I am looking at buying a particular wall hanger, that the seller says is a circa 1850 Kentucky rifle converted from flint to percussion.

As I am a rookie when it comes to old collectible muzzleloaders, can anyone give me a heads up of what to look for???

It DOES NOT have a patchbox, wood is in "good" condition, with a little pitting around the breech. otherwise in good shape. Seller is asking $450.

Any thoughts????

I'm long-time NMLRA . . .maybe I can help....
If it's been converted, it doesn't have a lot of collector value.  It's hard (as with any rifle) to put a value on in sight-unseen, or without more data.  Offhand, it sounds a little high if all you want is a wall hanger.  If you want, I can point you toward resources that could tell you more....let me know.  And btw...drop a ramrod down the bore before you start fussing with it...some of those old ones were left loaded, and they'll go off after 50 years.

Celt -

I'd DEFINITELY be interested in any resources you might be able to hook me up with. Thanks.

Anything else out there is a thousand dollars. Which is a little pricey, to me.

My understanding is that lots of them were converted. The lock is engraved "Henry Parker Warranted" which by my limited search, was a common lock maker of the day.

E-mail me, so we can discuss further.

thanks.