Redhawk is right. If it is an orginal it will be worth serval thousands of dollars, and I would have it appraised by someone that: 1- really knows what its worth, and 2- can tell you if it is a knock off that someone is trying to portray as an original.

If you brother is looking at getting a cap n ball reproduction, most run for less than $200 new. The problem with any used black powder gun, is that often the orignal owner didn' t clean it properly, so check the barrel and cylinder very carefully for corrosion.

If he' s planning on shooting it - orginals must be checked over throughly by a good gun smith. Used reproductions should too, just it case the orignal owner did something stupid. I' ve got an article on my site that covers the basics of cap-n-ball shooting.