Northwest Trade Gun by Parker Field & Sons of London Dated 1866
Item #: AA3461
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This is a black powder trade gun from the mid 1800's manufactured by Parker Field & Sons of London, England. These trade guns were introduced in the 18th century, and remained one of the staple trade goods with the native Americans far into the 19th century. The major difference between the early guns and the later ones is the type of ignition system used, early guns were flintlock while the later guns used percussion locks. They were used from the time period dating before the American Revolution all the way to late in the Indian Wars of the late 1800's. This trade gun is of the later variant, and has always been a percussion ignition gun. It measures 52 1/4" overall, with a barrel length of 36 5/16"". The barrel is the typical fowling piece design, with the first 6 1/2" being octagon at the breech terminating in baluster turned "wedding band" rings, then a 3 1/4 round section ending in baluster turned rings with the remainder of the barrel being round. The smooth bore barrel gauges out at .62 caliber. There is no rear sight on the barrel, the front sight is a small German silver post type. The barrel has an untouched mottled brown and steel patina with worn proof marks on the left barrel flat at the breech end. There are no other visible stamps on the barrel. The lock plate and hammer have a matching patina of the barrel. The lock is stamped with Parker Field & Sons London in three lines forward of the hammer. The date of 1866 is stamped vertically behind the hammer. The hammer locks in the half cock and cocked position, with the action being crisp and strong. The ramrod thimbles and butt plate are brass, the trigger guard is iron. The side plate is made of brass, and is of the serpent or dragon design. This one has been together for a while, as all the brass has a matching soft golden patina. The barrel pins look to be small nails that have been bent over where they exit the stock. They are obviously they are replacements, but look to have been there for a long time, with the pin near the muzzle missing. The stock is a beautiful medium brown and shows honest wear from use. The barrel channels are still amazingly crisp until you get up to the forward ramrod thimble. The right side shows very slight wood loss in this area, the left side a bit more wood loss. There are no major cracks in the wood anywhere, just a couple of shallow stress cracks behind the lock and on the stock flat opposite the lock. That's pretty amazing for a 156 year old piece of wood. The iron ramrod that came with the gun looks to be original to it. This is a good representative of an untouched, mid 1800's trade gun made by Parker Field & Sons for export to America for the fur trade, and could have been used by trappers, mountain men or Native Americans. It has all the characteristics you want to see in a North West Trade gun, from the extra large trigger bow, serpentine side plate, octagon to round barrel to the carved tear drop flats on the stock. There is a Parker Field & Sons trade gun attributed to Sitting Bull. This is a rare piece of history that will enhance any Native American, fur trade or trapper collection.
Shipping Weight:
6 lbs
Item # AA3461
Your Price $2,750.00 USD
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