Brown Bess Long Gun on Pawn Stars

[chuck1956]

From the 1760's guys asking $7500.00
The expert came in and shot it.
That was so cool!
Chum said so is it worth $7500?
The expert said yes but it's worth $20,000!
The guy sold it to Chum for $14,000.

 

[hrt4me]

is Chum the guy who went to prison?

 

[FishDFly]

Yep, biggest fake program on TV.

 

[Brazos John]

I don't care for the stars, but customers bring some cool things to them.
It's funny that they wanted $7500, and got $14,000.
Is the $20,000 estimate realistic?

 

[toot]

what did CHUM go to prison for? seems that he is still on the show?

 

[Eric Krewson]

I have seem posts by guys who live close by the alleged "pawn shop", they say everything in the shop during filming is staged including the extras walking around looking at stuff. Many of the items brought in come from local museums on loan and go back after the show has been shot.

 

[Nazgul58]

Wife and I stopped in there during a visit 4 years ago. Kinda fun, the place is really small. Looks bigger on the TV.

Don

 

[mushka]

It's TV, entertainment, not necessarily real. Just like most TV.

 

[FlinterNick]

Is this their long land that was marked 1762 Grice?

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Is this their long land that was marked 1762 Grice?

Yep and here's the clip from the show ... Pawn Stars

If it had anything else on the lock I might consider it genuine, but since it's marked like a Pedersoli....

Flag On The Play

Call is; Balderdash, that's 15 yards AND Loss of Down!

LD

 

[Artificer]

Is this their long land that was marked 1762 Grice?

Yes, Joseph Grice, observed lock dates of 1758, 1759 - 1762, 1764

from "The Brown Bess" by Goldstein and Mowbray

I can't see if there are the original mandated "Touch" and "View" marks on the top of the Breech? If it has them, it MIGHT be real, though fake stamps for those have been around a long time.

Anyone know what length the barrel is? If it is 46", it might be a "Coach and Harness" Brown Bess from the 1970's.

Gus

 

[FlinterNick]

Grice did make a 1755 lock (which is an oberved period for a later long land) however from what ive read those locks were most commonly found on marine and militia muskets and sea service muskets. Highly skeptical that this is an original long land. The stock doesnt look like english walnut too

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
As someone who routinely wipes out Pedersoli stamped or cast in engraving on Bess locks, the engraving on this gun is not by Pedersoli. It looks original at least superficially from the brief view in the video. Pay particular attention to how close the thick and thin border lines are compared with the Pedersolis below.

dave

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
There is nothing wrong with a Bess lock marked "Grice 1762" if it is on a long land Bess or a short land marine and militia musket. The problem with Pedersolis is they are loose copies of pattern 1769 short land Besses. After 1764, British ordnance no longer marked locks with contractor names and dates. They were either marked "TOWER" and no date or "Dublin Castle" with no date. There are a few surviving exceptions from the Irish establishment, but virtually all known pattern 1769 and later Brown Besses do not have contractor names and dates.

dave

 

[FlinterNick]

Hi,
There is nothing wrong with a Bess lock marked "Grice 1762" if it is on a long land Bess or a short land marine and militia musket. The problem with Pedersolis is they are loose copies of pattern 1769 short land Besses. After 1764, British ordnance no longer marked locks with contractor names and dates. They were either marked "TOWER" and no date or "Dublin Castle" with no date. There are a few surviving exceptions from the Irish establishment, but virtually all known pattern 1769 and later Brown Besses do not have contractor names and dates.

dave

Lately I’ve seen some repro brown Bess’s long land 1755’s passed off as original in auction. They seem to be either coach harness Brown Bess muskets, or an older Dixie gun works bess by turner Kirkland that uses the Grice or Stowe lock.

The tell seems for me that’s a give away is the upper sling swivel location, those coach harness / turner kirkland brown Bess’s with Grice locks, often have the upper sling swivel located beneath the second rammer pipe.

 

[tenngun]

I used to watch them pretty regular but got discussed over and over with some of their remarks. Dad, not the Old Man was often shown reading a gun book of some sort. One show a guy comes in and has a rifle with nice tiger stripe. A number one piece of maple. Dad launches in to an explanation of how those stripes were burned in and then buffed.
That was the last straw, not going to watch the brain dead telling the world their experts. haven’t watch it since.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

When did they add the "trumpet" thimble as the first ramrod thimble on the front of the stock on the long land muskets?

LD

 

[FlinterNick]

When did they add the "trumpet" thimble as the first ramrod thimble on the front of the stock on the long land muskets?

LD

The trumpet thimble was added on the 1755 model, but possibly earlier on some carbines.