A few Lancaster rifles for some upcoming shows

[John Strong]

Getting ready for a couple of upcoming shows. I am going to be putting together a couple of displays of Lancaster County long rifles. Not all of them are mine, but I will have these plus a couple of others to display this summer.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Splendid collection!

 

[hawkenhunter50]

Very Nice!! Would you mind sharing the shows that they will be displayed at?

 

[mikek793]

It's comforting to know there are still this many and more originals in such fine shape. Beautiful collection.

 

[John Strong]

Very Nice!! Would you mind sharing the shows that they will be displayed at?

I will have all of those rifles plus a few more at the KRA convention this weekend.
I'll have three or four at the Gunmaker's fair in Kempton in July
I'll be doing an educational display for the Thresherman's reunion at Rough and Tumble Museum in August.
I have two tables at the Eastern Pa Longrifle show in September
And finally, I'll have two tables at the Front Royal show in October.
I will be happy to post some of the show fliers on here when the show gets a little closer

 

[John Strong]

This is one of the best shows around to look at high quality original longrifles. If you get to one of these mini shows, you will be rewarded by quality of rifles on display.

 

[John Strong]

It's comforting to know there are still this many and more originals in such fine shape. Beautiful collection.

Thank You. Only five of them actually are in my collection. The others are either on consignment or belong to a friend.
From the top down.
1) Peter Brong
2) Jacob Hoak
3) Jacob Hoak
4) Jacob Hoak
5) Jacob Hoak
6) Jacob Dickert
7) Henry Leman
8) Henry Gibbs
9) William Holtzworth

 

[mikek793]

Thank you for the information.
I've always been impressed with the architecture of J.P. Beck's rifles also.

 

[hawkenhunter50]

I will have all of those rifles plus a few more at the KRA convention this weekend.
I'll have three or four at the Gunmaker's fair in Kempton in July
I'll be doing an educational display for the Thresherman's reunion at Rough and Tumble Museum in August.
I have two tables at the Eastern Pa Longrifle show in September
And finally, I'll have two tables at the Front Royal show in October.
I will be happy to post some of the show fliers on here when the show gets a little closer

Thank you for the info.

 

[deGheyn]

Well this is interesting. A friend of mine contacted me today about a Jacob Hoake gun. His wife is a descendant of Jacob. Apparently, he is considering purchasing it from her cousin who is asking $2300 for it. At some point it was converted to a percussion lock and he wants to convert it back. Personally, I would think it's best to leave it as is.
This is the info he provided:
“The gun is approximately 51" long and the name reads J Hoake I believe. There's some damage to the stock where they converted from flint lock to percussion. They said the conversion was very old. It's not a fancy stock but possibly at that time they weren't spending time on looks. I suspect it may have used during the war of 1812. She thinks it’s .45 caliber(?)”

Anyway, I'd appreciate any input from the pro's on this forum. 1. Price? 2. Restore to flintlock? 3. Where to find someone to restore it?
Just to add to the challenge, we're on the West coast.
Thank you for any help you can provide.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I can’t comment on value because I don’t have the knowledge. The rifle appears to be in pretty good condition. I will suggest a gun with family ties can be very important to someone and be worth more than general market value. Where are you going to find another one?

 

[John Strong]

Well this is interesting. A friend of mine contacted me today about a Jacob Hoake gun. His wife is a descendant of Jacob. Apparently, he is considering purchasing it from her cousin who is asking $2300 for it. At some point it was converted to a percussion lock and he wants to convert it back. Personally, I would think it's best to leave it as is.
This is the info he provided:
“The gun is approximately 51" long and the name reads J Hoake I believe. There's some damage to the stock where they converted from flint lock to percussion. They said the conversion was very old. It's not a fancy stock but possibly at that time they weren't spending time on looks. I suspect it may have used during the war of 1812. She thinks it’s .45 caliber(?)”

Anyway, I'd appreciate any input from the pro's on this forum. 1. Price? 2. Restore to flintlock? 3. Where to find someone to restore it?
Just to add to the challenge, we're on the West coast.
Thank you for any help you can provide.

I am far from a pro but responded to your message to the email address provided with answers to some of your questions. I also sent detailed pictures of three complete Hoak rifles.

I believe Jacob Hoak was born around 1765 and died in 1831. He was never married. He worked in Strasburg PA (Lancaster County). His father was Conrad Hoak, and he also had an uncle named Jacob. There appear to have been multiple Jacobs in the family. Jacob and one other child were from Conrad and his first wife with at least three or four siblings born to Conrad and his second wife. Jacob's mother apparently died early. Some books say that Hoak made 60 locks for the Committee of Safety in 1776. I don't think that is true as he would been around 11 or 12 then. There is not a whole lot of information on him and the earliest reference that I could find on him being a gunsmith was in 1788. He was listed as a freeman on the tax records. I think that he had some association with Issac Haines, but I can find no record to prove that. He was a great engraver, but I have only seen two carved rifles from him. Most Jacob Hoak rifles that I have seen have Sweitzer locks on them and keys on the forestock. If you compare the attributed Mahagony Issac Haines to the Walnut Jacob Hoak, you can see some similarities and make your own conclusions.
The rifle in your pictures appears to have been shortened, lock replaced, and may have been restocked. She will want to figure that out for sure before she puts money into a restoration. The restoration work can become expensive really fast and you can sometimes put more into it than it is worth. At any rate, it is a great piece of history from an uncommon maker. If it were mine, I would enjoy it as it is.
Hope this helps.

 

[CAPTAIN]

Wow, that is a stunning collection!!!