I think a lot of us get hung up on how much these cost, and how seldom they come up for sale. We forget that there are individuals who actually own, buy, and sell these, and I believe the OP is asking a serious question. I think, with a name like @2001guns , the OP must be a collector who has a pretty good idea of what he is getting into, and he is casting a wide net in posting his query on this forum. The OP may just want "an original Hawken," or he may have some specific type in mind. We don't know.
I am not part of any sort of "inner circle," but I expect there are a number of Hawken collectors out there who know each other, as @rich pierce suggested in post #14. Maybe get in touch with Phil Meek of GRRW Collector for some suggestions on whom to contact.
If I were seriously looking, I would also haunt the auction sites... daily. Some nice ones do come up for sale now and then. This fine old S. Hawken half-stock was sold by Heritage Auctions for $22,500 in 2017:
I saw this one on the Rock Island Auction website, but failed to note the selling price and now I can't find it again:
It is my understanding the J&S Hawkens of any configuration are rarer and therefore more dear than the "classic" S. Hawken half-stocks. I think a lot of the later S. Hawken-marked rifles were actually built by Watt or Gemmer, who apparently acquired the Hawken name (and S. Hawken stamp) when they bought the shop. Also, not all of the original Hawken rifles made it to the present day in one piece. This one was restored by Robert Browner, and sold for $20,000 in June. 2022:
It was listed on the Invaluable website. The seller's notes indicate Mr. Browner restocked the rifle and replaced the ramrod pipes and barrel wedges, but everything else is evidently original. I think it could easily pass for all-original, although the seller tells us up front that it was restored. Nobody knows Hawkens better than Mr. Browner, and if it were me, I would be happy to own this one, and cheerfully acknowledge that it is a restored original. It's still a Hawken, and the selling price was about half (or less) what you might pay for one that is all-original.
Another category to think about, for collectors, might be high-quality reproductions. The GRRW Collector website referenced above can provide a lot of information about this. However, some might be overlooked. If you have read Baird's and Woodfill's Hawken books, you have probably heard of T.K. Dawson, who operated a one-man shop and built meticulously crafted Hawken rifles in the sixties, at a time when there was no Track of the Wolf or Pecatonica Longrifles to provide parts. I would think his rifles would have collector value in their own right. This T.K. Dawson Hawken was sold through Rock Island Auctions just last month for $4,406. The estimated price was $1,800 - $2,750, so there probably is some demand for these. Compared to the original St, Louis Hawkens, though, this one was a real bargain, and realistically, there are probably fewer Dawson "Hawkens" than there are originals.
One final thought might be to contact museums, such as the Museum of the Fur Trade. They sometimes sell items from their collections if they have duplicates and need the money. Might be worth a shot.
Good luck, sir! If you find one, I hope you'll show it to us!
Notchy Bob
I am not part of any sort of "inner circle," but I expect there are a number of Hawken collectors out there who know each other, as @rich pierce suggested in post #14. Maybe get in touch with Phil Meek of GRRW Collector for some suggestions on whom to contact.
If I were seriously looking, I would also haunt the auction sites... daily. Some nice ones do come up for sale now and then. This fine old S. Hawken half-stock was sold by Heritage Auctions for $22,500 in 2017:
I saw this one on the Rock Island Auction website, but failed to note the selling price and now I can't find it again:
It is my understanding the J&S Hawkens of any configuration are rarer and therefore more dear than the "classic" S. Hawken half-stocks. I think a lot of the later S. Hawken-marked rifles were actually built by Watt or Gemmer, who apparently acquired the Hawken name (and S. Hawken stamp) when they bought the shop. Also, not all of the original Hawken rifles made it to the present day in one piece. This one was restored by Robert Browner, and sold for $20,000 in June. 2022:
It was listed on the Invaluable website. The seller's notes indicate Mr. Browner restocked the rifle and replaced the ramrod pipes and barrel wedges, but everything else is evidently original. I think it could easily pass for all-original, although the seller tells us up front that it was restored. Nobody knows Hawkens better than Mr. Browner, and if it were me, I would be happy to own this one, and cheerfully acknowledge that it is a restored original. It's still a Hawken, and the selling price was about half (or less) what you might pay for one that is all-original.
Another category to think about, for collectors, might be high-quality reproductions. The GRRW Collector website referenced above can provide a lot of information about this. However, some might be overlooked. If you have read Baird's and Woodfill's Hawken books, you have probably heard of T.K. Dawson, who operated a one-man shop and built meticulously crafted Hawken rifles in the sixties, at a time when there was no Track of the Wolf or Pecatonica Longrifles to provide parts. I would think his rifles would have collector value in their own right. This T.K. Dawson Hawken was sold through Rock Island Auctions just last month for $4,406. The estimated price was $1,800 - $2,750, so there probably is some demand for these. Compared to the original St, Louis Hawkens, though, this one was a real bargain, and realistically, there are probably fewer Dawson "Hawkens" than there are originals.
One final thought might be to contact museums, such as the Museum of the Fur Trade. They sometimes sell items from their collections if they have duplicates and need the money. Might be worth a shot.
Good luck, sir! If you find one, I hope you'll show it to us!
Notchy Bob
steg49
