Houston,

A Dr Lobowski has the original Sharps Factory Records. He will look the number up and tell you over the phone any information contained in them F.O.C. If you want the carbine 'lettered', I understand the fee is in the $200.00 area. Such a letter adds provenance to the carbine and will increase it's value. 

There were a very large number of these slant breech percussion Sharps made in different calibres, and barrel lengths. Frank Sellers book of Sharps Firearms is well worth reading for information on this carbine and indeed virtually all Sharps Rifles made. You must be very sure of the model type before you give the good Doc the serial number, otherwise the information you get will not necessarily be correct. 

I don't have Dr. Lobowski's phone contact number to hand but I'm sure someone will 'chip in' with it. 

Approximately 80 John Brown serial numbers are known. The number that is consecutive to your friends is 11680. The fact that your friends is one digit off is interesting, but in a case like this close doesn't count. For example, the serial number range of these 80 numbers runs from the lowest 11680 to the highest, 18333. 

This is proof that Sharps (as well as Colt, S&W, etc.) did not manufacture, pack, ship, and distribute guns is exact numerical order. 

John Gross

Not to be argumentative but exactly how are the John Brown numbers known. Did Sharps ship to John Brown with numbers shown in the factory records ? Was there a official inquiry after Harper's Ferry were the numbers were recorded ? Is there some way to separate the guns shipped to Kansas with the ones actually used by John Brown ?

Around here lot of Civil War history, buyers and sellers. More inflated the claim is less likely it's true. On that site he has  Enfield Rifles with exorbitant claims . South Africa was awash with Enfields in the 70's You could buy them at flea markets for 20 bucks and no way at all to tell them from Enfields purchased by the Confederacy

Here is a cut and paste from the Kansas Historical Society.  "Although Beecher's Bible is the most common name for the Sharps rifles and considerable numbers were shipped as books and Bibles, there is some evidence they were also shipped as other items, such as machinery and medicine. The total number of Sharps that reached Kansas between 1854 and 1858 will probably never be known. Fragmentary records indicate somewhere around 900 to 1,000 Sharps were purchased for the border conflict."

Buyer beware

Boats

And that makes it a fact ? Were did Sellers get his information.

If the factory record says John Brown then I would believe it. Look on the web lot of John Brown Rifles for sale amazing so many survived or did they. Look at the Kansas historical society web site they say the information is sketchy. Fact is 1853's are often called "John Brown Sharps" 

Experenced CW collectors don't buy the story.

Boats

Here is the problem.  

It's well known that many Sharps 1853 Carbines were sent to Abolitionist in the border states. And John Brown was no doubt armed by Abolitionist

His purpose at Harper's Ferry was to capture the Arsenal and obtain weapons to arm a Slave Insurrection in Virginia.  The raid itself was carried out by 20 men.  The engine house they retreated to after confrontation with the local Militia is very small, looking at it today 20 would have been a crowd. 

You would have to presume 20 men attacking the Arsenal would not have carried 80 odd Sharps Rifles if the purpose was to carry off more rifles. In fact they were not all armed with Sharps. Brown had a pair of pistols that were handed down from General Layfette as some sort of good luck charm.

When JEB Stuart stormed the Engine house two of the Marines were killed, Came out in the trial one was killed by Brown with a Sharps 1853, long after known as the "John Brown Model"

Go forward to the 20th century. The story gets told and re-told. Now 20 men had 80 Rifles and on the internet today dozens of the 80 are for sale. Few say exactly the rifle listed was the "one" most say it was "like the one"

Not knocking Sellers, he was a Sharps expert, not a Civil War Historian. The story on 80 individual serial numbered rifles does not stand the test of Common sense to anyone who has been there and looked at the ground

Look in the Sharps records find that a particular rifle was shipped to John Brown perhaps. Court records may show the number of the rifle he used to kill the Marine possibly,  otherwise it's just a story that's used to sell 1853's at high prices

Boats

Understand and hope I did not come off too hard on the subject.  Have been a civil war history student for 50 years now. Living in Virginia it's a popular pastime. Always look at all possable sides of any story then apply the what do I think rule.  That's not to say what I think is right it's just opinion based on looking at the topic from many sides. 

Shame of it is so easy to counterfeit Confederate articles that it's almost impossible to say for sure something is real or not so real.  For example if a Blockade runner landed Enfields at Wilmington NC and the Army needed them urgently, would they have gone to the Fayetteville Arsenal for a stamp before being shipped North ? I doubt it. Or did another Enfield with the JS/Anchor stamp get it in 1862 or 1962. Can we tell if a 1962 stamp is real in 2013 50 years later.

Look at this description from a well known shop for a CS Richmond Musket.  Gen Jackson captured the Arsenal at Harper's Ferry and carried wagon loads of rifles and parts back to Richmond were they were assembled into CS Richmond 1863 Muskets.   If you look in the Virginia Museum at a dozen CS Richmond 1863's side by side it's obvious they were hand assembled from parts with no uniformity at all.  So fact that it has a Iron US marked butt plate means nothing. Did the Virginia Arsenal throw a good steel US buttplate away to cast a brass one, I don't think so.

"24308BER C.S. Richmond Confederate Musket, Dated 1863, 40" Barrel, Gun Appears To Be All Confederate Except For The Stock, Stock Is For An 1855 Cut For Tape Primer Inside Of Lock, For end And Butt plate Should Not Be Iron Or Marked U.S. On Top Of Butt plate" 

Anyway 1853 Sharps is a nice gun to have.

Boats

When we read about historical events 150 years later seems the authors always have an agenda

Political, support there point of view
Personal, identify with some relative
Commercial, link some item to the event in order to boost the price
Or just a good readable book

The slave insurrections are interesting by themselves without being too concerned about what type of rifle was used.  In South Side Virginia we had the Nat Turner Rebellion with Militia's raised after the nucleus of Civil war regiments raised years later.

Harpers Ferry is well worth a visit too.

Boats