Help us keep this Identification Service alive.
Visit our Shopping Site pages and buy from us direct or visit our Books for Sale pages and buy research materials from one of our affiliates. Proceeds and commissions from these sales - in part - go towards the purchase of additional reference materials and acquisition expenses. You can also order this service online from our Identification Request Page or send a check or money order with your identification request or as a token of gratitude if this site has proven to be helpful to you. If you send a check or money order, please note on the document that it is intended for the "Research Fund".
Additionally, if there is anything that you would like to see on the following pages - in a weaponry identification sense - please feel free to request such and I will try to add additional information as soon as possible.
Please note - buying an item or sending funds does not guarantee a response. Due to overwhelming response to this website, I may not answer directly; I may simply post new material on the website in hope that a published response will answer your question(s).

• If you E-mail or snail-mail any images to me for use in identification of an item, I reserve the right to use - without further contact - those images on my website, without compensation to you (other than my efforts to assist you, however minimal the result may actually be).
• Please do not send single e-mail image files larger than 250kb, or no larger than 500kb total for multiple images; I will not open them.
• Do not send images in compressed file format(s) such as ZIP extension files; once again, I will not open them.
• Send image(s) in JPG/JPEG format only.

Research materials I have available are quite substantial; however, on some items, information within those materials might be quite sparse. If you choose to snail-mail images, please make sure you have copies or your originals retained for yourself. We do not return images in any format and they become the property of Arms to Armor - The History Store without compensation to you for any use - past, present, or future.

If sending a check or money order, please mail, payable to:

The History Store
P.O. Box 160
Llano, Texas 78643

If you have a specific identification question, please see our Identification Request Page.

If you are wanting to buy antique or collectible flasks, please visit our Online Store and view our Flasks for Sale page.

You can also buy research materials from one of our affiliates at our Books for Sale pages.

Oak Leaf Designs

Shell Designs

Hanging Game

Deer Scenes

Violin Shapes

Foliage Designs

Plain Flasks

Colt and Other Pistol Related

Horse Designs

Other Animals

Dog and Hunting Scenes

Birds

Medallion Designs

Geometric Patterns

Fluted Designs

US Military Issue

Panel Designs

Leather Covered

Story & Fable

Powder Horns

Miscellaneous

Below are the images of selected powder flasks used mainly in the early to mid-1800s. I will add to this from time to time - mainly upon request - when identification of a certain item is requested.
My intent is to help the novice collector, not to help line the pockets of pseudo antique dealers.
The best advice I can offer to the novice collector is, "READ BOOKS."
There are a number of wonderful books available and below I have listed some of my favorites.
AGAIN, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

List of Books:

By far, the best reference on the subject of powder flasks and related is The Powder Flask Book by Ray Riling - R & R Books, Publishers

"Treating of the History & Use of the Flask as a Principal Accessory to the Firearm, From It's Inception, Through the Ages, Until the Popular Acceptance of the Metallic Cartridge, & Giving Emphasis to the Powder Flasks on the 19th Century, Noting Their Significance & Values For Shooters & Collectors of Antique Arms and Flasks With An Introductory Chapter by Harold L. Peterson (noted firearm specialist and author) This is a large heavy book with a beautiful dustjacket containing over 1600 illustrations of powder flasks & 50 illustrations of rare arms. A classic! Contains added material on pouches, cappers, chargers & measurers. 450 pages, illustrated."

Below is a "rule-of-thumb" chart for determining what your flask may have been used with:

Shotguns
• 4 drams - 10 gauge
• 3-1/4 drams - 12 gauge
• 2-3/4 drams - 16 gauge
• 2-1/2 drams - 20 gauge
• 1 dram - .410 gauge
  
  Rifles
• 3 to 3-1/2 drams - .69 caliber
• 2 to 2-1/2 drams - .58 caliber
• 1-3/4 drams - .54 caliber
• 1-1/2 drams - .50 caliber
• 1 dram - .45 caliber
  
  Pistols
• 1-1/2 drams - .50 caliber
• 1 dram - .41 to .45 caliber
• 3/4 dram - .36 to .38 caliber
• 1/2 dram - .30 to .32 caliber
• 1/4 dram - .22 caliber