SHARPS RIFLE COMPANY SHIPPING CRATE WITH 8 SHARPS
RIFLE COMPANY GREEN LABEL 5 ROUND BOXES OF .45- 2 6/10
INCH CALIBER, CARTRIDGES – COMPLETE WITH ORIGINAL
CARTRIDGES – EXPRESSLY MADE FOR SHARPS RIFLES – A RARE
OFFERING:
An amazing find which just
recently surfaced in an old estate, this original Sharps
Rifle Company
ammunition crate was found
with the very collectable original Sharps Rifle Company
packets of .45-2.6” cartridges and a few accessories the
hunter used to reload the cartridges. The crate and its
contents had obviously lain undisturbed since the man
who roamed the buffalo plains finally returned home,
setting aside his Sharps rifle and this crate of big
cartridges to live out the remainder of his life in
tamer pursuits in “the settlements”.
The Sharps Rifle Company introduced the .45-2.6”
cartridge (also known as the .45-100)
in November of 1876,
however it had a short life span being replaced by
Sharps in June of 1877 with the .45-2.4” cartridge
case. Nonetheless, the .45-2.6” Straight Sharps
Cartridge would have been available in the inventory of
the dealers and hide buyers supplying the commercial
buffalo hunters on the Western Frontier during the
buffalo hunting era.
These packets bear the desirable
“early style” labels as
identified by Sellers in his Sharps Firearms,
featuring the heavier shading on the text. This style
of label was used until 1878 when it was replaced with a
label printed with a finer font and this dating is
consistent with the production of the .45-2.6”
cartridge.
As the Sharps Company was effectively out of business in
early 1881, boxes of cartridges which bear the company
proprietary
label were produced
during a fairly narrow window of time and in limited
numbers. In addition, the Sharps Company found it
difficult to compete with the larger ammunition
manufacturing companies such as Winchester and UMC. The
comparatively limited ammunition production by the
Sharps Company combined with the harsh conditions of the
buffalo range where so much of their ammunition was
shipped, accounts for the relative low survival rate and
scarcity of these packets on the market today.
Measuring 15” long, 9 7/8” wide and 5 ¾” high, the crate
is fashioned of dense 7/8” thick planks. The sides,
bottom, and cross divider are all full form and solid
with no appreciable wear or damage. The crate was
assembled with square carpenter’s nails and both ends
are reinforced with thin steel bands nailed in place.
The top is not present, probably lost during the period
of use. There is the shadow of a shipping label on one
side of the crate and a small scrap of the paper label
is still clinging to the wood.
The crate was specifically sized to hold seven layers of
eight packets of cartridges per layer, for a total of 56
packets and 280 cartridges. The width and length of the
large interior compartment of the crate is the exact
dimensions to hold the single layer of eight packets
arranged as seen in the photographs below. There is
neither extra space that allows a layer of the packets
to shift from side to side, nor any extra vertical space
when the seven layers filled the box. It is obvious the
crate was sized specifically to contain the fifty-six
packets in order that the packets would not be damaged
in transit.
The crate is being offered with eight packets, forming a
complete single layer. There is a false shelf fashioned
to fit inside the crate to support the layer of packets
even with the top edge of the crate, giving the illusion
that the crate is full. The false shelf is not
permanently fixed and it can be removed and dismantled
for shipping or storage.
When I acquired this crate it contained fifteen matching
packets – all with the same label and containing the
same caliber – and the assorted accoutrements shown
here. One packet was filled with five fully loaded
cartridges and each of the other fourteen packets
contained five empty cartridge cases. All the cartridge
cases were the correct Berdan primed cases without
headstamps as were sold by Sharps.
The cartridge cases had not been properly cleaned before
storing them, probably no more than casually rinsed off
with water as was typical of the buffalo range hunters
who reloaded the cases frequently. As a result, while
in storage and subjected to moisture, the hygroscopic
nature of the black powder residue remaining in the
cases caused an acidic reaction, forming heavy deposits
of verdigris on the cartridge cases and affecting the
paperboard of some of the packets to one degree or
another. I was able to remove the verdigris deposits,
and the cases are now clean, smooth, full form and
bright with no damage to the brass.
Among the related tools and the powder can that was
found in the crate with the cartridge packets were a
number of cast lead .45 caliber bullets
from the period. The
majority of the bullets are of the paper patch type, but
two of the bullets are the full .45 caliber. These two
bullets were cast so that the nose has a small diameter
shallow cavity (see the photograph below). When
unpacking the crate, I also found a round tin of small
pistol size percussion caps. The tin had been opened,
more than half of the caps had been used, and I assumed
the tin of caps had nothing to do with the other
contents of the crate until I discovered the two hollow
point bullets. I found that the percussion caps fit the
cavities in the nose of those two bullets, effectively
turning them into an early version of an exploding
bullet. While the cap would not cause such a heavy
bullet to fragment, if the bullet was fired at a heavy
boned animal such as a moose, bear, elk or buffalo, upon
impact the cap would detonate and initiate, possibly
accelerating, the mushrooming effect of the bullet as it
passed through the heavy hide and bones of the animal
and enhance the wound channel to disable the animal more
rapidly.
The presence of these hollow point bullets and the
accompanying percussion caps, and the large number of
cartridges this case originally held – 280 – are not the
sort or quantity of ammunition a target shooter would
need. In addition, the .45-2.6” caliber was not one
that would have been popular with target shooters, being
excessively heavy for the sport. I have no doubt this
crate of ammunition was the property of a professional
hunter – most probably one of the hunters on the western
plains during the great commercial buffalo hunts.
As often seen on these early Sharps Company labeled
boxes, the cartridge caliber and component data, printed
for a .44 caliber loading, was crossed out and the
caliber, cartridge length, and bullet weight was amended
with the .45-2.6” data in period script. This commonly
encountered practice was likely employed by Sharps to
use up available stocks of the boxes and labels as the
company struggled with its financial situation.
Several of the packets are annotated in pencil on the
bottom with the size of the powder charge loaded in
those cartridges in that particular packet – “90
Grains”, “100 Grains”, etc. The hunter likely loaded
the cartridges with these various charges, and knowing
the characteristics of his rifle, would choose the loads
appropriate for the range at which he was working.
These boxes are in very good condition considering they
survived the handling and repeated use by the hunter as
the cartridges were fired and reloaded out on the
plains. All of the labels retain legible graphics and
text. There is some of the wear one would expect to see
in such a grouping; however the two piece boxes retain
their full form, with all of the corners and edges
intact. The verdigris which formed on the cartridge
cases as described above reacted with the paperboard
from which the packets are made, and had the most effect
on the bottoms of some of the packets – seen below in
the photographs as dark spots on the bottom panel of the
affected packets. The paperboard was weakened, and in
some cases the corrosion dissolved the paper leaving
holes. These affected packets have been restored by
attaching a piece of matching paperboard inside the
packet. This restoration was carefully done and unless
the cartridges are removed from the packets, the visual
affect is negligible. Given the rarity of these
packets, such a restoration was an acceptable
alternative to allowing those weakened packets to
continue to deteriorate. The packets are now stable and
can be displayed or handled without fear of damaging
them.
In addition to the packets, an early style gun powder
can, the above described tin of percussion caps, a tin
which held grease or tallow for lubricating the bullets,
a handmade funnel, a wad punch, and the tip of a
cleaning rod were found in the crate. The powder can is
solid, and although the surface shows wear, it retains
traces of the original forest green paint and the screw
on lid is present.
That this grouping has survived is remarkable, and if it
is not a unique piece, it is one of very few that exists
in collections today. Truly a rare collectible produced
by the famous Sharps Rifle Company, this crate and the
packets will make a special addition to your collection
which you will proudly display with your Sharps Rifle.
(0355) $10,500
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