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LOT 1021
Rare First Model Winchester Model 1873 Lever Action Saddle Ring Carbine Attributed as Native American Used - Serial no. 10780, 44-40 WCF cal., 20 inch round bbl., blue finish, walnut stock. This early Winchester ‘73 was manufactured c. 1875 and has the dust cover riding in grooves machined into the frame that identifies it as a First Model. It also features a blade front sight on the upper barrel band, notch rear sight with dovetailed base and absent elevation screw, the two-line address and King’s improvement patent marking, saddle ring on the left, “Model. 1873.” on the upper tang, the serial number in script on the lower tang, and smooth carbine forearm and stock (compartment empty). An included letter from Gerald R. Taylor about this rifle indicates it was found “near Santa Fe, Texas.” On the map on the letter, the location shown is roughly Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the border between the New Mexico Territory and Texas is not shown though it was established well-before 1875. Taylor states that the location where the gun was found and when the gun was made “puts this gun in the Apache War (1861-1900) time zone” and claims “the above information indicates Indian usage.”The Apache Wars in the American Southwest were a series of conflicts fought from the mid-19th century and into the early 20th century in the Southwestern U.S. and Northern Mexico. This carbine was manufactured shortly before Victorio’s War and certainly could have been used in that conflict and Geronimo’s War that immediately followed it. The main violence of the Apache Wars in the U.S. ended with the surrender of Geronimo and his warriors in September, 1886. Period photographs often show the Apache’s armed with Winchester Model 1866, 1873, and 1876 rifles and carbines as well as single shot cartridge and percussion rifles. Winchesters were used by the Apache and other tribes during their raids and battles in the late
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them from the butt. There are also round indentations with central dots typical of spots where brass tacks were once installed, a common design element on Native American decorated guns, suggesting this carving was added after tacks had been removed. The factory letter from October 22, 1976, lists this carbine in .38 caliber when shipped from the warehouse on September 25, 1891. A letter from Rick Still of Nacogdoches, Texas, talking about him buying the rifle and noting the carving and stating “I then believe this to be a genuine ‘Indian S.R.C.’” is included. A letter from Curator R.I. Frost of the Buffalo Bill Museum dated a couple of days before the factory letter states “It seems to me your assumption that the figures are Apache and done around 1880 is as is as good as any other...It is undoubtedly an Indian gun, and an unusual one, with value above a similar gun without the carvings...” also accompanies the carbine as does a letter from Gerald R. Taylor listing this carbine as an “Apache War Gun” and “location found, on a ranch north of Dallas, Texas.” Taylor claims this gun’s location and shipping date “puts this gun in the Apache War (1861-1900) time zone,” and, “After my research, I feel the carvings on each side of
the stock, tell what the Apache Indian is planning.” He interprets the carving on the left to mean an attack by four Apache warriors at daybreak on four white men and those on the right to represent a buffalo hunt at high noon. He notes that combined with the information in the other letters, “We can assume that this Winchester S.R.C. Ser. #362452B; was carried by an Apache Indian.” The Apache Wars were a series of conflicts between the United States government and American settlers and the various Apache nations that lasted from 1849 when U.S. territory expanded further into the Southwest following the Mexican-American War through as late as 1924 and did not fully end with the capture of Geronimo in 1886. Winchester lever action rifles and carbines are known to have been among the weapons utilized by various Apache groups in their raids and battles in late 19th century. CONDITION: Good with some artificial brown finish mixed with dark brown and gray patina, mild oxidation, general mild overall wear, and modified/replacement dust cover, which is often seen on Indian used Winchesters. The revarnished wood is good and has distinct carving and tack outlines, some thin cracks at the front of the wrist and forearm, and minor scratches and dings. Mechanically excellent. Provenance: The Rick Still Collection; The Gerald R. Taylor Collection. Estimate: 3,500 - 5,500
19th century, sometimes after being captured from settlers in raids. CONDITION: Fair with a very “frontier issued” appearance overall and displaying a mottled mix of gray and brown patina, heavy pitting, and wear typical of guns used for many years on the frontier. The dust cover is a crudely made replacement and is locked back. The slightly undersized, heavily worn wood has numerous scratches and dings, some surface chips and divots, and a few old chips at the edges. Mechanically fine. Provenance: The Gerald R. Taylor Collection. Estimate: 2,000 - 3,000
LOT 1020
Winchester Model 1873 Lever Action Saddle Ring Carbine with Native American Style Stock Decoration and Documentation Including a Factory Letter - Serial no. 362452B, 38 WCF cal., 20 inch round bbl., blue finish, walnut stock. This carbine has a block mounted blade front sight, notch and folding ladder rear sight, standard markings, and a smooth carbine forearm and buttstock (compartment empty). The right side of the wrist has what appears to be a bison head flanked by lightning bolts and an arch and radiating lines underneath above the head. The left side has four human figures with sunset/sunrise type markings above each (arches with lines radiating upwards) and four arrows pointing towards