December 2024 Premier Firearms Auction

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Click to view December's Highlight Portfolio

The most complete and historic offering of Colt firearms in a lifetime draws from seven legendary collections in Rock Island Auction’s Dec. 6-8 Premier Auction in Bedford, Texas. The finest and rarest examples from the collections of Brig and Louise Pemberton, Charles Marx, Robert M. Lee, Greg Lampe, George Lewis, TTT and Andrew Singer will cross the podium and awe collectors.

Outstanding and rare examples of Samuel Colt’s earliest revolver, the Paterson, lead the lineup of extraordinary Colts brought together through 250 years of collecting, ranging from a Colt Baby Paterson No. 1 to a rare and exceptional Paterson No. 1 Ring lever percussion revolving rifle to a rare two-digit serial number Texas Paterson No. 5 Holster Model.

This impressive roster of Patersons leads right into a remarkable succession of historic and exquisite Colt revolvers including a presentation cased Colt Model 1860 Army presented by Colt Vice President R.W.H. Jarvis to Union surgeon Dr. John J. Milhau from the Lampe Collection, an 1871-72 Open Top, finest known .45 caliber “pinched frame” Single Action Army, and extraordinary embellished Colt Single Action Army revolvers like Wilbur Glahn’s Factory Master Grade C engraved First Generation Frontier Six Shooter and others decorated by legendary masters like L.D. Nimschke and Cuno Helfricht. The lineup is simply jaw-dropping.

An exemplary array of Winchester rifles include an exciting lineup of Model 1866 rifles topped by a deluxe factory engraved and gold plated Winchester Model 1866 Second Model and an ultra-rare exhibition grade Conrad Ulrich engraved and signed Winchester Model 1866 musket.  They are joined by what is considered by many the finest factory engraved Winchester 1885 High Wall Schuetzen rifle and an outstanding and documented early production special order Winchester Deluxe Model 1894 with scarce casehardened receiver.

Bespoke sporting arms abound in the auction. A magnificent trio of J. Purdey & Sons 28 gauge shotguns signed and engraved by Master Engravers Giancarlo and Stefano Pedretti highlights the roster as well as a set of 11 boxed factory engraved gold inlaid and consecutively serial numbered “Ultra Set” of Winchester Model 70 Ultra Grade Feather Light bolt action rifles and a pair of stunning factory engraved Westley Richards rifles.

Among historic guns available will be a documented British Long Sea Service flintlock pistol inscribed as owned by Revolutionary War traitor Benedict Arnold, a documented Battle of the Little Bighorn era U.S. Springfield Model 1873 Trapdoor recovered from the 7th Cavalry in 1877, a U.S. Army test trials Colt Model 1907 semi-automatic pistol and a Colt Single Action Army with eagle carved grips presented as a gift by President Theodore Roosevelt to friend James R. Gregory.

 Modern firearms range from desirable variants of the Colt Model 1911, Lugers from the Jan Still Collection and the extremely rare FN M240 general purpose belt-fed machine gun that propels a fierce lineup of Class III firearms.