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LOT 1279
Engraved Wheellock Sporting Rifle Dated 1680 by Hans Stifter of Prague -
NSN, 50 cal., 31 1/2 inch octagon bbl., bright finish, walnut stock. Hans (Johann/
Johannes) Stifter was a gunmaker for the court of the Elector of Saxony in the
1660s, and his shop was reportedly taken over by his son Johann Christoph
Stifter in 1677, and the latter moved to Dresden c. 1700. Also see Lot 3326 for
another Stifter rifle dated 1671. This rifle is noted as having been one of Norman R.
Blank’s favorite wheellocks thanks to its inlay work and engraving. The swamped
octagonal barrel is signed “HANS
[sunken maker’s mark] STIFTER”
and dated “1680” on the breech
section.
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