal C. O’Brien Jr.,” Museum of American Folk Art, September 3–November 8, 1981.
Curlew A. Elmer Crowell (1862-1952), East Harwich, MAc. 1930A life-size shorebird mantle carving with a slightly turned head. This decorative exhibits Crowell's mastery of the carved wooden bird and his finest blended painted surface representing the plumage. Mounted on a carved clam-shell base with the maker's rectangular stamp on the bottom. The underside also displays the inscription "A. H. Dempsey to J. Ashley Dempsey," and "CR" for Carolyn Rowland.Anthony Elmer Crowell was born in 1862 in the town of East Harwich, Massachusetts, the son of a Cape Cod mariner and cranberry grower. According to Crowell in his memoires, Anthony S. Crowell, Elmer’s father, though not a hunter, gave his son his first shotgun at the age of twelve. Of the relevance of receiving the new shotgun Crowell wrote, “Then, I was some boy!” The legend of A.E. Crowell and his famous carvings has many of the common threads of the typical artist’s tale. It is the story of a boy of modest means, born at the right time, and befriended by encouraging patrons. Crowell started out in his teens as a market hunter and a pioneering keeper of live waterfowl. These passions helped Crowell to develop an intrinsic knowledge of both waterfowl and other birds. His familiarity with bird anatomy enabled Crowell to create carved wood sculptures that bear exceptional likeness to their species.Young Elmer wasted no time immersing himself into the life of a market hunter. His father owned a small piece of property on nearby Pleasant Lake in East Harwich. By 1876, at the age of fourteen, Elmer had set up his own gunning stand along the lake’s southern shore. Crowell describes the site as having, “a fine sand beach which was ideal for my ducks. I had only six live decoys the first season. I made nine block decoys and put them off about thirty yards in the lake.” Crowell’s description reveals two important aspects regarding his career. The first being his preferred use of live birds as decoys, and the second is the documentation that he began to carve decoys by the age of fourteen.It is often the confidence and enthusiasm of youth that brings forth great experimental breakthroughs. Crowell’s immersion into waterfowl hunting was no different. At a time when market hunters could earn a respectable living if they were able to secure enough game, necessity became the mother of invention. Crowell’s flair for handling live decoys was most certainly born of this mindset. Crowell recounted in his memoir that by 1878, less than two years after starting to hunt, he had increased his flock to, “forty live decoys and tried a new way of handling my ducks. I sank a pole with a ring in the top and ran a line through it back to the blind, which made an endless line. I tied four live ducks to it and pulled them off the pond about thirty five yards. It was about two weeks before they were broken in so I could pull them out without their making a flutter. After that they were all right.”In the third quarter of the 19th century, Cape Cod was a major stop-over for migratory birds and sparsely populated by people. However, with increased access by train and the advent of the automobile, Cape Cod was quickly becoming a destination for sportsmen in pursuit of outdoor recreation. The concept of the American shooting sportsman was beginning to take root. The gunning stands and camps that had once been primarily operated by local market gunners were becoming increasingly sought after by sportsmen from Boston.These newer club owners would often invite their influential and wealthy friends down as guests and they needed managers to run the camps. It was Charles Ashley Hardy of Chatham and Wayland, Massachusetts, along with his partners, G. Herbert Windeler and Loring Underwood, who first approached the enthusiastic young bird handler. It is no small coincidence that they established their camp “The Three Bears Club” on Pleasant Lake, one half mile from Crowell’s gunning stand.The tremendous advantages that Crowell’s inventions and practices provided to the “Three Bears” cannot be overstated. Crowell’s trapdoor invention most closely resembled an automatic garage door. A domesticated flock of honking Canada geese would fly out, circle the pond, and draw the wild geese straight back to the beach like magnets. Crowell stated, “It was a success and we had good shooting for a number of years. At that time we began to bait the small ponds with corn, and two years later we baited in front of our blinds at the lake. It stopped the black ducks from going south, so the ponds were full of ducks; the shooting was great.” Crowell’s own words speak volumes and provide insight into the looming decimation of the migratory bird populations which began to occur at the turn of the century. The refined use of live decoys coupled with baiting waterfowl halted the wild birds from their natural migration patterns. Hunters were quickly becoming so adept at attracting their quarry that wild ducks and geese stood virtually no chance.Federal regulations shortly thereafter banned the use of live decoys and forced Crowell into the world famous carver so revered today. Unable to use live domesticated birds to lure in the flocks, Crowell did the next best thing, creating exceptional sculptures of likeness in wood.The quality of the carvings that Crowell created for his earliest patrons, including this whimbrel for the Hardy family, was often exceptional. Through experimentation he developed and mastered his “wet-on-wet” dry brush feathering technique. While the darker brown feather paint was still wet Crowell applied the lighter feather delineations. Once the two different colored paints became tacky, he took a clean dry brush and gently feathered the two colors together, producing a nicely blended affect. One has the sense that Crowell was either looking right at a real curlew as he painted this carving or he had handled so many that their shapes and feather patterns were etched in his memory.The special relationships forged through hunting, beginning with Charles Hardy, Dr. Phillips, Harry V. Long and others, opened the world to Crowell’s workshop, and the customers came knocking. Crowell specifically credits Mrs. Alexis Felix DuPont for introducing his work to many of the affluent summer residents of Chatham and other important patrons including Joseph B. Chace, Stuart Crocker, Dr. Mac Cunningham, Henry Ford, Arthur Gould, John D. Rockefeller Jr., and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller.Provenance: Alison Hardy Dempsey CollectionJane Ashley Dempsey CollectionCarolyn Rowland CollectionPrivate CollectionLiterature: Copley Fine Art Auctions, LLC, "The Harry V. Long Collection of A. Elmer Crowell Decoys", The Sporting Sale, Boston, MA, 2009.Brian Cullity, "The Songless Aviary," Sandwich, MA, 1992, p. 26, similar example illustrated.
**Clark Custom Colt Model 1911 Target Pistol.
Serial # 270766C Collectors have always looked upon custom rifles as being works of art, yet for years pistols and revolvers that have been re-worked by the foremost custom gunsmiths were often referred to as ruined. In the last few years, these customized hand guns that have been modified by some of the greatest gunsmiths of our time are finally being recognized for the true masterpieces that they are. This is one such gun. It started off life as a standard Colt Model 1911 A1 commercial model in 1956. It was then sent to the famous shop of J. F. Clark in Shreveport, Louisiana. where he worked his magic. His name and address, along with No. 766, is stamped on the underside of this lot. The barrel has a C on the lug and the No. 9479 is visible on top of the barrel through the port. The top of the slide sports a Bo-Mar patent extended rib with adjustable rear sight. The front grip strap has been stippled as is the checkered arched mainspring housing. The action has been polished and fitted. Gun is chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge, has a checkered hammer, wide aluminum trigger shoe, a serrated slide stop and safety. Wonderful example from one of the most famous pistolsmiths of his time. The gun retains virtually all of the blued finished that was reapplied at time of conversion.
**Winchester .22 Bolt Action Rifle.
Serial # NSV Popular Model 69A boy's bolt action magazine fed takedown rifle features a 25" barrel, blued finish with wood stock. Metal retains approximately 90% of the original blue starting to dull. Stock is very good with the usual hunting dings. Has standard sporting sight. Fine action. Strong bore. These rifles were manufactured from 1935 to 1963.