This is a very strong example of an early Civil War era Pattern 53 Enfield Rifle purchased by the Confederacy and run through the blockade.  Lockplate is dated 1861 and marked Tower.  Standard 39" barrel with 3 barrel bands and original military sights. Its basically in untouched condition and can be left along or will clean up to well above-average Enfield.  The distinctive Confederate inspector marking, the JS Anchor,  is located beneath the trigger guard on the bottom of the stock.  The blockade number is engraved on the top of the buttplate and is in the 9500 range.  Usually, these numbers are rather crude but this one is really quite good.  The English supplier's initial to the Confederate buyers is located just in front of the blockade number on the wood in the form of a letter "J".  I'm almost certain this stands for C.W. James who also made this rifle.  His round maker's cartouche is on the right side of the stock and reads "CW James/Maker/Birmingham.  Typically, you will see "J" for James, "B" for Bond, "S" for Scott, "K" for Kerr, and "F" for Freed.  We've also seen a small "SC" for South Carolina in place of the supplier's initial.  James name is also located on the bottom of the stock where the main contractor's name is usually located on most Enfields.  Barrel is correctly stamped with two  "25" gauge marks which translates to Caliber .577 and standard Birmingham proofmarks.  On a side-note: I've recently read that all JS Anchor-marked Enfields are supposed to be marked in "25" gauge and Union guns "24".  Unfortunately, that's a little more simplistic than reality as we've personally seen more than one example of Confederate-marked JS Anchor Enfields in .58 Caliber with "24" gauge markings.  All complete with original swivels and sights.  The ramrod is a correct original Enfield rod but does not have the blockade numbers engraved on the end of the shank...which is common as these got swapped around quite a bit.   

Overall condition is NRA Antique Very Good with the metal turned mostly to a dark brown patina mixed with some closet rust.  Excellent markings throughout.  Brass furniture has turned to a nice patina. The wood to metal fit is just incredible with no gapping around the lockplate...it doesn't appear to have ever been out of the stock.  Even more amazing is there is almost no burn-out on the wood behind bolster fence.  The bore is filthy but has never been bored out to a post-war shotgun and retains its original military 3 groove rifling.  Given lack of usage on the outside of this rifle, the bore will probably clean up quite well if desired.  The wood shows typical handling marks but still retains nice sharp contours and great markings.  There are no chips, cracks, or piece missing.  If you've been looking for a nice looking JS Anchor Enfield with an 1861 date, this is as pure of an untouched example as you'll find.

Item# 0630

SOLD