4439 HISTORIC 1837 DATED JACOB KUNZ RIFLE MADE FOR

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[?]Live Online Auction Starts In 2025 May 11 @ 10:00 (UTC-04:00 : AST/EDT)
Category Firearms & Military
Auction Currency USD
Start Price 2,000.00 USD
Estimated at 4,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD
FAMOUS TRICK SHOOTING SIAMESE TWINS Cal. 54. NSN. 53" overall, 36" octagonal to round smooth bore rifle signed on top barrel flat "J KUNZ PHILAD". The large engraved brass patchbox is inscribed "1837 / CHANG & ENG / PHILAD". Chang and Eng made the term "Siamese twins" part of current vocabulary. As teenagers they were part of PT Barnum's famous sideshow. Consigner has put together a nice display board showing an entry from 1837, Kunz pistols and new stock for rifle, 4 lbs powder, 4 lbs lead, and five boxes of percussion caps, along with copies of woodcuts showing the famous twins shooting rifles. Chang & Eng Bunker (1811-1874) born in Siam (Thailand) were brought to America and became the most studied anatomies of the 19th century. They toured with different managers including PT Barnum from 1829-1832 but did not like their treatment in "freak shows" and were cheated by their managers. They decided to tour on their own, exhibiting their athletic and shooting prowess. They held conversations in dignified parlor settings in English. In 1839 with large financial success, they retired from show business and moved to Mt. Airy, NC, became slave owning American citizens, married local sisters, and fathered 21 children. By 1845 they were one of the wealthiest families in Surry County, each having a home that they would go back and forth every few days with children and wives holding up the households. They lived in luxury as plantation owners in 1850 with fancy luxury goods with servants and slaves. When the Civil War came, they did their patriotic duty, sending two sons into Confederate service, and buying Confederate bonds which became worthless after the war and they lost considerable portion of their wealth. They would take up touring again taking several of their children with them. There is an annual family reunion for descendants of Chang & Eng, totaling close to 2000 currently, with several prominent names. There has been much written about the original Siamese twins, including several scholarly books of which five are included in this lot. There is also a World War 2 history written by Major General Vance Haynes who was one of Chang's many grandsons. Chang & Eng are buried in Baptist Church cemetery in Mt. Airy. UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: large file of research and large tri-fold display board, small circa 1850 Staffordshire figure of the twins, 1829 Newspaper with account of twins being charged with assault, 19th century woodcut of Chang & Eng with their wives and many children, Chang & Eng commemorative shot glass, and 5 biographies of Chang & Eng. CONDITION: good to very good overall, old broken sliver of wood forward of lock, good markings, lock cleaned to gray, barrel has dark iron patina. (01-26461/JS). ANTIQUE. $4,000-8,000.