Catalog Auction info Auction #121 - Two-Day Sale, March 23 & 24 (#121) 03/23/2019 9:00 AM EDT Closed Starts Ending 03/23/2019 9:00 AM EDT Auction Info Lot #39Superb American Percussion Target Rifle by Morgan James of Utica, New York Click image to enlarge PreviousNext Lot closed - Sold Price (Including Buyer`s Premium):$7,475 Estimate: $10,000 - $20,000 Description Description: About .40 caliber, 33'' octagon barrel with a bright excellent bore. This is an exceptional example of a deluxe rifle built by James, who was in his own time, and still today, considered one of the very finest New York State gunsmiths. His rifles are known for their exceptional quality and style but perhaps more so for their performance. The history of Morgan James is well documented in Swinney's New York State Firearms Trade where this rifle is illustrated on pages 874 & 875. The barrel is marked ''M. JAMES / UTICA N.Y'', its original full-length telescopic sight bears the identical marking. This rifle is built on the frame that James developed with its octagon body and graceful lobes projecting rearward into the stock. The action shows wonderful relief floral engraving in moderate coverage including on the hammer and bolster. The triggerguard, toeplate, patchbox and buttplate tang all show the same lovely scroll and tasteful border work. The condition of the rifle is wonderful with the barrel retaining over 90% original brown finish with thinning on the high edges and with original 9 1/2'' ramrod channel on bottom of barrel at frame. The frame shows about 80% original color case hardened finish with loss only to fading where those areas show a lovely German silver color with more vividness in protected areas. The interior of the bolster around the nipple shows lots of color indicating how little used this rifle was. The iron furniture is much the same as the action with faded case-hardening which has a lovely antique appearance. The walnut stock shows nice figure and rates excellent plus with 97% original finish overall with clean edges and a lovely untouched surface. The original telescopic sight shows 90% plus original brown finish with loss mostly in the eyepiece area and at one silvery area about mid-way down the tube. The scope is mounted in an elevation adjustable mount in the top tang and a windage adjustable dovetail at the muzzle. The original adjustable double set triggers function properly. The top of the barrel shows a pair of holes with period filler screws, they look like they have been there since day one and are difficult to see when the scope is mounted. They are positioned eight inches ahead of the bolster and were likely for a barrel mounted rear sight. As mentioned earlier, this rifle is illustrated in Swinney's five volume work on New York gunsmiths, in the listing it is identified as being originally purchased by Thomas C. Henry, MD (1825-1877) Surgeon and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel in the U.S. Army. At the time it was still in the family, it was later sold at auction and purchased by Mr. Klein, it can be safely assumed that our buyer will be only this rifle's third owner since it left James' shop in Utica. The rifle is illustrated with a broken hammer spur, it has since been expertly repaired and aged, one would never notice the repair without knowing it was once broken. A top shelf, investment quality American percussion target rifle by this most talented and respected upstate New York maker. (18937-274) {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.
