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LOT 3077
Magnificent Exhibition Quality Silver Mounted L.D. Nimschke Engraved Ballard Single Shot Rifle with Silver Mounted Patriotic Motif Stock with Shooters Box and Accessories - NSN, 44-100 cal., 33 1/4 inch octagon bbl., blue/casehardened finish, walnut stock. This is a fantastic L.D. Nimschke engraved and silver mounted Marlin Ballard “Extra Grade” Pacific single shot rifle with a B.B. Loar barrel built by Benjamin B. Loar in circa 1880. Benjamin B. Loar was a gunsmith, watchmaker, and jeweler in Granville and Newark, Ohio, from 1850 to 1890. The heavy octagon barrel features an adjustable Sharps spirit level front globe sight, false muzzle, solid iron under rib, and fixed iron rear sight. The top flat at the breech end is stamped “B.B. LOAR/GRANDVILLE, O.” The front of the action under the forearm is marked with an “0,” and the action has the early thick trigger plate. There is a Vernier long range peep sight mounted on the upper tang. The casehardened action is nicely engraved with classic L.D. Nimschke scroll and floral designs with beaded backgrounds, and the left side features a finely detailed scene of a pair of dogs attacking a buck with foliage and mountains in the background. The left side of the action is marked “J.M. MARLIN. NEW-HAVEN, CONN./BALLARD’S PATENT NOV. 5, 1861.” The rifle also has a wooden ramrod, double set triggers, and a high gloss varnished walnut forearm and straight grip stock with a silver plated crescent buttplate with engraved toe extension and tang. The stock and forearm are beautifully decorated with engraved sterling silver inlays engraved in a lighter style than the frame. The patchbox is engraved with a standing buck in a pastoral scene on the lid and has a spread-wing eagle and shield motif. The underside of the stock ahead of the scroll engraved toe plate has a small silver compartment with “B LOAR” marked on the inside of the door. The left rear of the stock has a small inset compass surrounded by floral engraved silver inlay, and the cheekpiece has a carved scroll accent at the rear and a silver inlay depicting a dog on point. The remaining inlays are engraved with floral scroll designs. The rifle is accompanied by an original shooters box containing a small powder flask, two empty original boxes of Marlin’s Improved Everlasting rifle Shells, 44 cal, 100 grain, for Ballard rifles, six unopened, original boxes of E. Remington & Sons .44-77 sporting rifle swaged bullets, brass casings, a globe front sight, lead bullets, primer tins, powder measurer, and misc. reloading tools. CONDITION: Very fine. The Loar barrel has 60% of the bright blue finish with some fading and a few small bright areas. The action retains 85% of the original bright case colors and has a smooth silver gray on the balance. Nearly all of the original silver plating remains on the buttplate, and the silver throughout displays attractive lightly aged patina and crisp engraving. The wood is also very fine and has most of the varnish remaining and some scattered minor dings and pressure dents. Mechanically excellent. This is the whole package: a superb period custom silver mounted Ballard rifle with beautiful L.D. Nimschke engraving, shooter’s box, and suite of the accessories. Estimate: 18,000 - 27,500