M1816 Type II Percussion Musket bought off PA Craigslist Yesterday
M1816 Type II Percussion Musket bought off PA Craigslist Yesterday
Forked over $400 for the thing. . .
Fact is, prices are down and falling on most non-essential goods and commodities. The economy is lousy and not getting better. Just wait until after Labor Day . . .
Thing is, the older generation collectors of oddball items like me, are dying off and not being replaced in similar numbers. As far as collectibles go . . . there is at best, a soft market for much of this crap. The music stopped on overwrought, overly restored old cars and other trashy pop culture junk. Antique and collectible store front shops that flourished during the Big 1980s and limped into the 21st century have mostly disappeared by now. The goods are on eBay these days and go unsold over and over again even with "Buy it Now" price reductions.
Just today . . . I purchased an extra fine condition M1816 Springfield percussion bolster conversion 69-caliber musket for $400 cash. At that, I probably paid too much. Found the 190-year old artifact on the Lancaster, Pennsylvania CraigsList. The seller was so anxious to move the item that he came to my house.
Asked the seller where he'd gotten the musket and was surprised by the answer. He said . . . "it's been in the family for as long as anyone can remember". The guy went on to explain that his people have lived for generations in the southern section of Pennsylvania near Gettysburg.
The M1816 musket, is a type II series with 1823 lock date. Walnut stock has nice grain and is crisp with vivid inspector marks along with a military rack stamping down near the butt plate tang. Lock plate still shows slight case color. The lock action was super stiff so I disassembled the musket for a rudimentary clean up. Over the decades, I've handled and owned dozens of 19th century U.S. military muskets and think that I have a feel for these things.
In my humble opinion, that M1816 musket had not been apart since the time of it's private contractor percussion conversion in the late 1850s. There were even loose wood shavings inside there from when the stock lock cavity had been inletted back in 1823. The interior lock components looked as new with vivid color case hardening. Everything in there was bone dry with not a trace of oil. The lock had probably been that way since the Civil War period. The barrel had a brownish patina on the upper surface with bright down the edges of the stock. Upon sliding off the barrel bands, the metal underneath was bright silver color and looked as new.
Took the walnut stock and carefully washed it with light dish-washing soap and water. Plenty of brownish color nicotine juice came off on the towel. Soon, the stock wood took on a more golden tone with good grain. After the stock dried in the sun for a couple of hours, I applied some tongue oil to the wood and it really brought out the quality. Wash cleaned the barrel surface and then lightly hand buffed the metal with a soft cotton cloth. It didn't take much to show a nice silvery sheen. The barrel bands also cleaned-up well with a satin finish. The arm was put back together and cleaned up really well, giving the appearance of a crisp naturally aged musket
Another impression of this piece. To me, this musket by it's unspoiled appearance looks to have been issued in like new condition, used hard for a brief period and then put someplace uncleaned for a long time. The area around the percussion cap nipple is pitted while other metal surfaces are smoothly excellent. And then, on the bottom of the iron trigger guard are two larger spots of deep corrosion on an otherwise unspoiled smooth surface. To my experience with such firearms including pistols used in triumphant suicides, that distinct pitted areas on this M1816 trigger guard was caused by blood left on and not cleaned.
So, is this a Civil War battlefield pick up from someplace like Gettysburg? Nobody will ever know. But regardless, the nifty 190-year old musket now hangs on my wall and I didn't have to hand over a couple of grand to some pompous dealer.
Wonder how many more bargain treasures are hidden in nooks n' crannies online?
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