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LOT 3057
Highly Desirable Jacob Dickert Lancaster Flintlock American Long Rifle - NSN, 50 cal., 45 3/4 inch octagon bbl., brown/bright finish, curly maple stock. Jacob Dickert (1740-1822), a German immigrant working in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, from the 1760s to his death, remains one of the most revered early American riflemakers and produced both plainer military contract rifles and high end American long rifles. He owned a
gun barrel boring mill a few miles from his gun factory in Manheim Township. The seven-groove rifled barrel has traditional low profile blade and notch sights (rear sight backwards from normal) and is signed “J [crossed tomahawk and arrow touch mark unclear] Dickert” behind the rear sight. The lock has scroll engraving and is marked
“J BISHOP/WARRANTED” at the center. The wrist escutcheon is silver
and is inscribed with two initials (first “E” and second illegible), and
the cheekpiece has an oval silver inlay with an engraved hunter’s
star. The remaining furniture is brass and includes an attractive wear
plate on the bottom of the forend engraved with a scroll motif, and
the toeplate and four-piece patch box are also engraved with scroll designs along with wavy line accents. The patch box has a subtle floral bloom at the tip of the finial. The curly maple stock has attractive
figure and a shallow cheekpiece with incised lines on the edge. CONDITION: Very good as reconverted to flintlock configuration with
mix of artificial brown finish and dark brown patina on the lock and
barrel, aged patina on the brass furniture and silver accents, mostly
legible engraving, and mild overall wear. The upper ramrod pipes and nosecap are different from the third and entry pipe. The stock has a mix of very dark finish and lighter areas, attractive flame figure throughout, small chips and flakes at the edges, some hairline cracks and repairs, splits in the forend, and moderate overall wear. Mechanically fine.
Estimate: 15,000 - 25,000