Featuring crisp, high relief carving, fine engraving, and elegant overall architecture
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David Cooley made beautiful guns that are well designed and feature outstanding carving and engraving. James Whisker states in “Gunsmiths of Adams, Franklin and Cumberland Counties, Pennsylvania” that Cooley was born in Huntington Township, York County and was taxed as a gunsmith from 1802 to 1831 in Tyrone Township, in Adams County and then from 1831 to 1856 in Franklin Township in Adams County. Cooley’s work is rare, and as fine as any Golden Age gunsmith.
The octagonal to round barrel displays a nice plumb-brown color with some scatted mottling. It has traditional blade front sight and notched rear sight and is signed “D * Cooley” in script within an engraved panel. The lock and lockplate display engraving and “WARRANTED” under the pan. The furniture is brass. The side plate is beautifully engraved within border engraving as is the toe/rub plate.
The oval silver wrist escutcheon is vacant [no engraving]. The silver cheekpiece inlay is a finely engraved hunter’s star. The four-piece patchbox is beautifully engraved, and features scroll, line, and rocker engraved patterns, and a fabulous, pierced finial.
The stock has double incised line molding from the forend, continuing to the swell at rear pipe terminating in scrolls centering the thimble. Carved details surround the tang; single line incised molding along the butt; incised and relief scroll carving at both sides of the comb. There is a crosshatched half-circle under the cheekpiece which appears to be a Cooley shop tradition. There are very attractive raised relief and incised carved scrolls and other ornamental devices before and behind the cheekpiece.
The carving and engraving shows similarities with other published Cooley rifles as well as the example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, however Cooley’s rifles display a variety of ornamentation making each unique.
Item Date: Circa 1815-1825
Measurement: Overall length: 65.5"; barrel length: 49.25" / .54-caliber smoothbore
Material: Tiger maple stock, steel, silver, brass
Item Condition: Overall, very good; a few trivial [tiny] bits of wood loss to highpoints of lock mortice are mentioned for accuracy… displays beautifully. The lock may be a reconversion.
Price: $10,500
For More Information, Please Contact David Hillier at 978-597-8084 or email drh@aaawt.com.