[PetahW]

WOW ! A nice & rare rifle - worth considerable ka-ching.

SN C19156 would have been one of the latest Sharps New Model 1863 built as a .52cal breechloader using paper cartridges.

AFAIK after 100,000 were built a "C" prefix was used in the SN - so SN C19156 represents the 119,156th New Model built.

The Sharps carbine was the most significantly utilized carbine of the Civil War, it was a single shot percussion breechloader using paper cartridge and and revolutionized hand weaponry at the time.
As manufactured by Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Co., Hartford, Connecticut, serial numbers for the "New Model 1863" generally run 75,000 to 140,000, some overlap with other models.
The Model 1863, reflected only minor improvements over the Model 1859, mostly elimination of the patchbox. Standard features include an iron buttplate, iron loading lever serves as a trigger guard, one iron band, percussion nipple was designed to utilize a tape primer system that did not work very well and was usually disabled, but conventional cap served effectively, hinged Sharps sight, saddle bar and riding ring on left side, rifling with six lands and grooves

The "E.A.W." is a Civil War era Inspector's mark.

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