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for a rear sight, a tang mounted Vernier peep sight, walnut Schnabel tip forearm and semi-pistol grip stock
with checkering and ebony inserts along with a cheekpiece on the left side of the butt, and a nickel plated
Swiss buttplate. The barrel has the two line Winchester address and the caliber designation on the top flat.
The underside of the barrel is also marked with the caliber, “3”s, and the oval “VP” proof. The receiver has the serial number and patent markings on the lower tang. An oval silver inscription plate on the right side of the
butt is marked “Captain Oberlin M. Carter/Corps of Engineers United States Army”. According to the included documents Carter was arrested in 1899 “to account for illicit gains, gratuities, and profits received by him through collusion with contractors for river and harbor improvements in the Savannah, Georgia, improvement district, and to follow such illicit profits into securities and other property held for him by other defendants to the suit.”
In sum, he was found guilty of defrauding the government of over $2 million dollars and receiving over half a million himself. This was achieved through rigging the bidding system for improvements in Savannah Harbor and then laundering the money through the family estate of his incredibly wealthy, deceased wife. Her father fled to Italy after being asked to testify in the case. Carter professed his innocence and regularly appeared in court until his death in 1944 at the age of 88, but that case against him was widely accepted. The two contractors who conspired with him hid in Quebec where the Canadian government declined to extradite them back to the U.S. for trial. In a dramatic move, the Secret Service abducted the co-conspirators and brought them to the U.S. to face charges. Carter and his conspirators received relatively light prison sentences and fines considering the crime. Among the documents in the file are Carter’s mug shots.
CONDITION: Excellent. The rifle retains 97% plus of the blue finish and 95% plus brilliant case colors with some overall light handling marks and some light spotting on the lower tang and receiver. The buttplate retains 75% of the original nickel plating and has an aged patina on the exposed brass. There is some minor wear on the sights. The wood is very good with some refinished glossy varnish (possibly applied when the inscription plate was installed), nice figuring, sharp checkering, a blemish above the inscription plate, and some minor handling/ storage marks including a few slight dings. The inscription plate has a dark aged patina. The markings are clear, however a few of the letters in the address appear lightly struck. Mechanically excellent.
Estimate: 12,000 - 20,000
LOT 17
Exceptional Inscribed Special
Order Winchester Model 1885
High Wall Rifle with Factory Letter and
Research - Serial no. 67779, 38-55 WCF cal.,
32 inch part octagon bbl., blue/casehardened/
nickel finish, walnut stock. This Winchester Model
1885 sporting rifle was manufactured in 1893. It
has a special order #3 weight part octagon barrel with an adjustable globe front sight and no provision
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