From note on back of photograph: "Brass mold for casting pewter buttons. U.S.A. is engraved on the bottom surface of each cavity and was reproduced on each button. The two handles of wood originally fitted on each tang are missing. Courtesy Don Berkbile
Mould, brass, for tablespoon b John Clark, 1825, for T. Osgood of Salem; brass mould; pewter teaspoon; late 18th century pewter spoon, back view. According to information on back of photo, "Collection of Negatives of Historical and Architectural Subjects, Essex Institute, Salem Mass."
Note: Essex Institute merged with Peabody Museum of Salem to become Peabody Essex Museum in 1992.
Provenance
Photographs from the estate of Henry Kauffman. From the Collection of Negatives of Historical and Architectural Subjects, Essex Institute, Salem, Mass. See note in description.
Rifle with flint lock. Stock of maple wood, octogonal barrel, brass mountings and patch box cover of wood. Marked Joel Ferree on top facet of barrel. Mid-eighteenth century.
Flintlock rifle, maple full stock, brass mounted, silver inlay on the cheek side, octagonal barrel, 48 inches long. Although this rifle has an unusually long barrel its most unusual feature is the signature of the maker, G. Weiker, on the lid of the patch box. On a few of his products he is known to have included the price on the lid of the patch box which was usually $15. Weiker was an expert in the technique of incised carving. His rifles are rare and usually command a high price because of his novel method of advertising.
From "Pennsylvania Kentucky Rifle" by Henry J. Kauffman, page 93: "A pair of such pistols, made by Fredrick Zorger of York, Pennsylvania, is exhibited in the Winterthur Museum, at Winterthur, Delaware. They are stocked in walnut, have silver mountings, and a very delicate pierced pattern in the lockbolt plate. The round barrels taper in the traditional manner and have "Yorktown" engraved on the top near the breech. The plain handmade locks are quite incongruous to the balance of the workmanship,
