GETTYSBURG FOUND ENFIELD LOCKPLATE RECOVERED ON SEMINARY RIDGE BY KEN BREAM

GETTYSBURG FOUND ENFIELD LOCKPLATE RECOVERED ON SEMINARY RIDGE BY KEN BREAM

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$550.00

Quantity Available: 1

Item Code: 224-771

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This is a complete, excavated percussion musket lock recovered by Ken Bream on Seminary Ridge at the Gettysburg Battlefield. The hammer is complete and the internal works are still in place. Seminary Ridge was held by Union forces on July 1st and became the backbone of the Confederate line for the rest of the battle, so it ranks among the most historically significant ground on the field. Relics with a documented Seminary Ridge recovery are increasingly hard to find.

The lock is of the pattern 1853 Enfield percussion type. The exterior view shows the hammer in place on the tumbler, with the domed tumbler screw still seated at the center of the hammer. The hammer is intact from spur to head and has kept its full profile, including the upswept spur and the forward-reaching head. The lock plate keeps its full outline, from the rounded tail to the long, tapered forward section.

The interior view is the most impressive part of this piece. The internal mechanism is still assembled as it was when the lock went into the ground. The long V-shaped mainspring runs along the forward half of the plate. The bridle, with its screw heads still visible, sits over the tumbler, and the sear and sear spring are in place at the rear. The tip of the sear spring extends slightly past the tail of the plate. Excavated locks usually turn up as bare plates or loose components due to likely period parts scavenging. A complete assembly like this, with the hammer and the full set of internal parts, is a much more desirable display relic.

Condition

As expected for an excavated iron relic, the entire surface shows heavy, even pitting with a deep russet-brown ground patina. No manufacturer’s markings, dates, or proof stamps are visible on the exterior, because any stamping has been lost to corrosion. The internal parts and the hammer are fused together by rust and do not move. That is typical for a lock recovered intact, and it is part of why the assembly has stayed together.

The outline of the plate is complete, with only slight edge loss from ground action. The hammer spur, neck, and head are all present with no breaks. The mainspring, bridle, sear, and sear spring are all present, though corroded. Small fibrous deposits are visible on the interior in spots. The surface appears stable and solid throughout. Listed as lot #120 of the Ken Brame auction on 10-29-21 and comes with auction sheet.

Dimensions (approximate)

  • Overall length of lock plate: 5 1/2 in.
  • Overall height, including hammer: 3 1/4 in.

Mr. Bream was a 1970 graduate of Gettysburg High School and life-long relic hunter and collector. The Breams were neighbors of the Small family; Ken’s parents managed the Stuckey’s Restaurant that was once located opposite the Peach Orchard at the northwest corner of the intersection of the Emmitsburg & Wheatfield Roads. During the late 1960s through the early 1970s Ken worked on the Eisenhower Farm as a groundskeeper, maintenance man, and general helper for the Eisenhowers. For many years, he was the Gettysburg Dog Enforcement Officer.   [stp/ld][ph:L]

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