Extremely Rare War of 1812 US Model 1798 Contract Musket by Ard Welton of Waterbury, CT

Description:
NSN, .71 Caliber, 43 1/4" barrel with a dark, pitted bore. This is one of only 300 muskets delivered by Welton of the 1,000 originally contracted for, and is built along the lines of the Charleville-inspired US Model 1795 musket. The barrel, lock, and iron furniture all have an overall plum-brown patina, with mottled gray running along the top radius of the barrel, and heavy pitting and surface oxidation at the breech, as well as on the forward portion of the lock. The lockplate is simply marked "WELTON" behind the cock, with "W / D" stamped on the top of the breech, and a faint "1800" scratched by hand into the barrel tang. Old tool marks are present in the top jaw of the cock, which was polished to gray at some point and has begun to darken with age again. The walnut stock has numerous small handling marks and blemishes, with a deeply struck "US" on the right side of the buttstock below the comb. Some small cracks and chips are present in the edges of the inletting around the lockplate, while the sideplate has been polished to bright pewter gray at some point, giving it the appearance of old German silver. The musket comes with a correct iron ramrod, and the mainspring is either broken or missing as the cock is not under tension, although it does catch firmly at both half and full-cock. As stated above, Ard Welton was contracted to deliver 1,000 finished muskets to the US government, but only managed 300 examples, all delivered in 1801. It should be noted that all 300 were listed as "on hand" by Springfield Armory in 1810, just two years prior to the outbreak of war between the US and Great Britain. This is a rare US musket, by a seldom seen maker, and is in about good condition overall. It would still make a wonderful addition to any collection. Antique;

Antique: Yes

Price: $2,995.00