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LOT 135
Extremely Rare, Historical and Extensively Documented Military Trials Prototype Alfred Jenks & Son Breech Loading Rimfire Saddle Ring Carbine - NSN, 52 RF cal., 20 inch round bbl., bright finish, walnut stock. This is an extremely rare example of an Alfred Jenks prototype carbine as used in the “Laidley Board” U.S. Army trials of 1865 and then tested overseas in France and England between 1866-1867. This very exact carbine can be seen pictured in the period “Carbine Wheel” photograph in which all of the carbines that were tested in the 1865 U.S. Army trials are seen in black and white. The left of the frame is marked “A. JENKS & SON/BRIDESBURG”. It incorporates a rolling block action with a long checkered lever, which when pulled back opens the rimfire breech block and simultaneously cocks the internally located hammer as well as actuates the extractor. Of note, there are a few surviving examples of Barton H. Jenks marked prototypes that have hammers that differ from this example in that they are able to be cocked with an externally visible second lever. The barrel is equipped with a pinched blade front sight and two-leaf Model 1861 rifle-musket style rear sight. Mounted with a smooth walnut straight grip stock with a single barrel band, saddle ring and bar on the left wrist and a carbine buttplate. This historic Jenks prototype carbine is accompanied by extensive documentation including period original U.S., British and French patent papers, period black and white photographs of the carbine, a detailed period four page report of the results of French military testing in Liege on January 30th, 1867, handwritten letters from the Bridesburg church outlining the Jenks family contributions to the church and city of Bridesburg, two period local Bridesburg newspaper obituary cutouts of Barton H. Jenks, and an affidavit from a previous
employee of Jenks dated August 14th, 1951 that states, “This is to certify that I, Mary E. DeBergh, the undersigned, residing at 160 West Highland Avenue, Sierra Madre, California, am disposing to Harry H. Mann, Las Vegas, Nevada, a certain .58 [sic, measures at .52] Rim Fire Caliber Jenks Breech- Loading Carbine, Marked: ‘A. Jenks, Bridesburg, Pa.’ This ORIGINAL INVENTORS MODEL was used by the son, Col. Barton Howard Jenks, to obtain U.S., English and French patents which subsequently were SOLD to the FRENCH GOVERNMENT FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE HALF MILLION DOLLARS, in 1867.
I am including 1867 English patent papers, together with ‘Book of Invention’, dated August 29, 1866. Also, French patent, dated October 5, 1866, together with French Military Documents showing experiments with gun and firing tests held January 30, 1867, before adoption. Through kindness on my part to the youngest son
of Colonel Jenks (Alfred B. Jenks, late of Morristown, New Jersey), I inherited the gun and papers. They have always been in the Jenks family and I am the only person outside the family who has had them.” and the affidavit proceeds to state, “Colonel Jenks, before taking his gun abroad, entered it in the U.S. Army ‘TRIALS OF 1865’, when he along with some forty other hopeful inventors submitted
their breech-loading cartridge carbines for possible U.S. Army adoption as a military weapon at that time. (U.S. Patent [number 74760] was not obtained until [February 25th,] 1868.)”This exact carbine is also photographed and described on pages 10-12 in the May 1962 Gun Report article titled “A Carbine That Sold For Half A Million Dollars!!” by former owner and collector Harry H. Mann.
CONDITION: Fine with smooth brown patina on the iron surfaces as expected from a military trials arm, and otherwise defined edges and markings. The stock is also fine with defined edges, numerous scattered dents and scratches, and a small chip behind the frame. Mechanically excellent. This historic, extensively documented, Jenks prototype military trials carbine would make an excellent addition to any advanced early military firearms collection!
Provenance: The Barton H. Jenks Collection; The Mary E. Debergh Collection; The Harry H. Mann Collection; Property of a Gentleman.
Estimate: 10,000 - 20,000
AS PICTURED AND DESCRIBED IN THE MAY 1962 ISSUE OF "THE GUN REPORT"
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