Wow!! Just found the beautiful Solid Silver Trigger Guard to the 1700s Flintlock!

[SC Keith]

Last week I recovered the 1700s flintlock that made banner. Well, I was hoping all week to find other pieces to the gun like the trigger guard or butt plate at the trashy, muddy location! Yesterday, after digging through so many junk targets, I finally got the missing trigger guard!! Still on cloud nine!! The silversmith is John King. The London date hallmark on bottom is for 1774.

 

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[sandchip]

Almost a shame you didn't get this first so that this made banner instead, but obviously they are both worthy.
Hope you do find more of it, makes you wonder how such a fine item got lost!

I agree. How a fine firearm like that ended up in the swamp is probably not a pretty story, and probably one of desperation.

 

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[Shakakka]

I'm... I'm speechless.

 

[Goldiver]

Holy smokes that is gorgeous! My old ticker would have skipped a few beats upon digging that up....Congratulations! I would be out there with a rake and a sifter for sure.

Steve

 

[Silvermonkey]

Wowzers...Clearly I don't have words for this find......except maybe... BANNER # 2!

 

[niffler]

That's just awesome. I never knew that there were guns with big old chunks of silver like that. What a find! I'm hoping you can find more of that awesome old flintlock.

 

[Fullstock]

Keep looking, the butt plate will be silver as well. That was a high end fowling piece, congratulations on a great find.

 

[devldog]

What an Incredible piece of History. Beautiful. Here is hoping you can find more pieces to this old Flintlock musket. This piece is still beautiful and ornate after all this time. Very Well Done and Congrat's. Thanks for sharing this with us.

 

[awdw]

I am sure that you had to sit down for a few minutes after this piece came out of the ground. What an unbelievable find.Congratulations.!

 

[Steve in PA]

You have some good water that saw a lot of colonial activity down there Keith. I wonder what could have been the circumstances for a gun with a side plate and trigger guard like that to be discarded into the water? You would think they would have salvaged those parts. I wonder what the inlays and butt plate looked like?

Maybe you can get the mods to post a picture of the side plate and trigger guard together on the Banner?

 

[toasted]

Awesome. Non coin colonial silver/gold finds especially with engraving are as good as it gets imo. My banner silver pomander still remains my favorite

 

[Digger RJ]

Very Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Silver Tree Chaser]

Huge congrats on an extraordinary recovery. I imagine you feel intensely motivated to find the the butt plate.

 

[ColonialDude]

Damn!! What an incredible find!!! Congrats on a really rare find!

 

[Jose The Goon]

When you find the buttplate we can change the picture & text & squeeze it in somewhere, CHEERS !

 

[sandchip]

You have some good water that saw a lot of colonial activity down there Keith. I wonder what could have been the circumstances for a gun with a side plate and trigger guard like that to be discarded into the water? You would think they would have salvaged those parts...

As I said in an earlier post, my guess is that the events leading up to this exceptional firearm ending up in the swamp were probably not pleasant, but just the opposite. No way that anyone in their right mind would discard a gun like this. The imagination runs wild on this one whether related to hunting, warfare or who knows. I don't know how isolated this area is, and not trying to sound macabre, but it's conceivable that there may be a body in the vicinity.

On another note, I just wonder if it's possible from the hallmarks to pin down the possible gunmaker, then could there be museum examples of that maker's work somewhere. I know that's really stretching things, but I keep wondering what this gun may've looked like. Beautiful metalworking aside, the stock had to have been equally as beautiful.

 

[Locke]

What a beautiful find! Congratulations!

 

[SC Keith]

Awesome. Non coin colonial silver/gold finds especially with engraving are as good as it gets imo. My banner silver pomander still remains my favorite

. Yes! I love the pomander!

When you find the buttplate we can change the picture & text & squeeze it in somewhere, CHEERS !
View attachment 1869345

Thank you Jose for making this image! I really appreciate you doing this!! Love it!!! Hope I can add to it!

As I said in an earlier post, my guess is that the events leading up to this exceptional firearm ending up in the swamp were probably not pleasant, but just the opposite. No way that anyone in their right mind would discard a gun like this. The imagination runs wild on this one whether related to hunting, warfare or who knows. I don't know how isolated this area is, and not trying to sound macabre, but it's conceivable that there may be a body in the vicinity.

On another note, I just wonder if it's possible from the hallmarks to pin down the possible gunmaker, then could there be museum examples of that maker's work somewhere. I know that's really stretching things, but I keep wondering what this gun may've looked like. Beautiful metalworking aside, the stock had to have been equally as beautiful.

Barrel is in bad shape but I have a probable ID as Joseph Heylin the barrelsmith. I have here a pic of my barrel with his mark and his mark on an intact pistol. The finest gunsmiths in England were using John King silver mounts.

 

[sprailroad]

Wish it could talk and tell us it's story.

 

[sandchip]

Wish it could talk and tell us it's story.

Amen that.

 

[Jose The Goon]

As I said in an earlier post, my guess is that the events leading up to this exceptional firearm ending up in the swamp were probably not pleasant, but just the opposite. No way that anyone in their right mind would discard a gun like this. The imagination runs wild on this one whether related to hunting, warfare or who knows. I don't know how isolated this area is, and not trying to sound macabre, but it's conceivable that there may be a body in the vicinity.

On another note, I just wonder if it's possible from the hallmarks to pin down the possible gunmaker, then could there be museum examples of that maker's work somewhere. I know that's really stretching things, but I keep wondering what this gun may've looked like. Beautiful metalworking aside, the stock had to have been equally as beautiful.

Joseph Heylin/John King Here's a link to some fabulous pictures of Joseph Heylin creations that have silver side plates, buttplates &
trigger guards (has hallmarks) that look like John King creations.Guard in last photo is attributed to King. (see last picture at bottom of link)
LINK: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/LrLaR
Actually, upon further review, all images in link are the same pistol. Looks like there may be more silver & brass pieces to be found judging from the "furniture" on the pictured pistol.
Author of the photos & text "Dana K. Williams" would most likely enjoy the finds of "SC KEITH" & may have some input on
the find & might even want to join TNET being the history buff that he is. Also, although the sideplates & trigger guards In "SC KEITH's" find & Mr. Williams' photos are very similar but not exactly the same, it's possible that Mr. Williams has some, or can direct
us to, a database of some kind that pinpoints who the pistol was made for, if in fact, John King and/or Joseph Heylin kept records that can be searched that identify the pistol & its buyer by the designs on the silver "furniture", as Mr. Williams calls them.
(the drum with arrows and swords on the trigger guard for example)