|
SHARPS RIFLE COMPANY GREEN LABEL BOX FOR 20 .40- 1
11/16” CALIBER, 265 GRAIN PAPER PATCHED CARTRIDGES –FOR
SHARPS RIFLES WITH AN EXCELLENT LABEL:
One of the rare, and highly
desirable boxes of cartridges produced by the Sharps
Rifle Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut, this very
collectable box for 20 .40-50 caliber, (also known as
the 40-1 11/16”) cartridges loaded with 265 grain, paper
patched bullets bears the desirable Sharps Rifle Company
green label. The standard loading for the Sharps
Company’s Rifles chambered in .40-50 Sharps (Necked),
this caliber was introduced in 1875, and this box of
cartridges would have been available in the inventory of
the dealers and hide buyers supplying the commercial
buffalo hunters on the Western Frontier during the
height of the buffalo hunting era. Remington Rolling
Block rifles and other single shot rifles were also
chambered for this cartridge.
While the .40-50 was first listed in the 1869 Sharps
catalog, the Sharps Rifle Company moved to Bridgeport in
1876. As the company was effectively out of business in
early 1881, these cartridge boxes bearing the Sharps
Company label were produced during a fairly narrow
window of time. In addition, the Sharps Company found
it difficult to compete with the larger ammunition
manufacturing companies such as Winchester and UMC, and
the Sharps Company ammunition production was somewhat
limited, which accounts for their relative low survival
rate and scarcity on the market today.
While the box is empty, it is in excellent condition
with a full, legible cover label. The two piece
box retains its full form, with all of the corners and
edges intact. This is a very nice specimen of a
fairly rare box of paper patched cartridges manufactured
by the famous Sharps Rifle Company, one that does not
appear on the collector market very often and it will
make a nice addition to display with your Sharps Rifle.
SOLD
|
