More Markings on Old Musket
The FW stands for Friedrich Wilhelm IV, 1840-1861. Since there is a "49" on the stock, it is possible it stands for the year 1849; Pics show other markings, a B with Crown, W with Crown, a 4 with a "bomb" or circle with a flowing top, and possibly a K are stamped on several parts. The face of the lock appears to have been buffed at the time the lock was updated from flint to cap and a signature- something like "Neisle" or Neisfe" added. Hope someone can shed some light on this or point me in the direction of research. Thank you!!
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The lock marking would be "NEISSE", one of the Prussian armories. The barrel marking is a proofmark showing the barrel has been tested or "proved" satisfactorily (usually with a double load) and the others are inspector's stamps & part numbers. 0 -
THANKS MUCH!!
The 82 year old mystery is now solved as to what the "old musket" is; Now I'll see if I can locate the name of the fellow from who's estate my dad purchased it back in 1930, and what unit he was in during the war of the Southern insurrection.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Ray B
THANKS MUCH!!
The 82 year old mystery is now solved as to what the "old musket" is; Now I'll see if I can locate the name of the fellow from who's estate my dad purchased it back in 1930, and what unit he was in during the war of the Southern insurrection.
Just because your "Potsdam" musket dates to the 1840's/50's doesn't conclusively mean that it was used in the Civil War. These obsolete muzzle loading muskets were sold for many years during the latter part of the 19th Century by mass market retailers such as Bannerman, Frank and even Sears. The Frank catalog that was published in 1911, just prior to the start of the First World War still listed muzzle loading ex military muskets for sale. The guy your dad bought it from might have bought it from Bannerman or Sears for $5.00 in the 1890's.0 -
rufe-snow;
My dad didn't buy it from the fellow; he bought it at an estate auction of the owner, an aged fellow that had passed away. It was known at the time that the fellow was a Civil War veteran. So while we don't know for certain that the musket was used in the Civil War- we do know that 1- the gun was purchased by the US during the Civil War to arm Union soldiers in the Civil War,& 2, the owner had participated in the Civil War. Due to the location, it is likely he served in one of the units from Iowa, Wisconsin, or Minnesota. I'll be looking into it further. By the way,my dad, aged 8 at the time, bought the musket on an unopposed bid of $.25. Active duty documentation or not, I suspect it's worth more than that now, even adjusted for inflation.[:)]0 -
quote:Originally posted by Ray B
rufe-snow;
My dad didn't buy it from the fellow; he bought it at an estate auction of the owner, an aged fellow that had passed away. It was known at the time that the fellow was a Civil War veteran. So while we don't know for certain that the musket was used in the Civil War- we do know that 1- the gun was purchased by the US during the Civil War to arm Union soldiers in the Civil War,& 2, the owner had participated in the Civil War. Due to the location, it is likely he served in one of the units from Iowa, Wisconsin, or Minnesota. I'll be looking into it further. By the way,my dad, aged 8 at the time, bought the musket on an unopposed bid of $.25. Active duty documentation or not, I suspect it's worth more than that now, even adjusted for inflation.[:)]
Got this off the net, from a Civil War site that specializes in the firearms used in the CW. It was years old, so I don't know what the availability of "Potsdams" are nowadays. Also the unmarked lockplate raises questions? Do the other U.S. surcharged "Potsdams" also have blank lockplates?
"Many Potsdam muskets that saw service in the civil war have a state surcharge, or an inspector's cartouche such as a flaming bomb on the bottom of the barrel. I've seen Potsdams with Ohio state surcharges on the stock , and the Safety Committee of Philadelphia on them. The northern surcharged Potsdam's are readily available and affordable compared to other original muskets."0
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