EXTREMELY RARE FACTORY ENGRAVED SPECIAL ORDER DELUXE TAKEDOWN MARLIN 1889 RIFLE IN OUTSTANDING CONDITION FEATURED IN “MARLIN FIREARMS” BY BROPHY

Spring 2024 Premier Firearms & Militaria Auction

June 7th, 8th, 9th, & 10th, 2024
This auction has concluded! Please click HERE to view our upcoming auctions.

EXTREMELY RARE FACTORY ENGRAVED SPECIAL ORDER DELUXE TAKEDOWN MARLIN 1889 RIFLE IN OUTSTANDING CONDITION FEATURED IN “MARLIN FIREARMS” BY BROPHY

01-25287
Cal. 32-20
S# 121581

The configuration of this rifle is astonishingly rare with special order features that include all the bells and whistles with a 24” Octagonal to Round barrel that has a half magazine, Beach’s style combination beaded front sight, semi-buckhorn rear sight, & Lyman combination tang sight. The factory engraved takedown case colored action is engraved in a factory #2 style by Conrad Ulrich with the left face featuring a well-executed woodland scene with a white tail buck within a circular vignette with circular bordered accents and the balance has a tight foliate vine scroll with fancy geometric borders.. A point setter adorns the bolt with sprigs of scroll. The top and bottom of the receiver, top tang, receiver extension, breech end of the barrel, and forearm cap have complimenting engraving. The rifle carries a nicely figured flame & shell grain American walnut serpentine pistol grip stock set with B style hand checkering, sling swivels, and terminated with a smooth steel crescent buttplate and nose cap. A small gold washed personalized oval plaque with engraved with intertwined old English letters is inlaid in the base of the serpentine pistol grip. This rifle is featured on page 174 of Brophy’s “Marlin Firearms”. The caption for this rifle reads “only 28 of this model are recorded as having the takedown feature”. It is believed that there are only 4 known engraved takedown 1889 rifles in existence. Many of the individual characteristics of this rifle are rare in addition to the takedown feature. According to Brophy about 28% of the 1889 were chambered in 32-20, the majority were octagonal barrels with part octagon being the “scarcest variation”. The combination of these features on one rifle is truly remarkable. The rifle is accompanied by a factory record letter from Cody Firearms Museum listing. “Model 1889 / 32 Caliber / 24 inch, 1/2 octagonal / 1/2 magazine / Pistol grip / Takedown / Shipped form the company on May 15, 1895”
UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: Cody Letter.

PROVENANCE: William Blount Collection of Extraordinary Marlins.

STATUS: ANTIQUE