Marlin Brace of One Thousand 39 & 336 Cased Set 100 Years of American Gunmaking Commemorative 1970

SOLD FOR: $2,435.00
LSB#: 
190522DC92, 190522DC93
Make: Marlin
Model: Brace of One Thousand, Cased Set Models 336 & 39 Presentation
Serial Number: 375 (both)
Year of Manufacture: 1970
Caliber: 190522DC92: .22 Short, Long & Long Rifle, 190522DC93: .30-30 Winchester
Action Type: Lever Action, Tube Magazine Fed Rifles
Markings: 
190522DC92: The top of the barrel is marked “Marlin 39 Presentation” and “The Marlin Firearms Co. / NORTH HAVEN, CONN. U.S.A.” in front of the rear sight, the left shoulder is marked “Cal. 22 S, L & LR”, the right shoulder is marked “JM” in oval and “Brace of One Thousand”. The top tang is marked “No 375” and “375” is also stamped on the inside of the barreled portion of the receiver. The left receiver flat has beautiful border and scroll engraving surrounding a buffalo over “-1870-“. The right receiver flat has matching border and scroll engraving surrounding a brass Marlin cowboy medallion marked “MARLIN”, “1870” and “1970”.
190522DC93: The top of the barrel is marked “Marlin 336 Presentation” and “The Marlin Firearms Co. / NORTH HAVEN, CONN. U.S.A.” in front of the rear sight, the left shoulder is marked “Cal. 30-30 Win.”, the right shoulder is marked “JM” in oval and “Brace of One Thousand”. The top tang is marked “No 375”. The left receiver flat has beautiful border and scroll engraving surrounding a buffalo over “-1870-“. The right receiver flat has matching border and scroll engraving surrounding a brass Marlin cowboy medallion marked “MARLIN”, “1870” and “1970”.
Barrel Length: Both barrels are 20″ Octagonal
Sights / Optics: Each rifle has a beaded blade front sight dovetailed to the front of the barrel and a “U”-notch semi-buckhorn leaf and elevator sight with white diamond aiming reference dovetailed to the rear of the barrel.
Stock Configuration & Condition: Each rifle has a two-piece fancy American walnut set with brass capped forend, straight grip, straight comb, brass crescent buttplate and Marlin “bullseye” in the belly.
190522DC92: The forend has no notable wear or damage, only light handling marks and verdigris on the right of the cap which will polish out. The buttstock has a spot of minor scuffing at the toe, another on the left of the wrist at the front edge and a couple of spots of white residue at the heel. Otherwise, the buttstock shows only light handling marks. There are no chips or cracks. The LOP measures 13 1/8″ from the front of the gold colored trigger to the back of the buttplate. The plate has no notable wear or damage, only a couple of spots of minor discoloration which will polish out, in about Excellent condition. Overall, the stocks are in about Fine-plus condition.
190522DC93: The forend has no notable wear or damage, only light handling marks and minor discoloration in the cap which will polish out. The buttstock has a spot of very minor scuffing in front of the bullseye and a patch of slightly more notable scuffing with a couple of light compressions mid-way between the bullseye and the toe. Otherwise, the buttstock shows only light handling marks. There are no chips or cracks. The LOP measures 13 1/4″ from the front of the gold colored trigger to the back of the buttplate. The plate has no notable wear or damage, only a couple of spots of minor discoloration which will polish out, in about Excellent condition. Overall, the stocks are in about Fine-plus condition.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bores are bright and their Micro-Groove rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in either bore.
Overall Condition:
190522DC92: This rifle retains about 97% of its metal finish. The right side of the lever has some scattered finish wear and very light surface erosion (see Our Assessment). The hammer shows light operational wear. Otherwise, there are only light handling marks. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in about Fine-plus condition.
190522DC93: This rifle retains about 98% of its metal finish. The inside of the trigger guard and the finger-loop on the lever have a couple of spots of very minor surface erosion (see Our Assessment) and there is faint operational wear on the lever and hammer. Otherwise, there are only light handling marks. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in about Excellent condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. This rifle has a neat takedown feature that allows the rifle to be disassembled into two pieces within seconds. This rifle has a half-cock safety. The tube magazine holds 15 rounds of .22 Long Rifle. The action is smooth and the trigger is crisp. We have not fired this rifle. As with all previously owned firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: As described by the catalog information for this set, “Matched pair rifles are nestled in a rugged, handsome luggage case featuring polished brass locks with keys (no keys are included with this example) and polished brass corners. The box is tongue and groove construction, covered with rich, buffalo grain vinyl. A full length piano hinge and saddle stitched handle completmeent the richness of these rifles”. The interior of the lid has a green plush padding with a brown vinyl Marlin cowboy logo surrounded by “100 YEARS OF AMERICAN GUNMAKING / MARLIN FIREARMS 1870-1970 / “Brace of One Thousand””. The lettering on the inside of the lid was in gold but has started to fade. The tray portion was originally lined with some sort of green flock but it has been mostly removed and replaced with foam (see Our Assessment). The exterior of the case has minor storage wear and the escutcheon for the mounting screw of the 39’s trigger guard block has pulled through the exterior of the case. Overall, the case is in about Very Good condition. Also included is a vinyl Marlin 100 Years of American Gunmaking poster in about Very Good condition.
Our Assessment: Founded in 1870, Marlin Firearms is one of the longest continually operating American gunmakers which is still producing. From their founding they have been one of the strongest competitors to other well-known companies such as Winchester and Remington, with Winchester no longer producing firearms in American and Remington having acquired Marlin in 2007. In 1970, a limited run of 1,000 of these matched sets was produced to commemorate the centennial of Marlin’s American Gunmaking. With engraving by master engravers Robert Kain and Winston Churchill, beautiful walnut stocks and a nice presentation case, the set is one of the nicest pieces any Marlin aficionado could add to their collection. Unfortunately, the material used to line the tray portion of the case didn’t react well with blued steel and had a tendency to cause the guns to begin to corrode. This set, luckily, appears to have been caught quickly with only minor evidence of this interation between gun and case, and the original coating has been almost completely removed, replaced with a foam pad. This swift action has kept this set in Fine-Excellent condition and the case is still in nice enough shape that it would likely be worth re-lining rather than replacing altogether. For the discerning Marlin collector, this is a rare opportunity at a beautiful and quite well cared for set. Please see our pictures and good luck!
CA Legal or CA Private Party Transferable: These rifles can be transferred/sold in California.