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Outstanding P & D Moll Hellerstown Signed Kentucky Rifle

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Firearms & Armory Start Price:3,000.00 USD Estimated At:6,000.00 - 9,000.00 USD
Outstanding P & D Moll Hellerstown Signed Kentucky Rifle
Active from 1832 to 1837, the firm of George Tryon and Samuel Merrick operated out of Philadelphia, where Tryon would remain and through his son, Edward, and grandsons would keep the Tryon name in the arms trade into the 20th Century. Brass blade front and fixed semi-buckhorn rear sights, with an inlaid rectangular brass plate marked "P & D Moll Hellerstown". Establishing themselves in Hellertown, aka Hellerstown (Pennsylvania) over a decade before the Revolutionary war, Johannes Moll and his descendants practiced the gunsmith's art for nearly 100 years, before transitioning to dry goods merchants. The hammer and lock have been lightly engraved, with "TRYON/ MERRICK/ & Co" ahead of the hammer. Bolster style conversion, shaped to fit the area left by the cut-away flash pan. Smooth maple stock, with a brass forearm tip, border engraved silver pin escutcheons, brass reinforcement plate along the bottom connecting to the pistol grip trigger guard, pierced-through brass reverse plate, silver inscription plate on the wrist, raised cheekpiece with a silver burst pattern inside a brass ring, brass buttplate with engraved heel and toe and a brass patch box with ebony wood accents.
BBL: 40 inch part octagon
Stock: maple
Gauge: 50
Finish: brown
Grips:
Serial Number: NSN
Condition: Fine. The barrel and lock show a mixed brown patina with areas of pitting (mostly on the lock and hammer) and normal handling marks. Stock is very fine, with some chipping, pressure dents, varnish loss and scratches, along with fine grain and attractively aged fittings. The buttplate is pulling away at the toe and the toe is chipped, patch box components are loose, and a barely noticeable wedge is absent from the forearm. Mechanically fine. Markings are clear.