A C Company Colt Walker realized $99,875 in Rock Island Auction Company’s June 21-23 Sporting & Collectors Auction and contributed to the event’s impressive $7,369,100 total. A cased Colt 1851 Navy revolver presented by Samuel Colt to British Admiral Thomas Cochrane garnered $58,750 and earned a worthy second-place showing.

A true collector piece that hovers near the pinnacle of revolver collecting, a C Company Colt Walker brought $99,875 to claim the auction’s top spot.

June’s event, the second Sporting & Collector Auction hosted in RIAC’s new state-of-the-art facility in Bedford, Texas, once again demonstrated the increasing depth and quality found within these fantastic sales. June’s lineup covered every genre and niche in the arms collecting landscape across more than 3,200 lots. With over 10,000 sealed bids and thousands of collectors registered throughout the weekend to participate through Rock Island Live, the company’s live-streaming bid platform, competition was fierce from the start.

Thursday's June 20th Preview Day, the day prior to auction, allowed guests the opportunity to examine the fantastic selection firsthand.

Classic Revolvers

Along with the two historic Colt sixguns mentioned above, classic collectible revolvers across every category excelled. A First Model Colt Dragoon revolver found a strong payday with $12,925, and a Colt SAA Cavalry Model with a Kopec letter and holster rig pulled in an impressive $10,575,  

A Confederate Griswold & Gunnison revolver, one of the rarest and most desirable wheelguns produced by the South during the Civil War, earned a notable $14,100. Enthusiasm for classic revolvers even translated to a modern reproduction of a specific Colt Walker, "E Company No. 86," shooting dramatically past its high estimate and hauling in $9,987.

No shortage of rare revolvers were offered this June, including this Confederate Griswold & Gunnison.

Lever Actions Legends

Lever action longarms, another classic genre from the Western frontier, also shined throughout the weekend. A scarce Colt Model 1883 Burgess rifle in standout condition dashed well past its high estimate to score $29,375. Each day of the auction saw a different Henry rifle earn $23,500, speaking to the numerous opportunities these sales provide arms enthusiasts to add an example of Winchester’s rare predecessor to their collection.

A Winchester Model 1866 saddle ring carbine and an engraved Winchester Model 1873 saddle ring carbine each roped in $11,750, while a special order Winchester Deluxe Model 1894 rifle with a matted barrel, the first of its configuration shipped, took home $12,925.

June's auction saw multiple examples of the Henry rifle go up for bid. Available this June.

Class III Collectibles

For collectors, shooters, and any fan of hard-hitting heavy metal, full-auto firepower always makes a strong impression. June’s Sporting & Collector Auction delivered an arsenal of Class III offerings, including a New Frontier/Maadi ARM that reached $44,062.50 after a volley of fierce bidding.

An Indiana National Guard shipped Colt Model 1921 Tommy gun hit $32,312.50, while an Auto Ordnance/Savage/Numrich Model 1928A1 Tommy gun fought its way to a $29,375 haul. From a Group Industries HR4332 scoring $18,800 to an SWD M11/Nine landing $15,275, machine guns of every style had a red hot showing.

RIAC's June Sporting & Collector Auction offered an abundance of Class IIIs.

Military Arms

20th century military arms rallied big throughout the weekend. A U.S. Springfield Armory Model 1903A1 with a USMC J. Unertl scope struck home with $9,400. A WW2 U.S. Johnson 1941 rifle with accessories stormed ahead for $11,750, while a WW1 French MAS RSC-1917 rifle found its mark with $7,050.

Bringing the boom, a deactivated BSA Boys Mk I anti-tank rifle with Finnish Army markings went over the top for a $7,050 realized price. Military side arms shared in the larger-than-life bidding, like a DWM Model 1902 American Eagle Luger with a reproduction cartridge counter grip and an engraved, cased FN High-Power pistol each shooting to $7,050, while a 1939 Polish Radom VIS-35 pistol more than tripled its estimate to earn $8,813.

A WW2 U.S. Johnson Automatics Model 1941 rifle with an extra barrel, two bayonets, and a U.S.M.C. cartridge belt was just one of four Johnson rifles to turn heads in June.

Notable Antiques

Sporting & Collector Auctions are fantastic opportunities to find all manner of collectible antique firearms, and June’s lineup was no exception. A cased pair of W. Ketland & Co. presentation flintlock pistols gaveled for $10,575, while bidders dueled to win a cased pair of Wogdon pistols for the honorable sum of $9,988.

An engraved and carved M. Fordney signed smoothbore flintlock rifle drew $9,400, and a pair of Jack Haugh contemporary colonial American flintlock rifles went back-to-back for $7,050 and $4,700, hitting above their highs and demonstrating the collecting value afforded by traditional hand craftsmanship.

June's auction offered a wealth of scarce and desirable antique firearms.

Sporting Arms

Sporting arm enthusiasts found fertile hunting over the weekend at Rock Island Auction Company, including a Krieghoff K80 over/under shotgun with an extra barrel that bagged $8,813, a Remington Model 11F Grade Premier shotgun that netted $7,050 and an engraved John Dickson & Son Round Body double gun that hauled in $6,463.

The Blaser K95 Luxus Stutzen rifles in the sale, two finely engraved examples of the desirable hunting platform, both garnered numerous bids from the floor, the phones, and the computer consoles and realized $7,638 and $7,050 respectively. A pre-64 Winchester Model 70 "Super Grade" rifle chambered in .300 Savage shot past its high three times over and landed at a commendable $8,225.

Contemporary Classics

The fun and depth of the collectible arms field were on full display during RIAC’s June auction event. A scarce Dornaus & Dixon Ent. Bren Ten Special Forces "Light" pistol, a limited issue example of the famed 1980s handgun, took home $12,925. Another pistol produced in limited quantities, the Mateba 6 Unica DA Auto-Revolver, found a fine payday with $9,988.

A KGB favorite, the Soviet PSM IZh-75 pocket pistol, saw a strong showing Friday, with a commercial exported example securing $8,225. One of the world’s most famous contemporary firearm models, the Franchi SPAS-12, blasted its way to a $5,581 total, demonstrating the continued interest in not just the iconic Italian shotgun but popular modern arms as a whole.

RIAC's June 21-23 Sporting and Collectors Auction included no shortage of popular modern firearms.

Summer’s Hottest Guns

RIAC’s June 21-23 Sporting & Collectors Auction’s $7,369,100 total not only demonstrates the growth in these engaging sales, but the continued expansion of the collectible arms field as a whole. Rock Island Auction Company’s new venue at 3600 Harwood Rd., Bedford, Texas provides an accessible hub in the heart of a thriving collecting culture, where arms enthusiasts are invited to inspect, handle, and shoulder any of the thousands of items displayed in the company’s 19,000-square-foot preview hall the day before each auction event. With so many rare firearms under one roof, it’s an appealing experience to firearms fans of every collecting aspiration.

This special Ruger 10/22, originally manufactured to raise funds for the USA Shooting Team in 2012 and signed by 15 members of the USA Shooting Team, was one of thousands of exceptional collector guns offered over June's three-day event.

Hot on the heels of June’s success comes RIAC’s August 23-25 Premier Auction, the highest level of history and artistry the industry has to offer. And RIAC’s October 4-6 Sporting & Collector Auction is set to offer another quality lineup of rare arms and militaria to expand your collections. A humble thank you to all our bidders and consignors for making June’s event one to remember. Your passion for collecting is the cornerstone of our continued success.  Thank you again to all who participated, and we’ll see you this August!