Understanding Firearm Markings and Proof Marks
Proof marks, inspectors’ stamps and barrel addresses are the documents collectors read when paper records are silent.
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Understanding Firearm Markings
Proof marks, barrel addresses and inspector stamps, and how to read them with confidence.
Proof housesSerial placementMaker marks
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The History of American Gunmakers
Regional traditions and industrial makers, and how their work is distinguished.
Regional schoolsFactory recordsMaker attribution
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Preserving Historical Firearms
Climate, storage and cleaning practice, with an emphasis on restraint over correction.
HumidityStorageSurface care
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Researching Provenance and Authenticity
Building a documentation file that supports the object and protects its value.
Factory lettersAuction recordsDocumentation
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All Collector's Guides
The History of American Gunmakers
From Connecticut valley workshops to the great arms factories, American gunmaking grew out of craft traditions and interchangeable parts.
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Preserving Historical Firearms Properly
The most common preservation mistake is doing too much. A measured approach to storage and cleaning protects both condition and value.
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Researching Provenance and Authenticity
A documented history lifts an object from interesting to important. Here is a practical method for building a provenance file.
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Reading Condition Honestly Across Decades
Originality is a spectrum, not a switch. Learning to recognize period wear is the collector’s most practical skill.
Read article →Studying a Specific Firearm?
Send us the markings and configuration and we will suggest the references most likely to help.