A British Brown Bess musket believed to have been present at the battles that began the American Revolution is up for auction during Skinner’s November Historic Arms & Militaria sale. The British 1756 Long Land Service Musket is one of a host of colonial era firearms and militaria up for sale at the auction.

Close up of the lock of the Long Land Service Musket, marked 4th Regiment of Foot (Skinner Auctions)

The 1756 Long Land Service Musket is marked 4th Regiment of Foot (the King’s Own Regiment) and is believed to have been present at the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775. The auction lot description explains:

The gun was found in a barn in Massachusetts and was sold by Norm Flayderman in 1978. May 21, 1774, returns of the Kings Own Regiment show that guns were issued to them on January 19th, 1765. There is a good possibility that this gun saw service on April 19th, 1775, the first day of the American Revolution. The light infantry and grenadier companies were on the expedition to Concord that day. The grenadier companies carried the 1756 long land pattern musket, as did the battalion companies that marched out of Boston with Percy’s relief column. With the gun is a binder with information about the gun including the original catalog listing and the restoration work that was done on the gun.

Smith & Wesson Number 1 Lever-action Repeating Pistol (Skinner)

The musket is part of the Bill Ahearn collection, Ahearn wrote Muskets of the Revolution and French & Indian Wars, and British Military Long Arms in Colonial America. There are a number of other rare British, French and American muskets from Ahearn’s collection including a British Pattern 1730 Long Land Service Musket (valued at $25,000), a French Model 1768 Musket with 2nd New Hampshire Battalion Markings (valued at $15,000) and a Pennsylvania Committee of Safety Contract Musket Made by Henry Voigt (valued at $7,000).

Continental Holster Pistol (Skinners Auctions)

The auction also includes over 400 items from the collections of David F Post and Ed Vebell which include a collection of Civil War era weapons, 19th century Colt revolvers, Winchester rifles and other flintlock weapons from the 18th and 19th centuries.

You can find full listings for the auction, which takes place on 2nd November, here.