I accidentally bought a musket

 Earlier this winter, right before it really got cold, I accidentally bought a musket.

"Accidentally" in the sense that I didn't set out to buy it.

I had been trolling online estate auctions to see if there was anything interesting that could enhance one of our historic weapon classes that we host here. The best stuff is identified WW2 bringback stuff because it can be used to tell a person's story. That sort of thing tends to pop up at estate sales more so than other venues.

In perusing this particular estate sale, I spotted a listing that was for an "early rifle with bayonet". All across New England there are thousands and thousands of Civil War era guns with bayonets that were brought home by returning soldiers because the government made them a deal on them. In exchange for $15 deducted from your pay, you got to keep the musket, bayonet and cartridge box that you carried through the war. That is a topic for a different post, however, as we are talking about this particular musket.

As soon as I saw the thumbnail picture at the auction house's website I knew what it was. Assuming it would sell for much more than I'm willing to pay, but still wanting to participate just for the fun of it, I put in a maximum bid of $250.

After 17 bids came in, mine was on top at a whopping $235. I almost couldn't believe it.

What was the musket?

An original 1768 pattern French Charleville musket with a Philadelphia Arsenal mark on it.

That's right, a legit original Revolutionary War Charleville musket with bayonet for $235.

The key to great finds at estate sales isn't to read what the listing says, it is to look at the pictures because unless something is clearly marked on it with a maker's name that the auctioneer can easily understand and recognize, he's just guessing. Some of the best auction finds are things that are misidentified.

I had to drop what I was doing and go pick the stuff up a few towns away. Also what came home with me that day was a dome-top steamer trunk filled with random stuff including a couple of Korean War era USAF uniforms and "an old army helmet". The helmet turned out to be a WW1 helmet, complete with liner, in great condition. The rest of the trunk was full of a weird mix of stuff: a 45 star flag, a few sets of 1940's white doctor's uniforms (complete with the guy's name tags, repairs and blood stains), turn of the century Masonic stuff, a pair of high-end bespoke ladies golf shoes and a geisha girl outfit with a few kimonos.

The trunk, USAF uniforms and helmet I'll keep, the Japanese women's clothing I gave to a friend, and the rest of the stuff I'll be putting up for sale either on my website or ebay. If I can sell the assorted stuff for at least $235 that means the original RevWar musket was free!