Catalog Auction info Auction #124 - Two-Day Sale, November 23 & 24 (#124) 11/23/2019 9:00 AM EST Closed Starts Ending 11/23/2019 9:00 AM EST Auction Info Lot #578 Important Stevens-Pope Ideal Model 44 1/2 Falling Block Rifle Belonging to Gifford Pinchot First Chief of The United States Forest Service and American Politician Click image to enlarge PreviousNext Lot closed - Sold Price (Including Buyer`s Premium):$3,407.50 Estimate: $1,200 - $1,800 Description Description: Description Update 11/14/2019: Caliber is 25 CF, neither 25-25 nor 25-21, factory invoice is for a different rifle serial #1294, .25 centerfire, 26'' Stevens-Pope barrel with a bright excellent bore. The tapered barrel exhibits perhaps 92-95% original blue with light even fading to plum, some muzzle wear and very sparsely scattered handling marks here or there. The frame exhibits about 98% original cyanide color case-hardening which is vivid in areas and toning a bit toward the carry area at the front lower of the frame. The breechblock retains all its original lovely fire blue with the hammer toning somewhat, the lever a pewter and plum brown patina. The English walnut buttstock rates very fine with some lovely grain figure and nearly all its original varnish with only light handling marks and dings from the years. The ''Stevens Favorite'' buttplate shows an old crack and an epoxied repair at the toe, a small chip of the walnut missing as well but would be a very simple repair for a good wood man. The forend is similar with perhaps a few more handling marks but excellent original varnish, it is stamp-numbered to the frame on its rear ''294''. The underside of the Pope barrel is marked ''P/974'' and ''18/141''. The barrel is sighted with a windage-adjustable Beach combination front sight, the ''globe'' portion of that sight is no longer present, and a Lyman tang sight at the rear. Barrel was drilled and tapped by Pope for steel target blocks which are not present, with filler screws in those holes. Included with the arm is a notarized signed affidavit from Pinchot's great-grandson, mentioning the rifle by serial number and confirming it was part of Pinchot's personal firearms collection. The rifle was once a two-barrel set, although this is not listed anywhere, the whereabouts of the other barrel is unknown. A photocopy of a December 1896-dated factory invoice from J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co. lists a “44” rifle (not likely this arm)and its purchase price of $19.50, being sold to Gifford Pinchot, care of Dr. C.A. Schenck, Biltmore Estate. Carl Alwin Schenck founder of the Biltmore Forest School, the first school of forestry in the United States, actually took over as Forester of the Biltmore Estate after Pinchot left to become the first head of the United States Forest Service. Pinchot himself is to U.S. forestry what Aldo Leupold was to conservation, truly both men great conservationists in their own right. The later Pinchot-Ballinger controversy between Pinchot and Richard A. Ballinger, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, contributed to Pinchot's being dismissed from that office by Pres. Taft. It also resulted in a split of the Republican Party and the establishment of the Progressive Party--Roosevelt's ''Bull Moose Party'' in-which Pinchot was deeply involved. He would later become two-time governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Really a very lovely little and quality-made rifle, still in a very fine state of condition from this important and conscientious forester-later politician, who was instrumental in the U.S. conservation movement in the early 20th century. (3C8937-238) {ANTIQUE} [Cletus Klein Collection] Categories: Terms and conditions GENERAL STATEMENTS • All bidders must register and obtain a bidding number in order to participate in the auction; in so-doing they agree to abide by the terms and conditions of the sale. Absentee/Telephone bidders must register by filling out and signing an absentee bid sheet, online bidders must register per the online terms of registration. • The highest bidder acknowledged by the auctioneer shall become the owner upon the fall of the hammer. The auctioneer has sole discretion in the case of a dispute among bidders. • Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. has taken great care in the preparation of the descriptions in this catalog. Although we believe everything in the descriptions to be true, we do not guarantee any part of any description. We recommend that the bidders view the items in person and form their own opinions as to condition, originality, origin, etc. Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. will consider all requests for refunds. If a customer is unhappy with a purchase we will be happy to discuss a remedy with them. • All requests for refunds must be made within 30 days of the sale date. Therefore, it is important that absentee bidders pay for their items in a timely fashion. All requests for refunds received after 30 days of the sale date will not be considered. • Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. reserves the right to reject any bid in order to protect our consignors interests. • Reserves: A very few lots will be offered with reserve. In cases where items are reserved, a bid of the low estimate will always exceed the reserve. Reserves will be bid by the auctioneer as an opening bid so any bid taken from the floor or the phone is a live bid above the reserve amount. • Bidding on any item in the sale indicates the bidder’s full acceptance and understanding of all terms and conditions of sale. PAYMENT POLICY • Invoices are payable upon receipt. Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. will accept cash, check, MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American Express as payment for items purchased. Online payment will now be available for buyers directly through the online invoicing process. • Credit card purchases are limited to $50,000.00 per customer, per auction. Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. reserves the right to demand cash or hold merchandise until funds are collected in full. There will be a $35.00 charge for all returned checks. • A 17.5% Buyer’s Premium will be added to all purchases regardless of price with a 2.5% discount when paying with check or cash . This premium is to be paid as part of the purchase price. • Customers without prior credit approval who intend on making purchases in excess of $10,000 must provide credit information such as a bank letter of credit prior to bidding. GUIDELINES FOR FIREARM PURCHASES • All Federal, State and Local firearms laws will be observed. FFL holders may take possession of any firearm on day of sale when they present a signed copy of their Federal Firearms License. New Hampshire residents over the age of 21 may take possession of any firearm on day of sale providing the proper paperwork is filled out and the transfer has been approved either through the NH State Police or the FBI NICS System. While most NICS and State approvals are immediate, approvals could take up to 3 days. Most non-residents may take possession of long guns on day of sale after completing the proper forms and successfully completing a NICS check; modern handguns will need to be shipped to an FFL holder in the buyer’s home state. Buyer is responsible for any and all shipping charges and all items must be paid for on day of sale. Bidders should be familiar with their local and state laws as Amoskeag Auction Co., Inc. will not be responsible for any parties purchasing items which may not be possessed in, or shipped, to their state of residence. CLASS III WEAPONS • Amoskeag Auction Co., Inc. is a licensed Class III S.O.T. and handles transfers of Machineguns, Suppressors, A.O.W.’s and short barreled rifles and shotguns in-house. Class III invoices are expected to be paid upon receipt, no transfer paperwork will be executed until the invoice is paid. Know that class III transfers take a good deal of time for Federal approval and we are at their mercy. Firearms are marked as follows: ANTIQUE - no paperwork required C&R - for firearms that fall under the ATF Curio & Relics licensing and if purchased by a person with a “C&R License” no paperwork is required. NOTE: Items that meet the age requirements but have been altered from their original configuration may NOT be delivered on a C&R License. Firearms that are not marked with one of these notations are considered to be “MODERN” and all proper paperwork is required unless you are an FFL Dealer. ABSENTEE/TELEPHONE/ON-LINE BIDDING • As a service to our buyers, Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. will accept absentee bids from bidders who cannot attend the sale. Bidders without prior credit approval are required to submit a 20% deposit prior to bids being accepted (credit cards may be used for absentee deposits). Absentee bids will be bid in a competitive manner and an absentee bidder needs only to outbid another buyer i.e. bidding will not be opened at the maximum bid unless that is the next competitive bid. Buyer is responsible for any and all shipping charges. Properly registered Amoskeag On-line bidders may use this service free of additional charges as an alternative to telephone or absentee bidding, at their election. On-line bidders should be aware that the sale proceeds at a very rapid pace and should plan their bidding strategies accordingly. • Amoskeag Auction Co., Inc. will not be held responsible for errors or omissions of any type that may occur during these services. • All absentee bids must be received by 8:00pm on the day prior to the auction. If you plan to attend the sale but will not be staying until the end and want to leave a bid on an item that will be sold after you leave, we must have those bids in by 8:00am on the morning of the sale. No bids will be accepted after that time. Please do not call the gallery once the auction has started (after 9:00am) as we will not be able to accept bids or make changes to bids. • Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. will also accept telephone bids on a limited basis. Telephone bidding is reserved for seriously interested bidders. In order to bid by telephone, the bidder must be willing to pay at least the low estimate of the item being bid on. NOTE: Phone bids MUST be arranged by 5:00pm ON THURSDAY prior to the sale. • All absentee/telephone bidder invoices are mailed within a few days of the sale, on-line invoices are issued by end of business on the Tuesday following the sale; all invoices are due upon receipt. Invoices are to be paid either by cash or check, or by credit cards listed above. All items not paid for within 20 business days from sale date shall be considered abandoned as well as any deposit that was made on those items and Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. shall have sole discretion as to their disposal. WARNING Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. does not warranty the safety of any article it sells. Therefore, we recommend that, before you use any firearm, purchased here or anywhere else, you have it examined by a qualified gunsmith to determine whether or not it is safe to use.
