DENVER, Penn. — An incredibly rare Winchester 1876 Deluxe, built in 1876, numbered 724 and designated ‘1 of 1000’ for its exceptional accuracy and build quality, achieved top dollar at Morphy Auctions October 25 as part of the Paul Friedrich collection. Complete results are available at LiveAuctioneers.

‘1 of 1000’ Winchesters simply never come up at auction, and particularly not in this condition. Inscribed One Of One Thousand at the factory, the rifle hammered for $280,000 and sold for $358,400 with buyer’s premium.

Built in 1892, a factory-engraved Colt Sheriff’s Model single-action revolver shipped to the Dunlay & Geisler gun store in Houston, Texas was another top earner. D&G was a top Colt dealer during the period, ordering numerous guns for use by local law enforcement in Texas. Estimated at $100,000-$150,000, the Colt hammered at $190,000, or $243,200 with buyer’s premium.

Douglas Sheldon is a Colt .38 ‘automatic pistol’ expert, having literally written the definitive book on the subject. According to his examination of Colt production records, only 23 prewar Super Match .38s were made with factory engraving, and of those, only seven were blued and shipped with pearls. This example was known to bidders for its rarity, and it rose steadily from an opener of $50,000 to land at $120,000, or $153,600 with buyer’s premium.

This Colt .45 with a 5.5in barrel and simply outstanding factory engraving comes with a who’s-who list of historic gun collectors as previous owners. It hammered for $95,000, or $121,600 with buyer’s premium.