Milestone knocks down $2.5M at busy Premier Collectible Firearms Auction

P & D Moll Allentown (Pa.) brass-barreled and brass-mounted flintlock pistol with manufacturer’s name marked on barrel, .42 caliber smoothbore, manufactured circa 1820. Lock marked ‘C. BIRD & Co PHILAD, WARRANTED.’ Sold for $45,630 against an estimate of $4,000-$6,500

WILLOUGHBY, Ohio – Sometimes lightning does strike twice in the same place. As the days grew closer to Milestone’s March 11-12 Premier Collectible Firearms Auction, company co-owner Miles King felt increasingly certain that the sale’s top entries might achieve the same sort of estimate-defying prices as those paid at the March 2022 edition of their Premier sale. His hunch was right on the money. The high-powered lineup of antique, military, sporting and civilian arms with a timeline spanning the Civil War through Vietnam era attracted a gung-ho field of bidders and closed the books at a hefty $2.5 million – exactly what Milestone’s March Premier sale had grossed one year ago. All prices quoted in this report include the buyer’s premium.

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Teddy Roosevelt’s silver watch, Sitting Bull portrait lead Blackwell’s March 18 auction

Caroline Weldon (Swiss/American, 1844-1921), oil-on-canvas portrait of Lakota Sioux leader Sitting Bull (1831-1890), painted from life in 1890. Artist-signed and dated LR, identified at LL corner as ‘Sitting Bull.’ Size: 27 x 22in (sight), 35½ x 30½ in (framed). Provenance: Railroad engineer William Lafayette Darling, thence by descent to consignor. Estimate $40,000-$80,000
Theodore Roosevelt’s American Waltham pocket watch in a coin-silver case. Gifted to him in 1898 by his sister Corinne Roosevelt Robinson and engraved inside cover: ‘THEODORE ROOSEVELT’ and ‘From D.R. and C.R.R.’ Watch is referenced in detail in a thank-you letter published in Corinne Roosevelt Robinson’s 1924 book ‘My Brother Theodore Roosevelt.’ Estimate $100,000-$200,000

CLEARWATER, Fla. – America’s rich cultural history is laced with heroes and scalawags, blue-blooded entrepreneurs and immigrant achievers who rose from the humblest beginnings. All who contributed to the colorful tapestry of our 246-year-old nation – whether saintly or scurrilous – are part of our nation’s story, which serves as the backdrop for Blackwell Auctions’ March 18 event titled “The American Sale.” Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Milestone’s March 11-12 Firearms Auction features top-notch antique, military & civilian rarities

High-condition Deluxe large-frame Bullard rifle made 1886-1890, .40-.75 caliber, Serial No. 575, one of the finest lever-action rifles from this production period. Very scarce full octagon barrel with half magazine. Bullard address stamped on left side of frame, caliber stamped on bridge. Short production run attributable to time and attention that had to be given to each of these customized rifles. Exceedingly high-condition example, tip to tail. Estimate $13,000-$18,000

WILLOUGHBY, Ohio – Milestone’s first Premier Collectible Firearms Auction of 2023, slated for March 11-12, promises to be a crowd-pleaser with its high-caliber selection of US, British, German, French and Japanese productions. The 1,452-lot selection is led by superior-quality antique, military and civilian arms from long-held collections. Many of the consignments are fresh to the market, and in keeping with Milestone’s tradition, there are excellent examples to suit every pocketbook and special interest. The auction follows a historical timeline that starts in the 18th century and progresses to contemporary conflicts. Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.

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Antique firearms to muster at Bruneau auction, Feb. 22

Mid-17th-century German Wheelock sporting carbine, estimated at $2,000-$4,000
Mid-17th-century German Wheelock sporting carbine, estimated at $2,000-$4,000
Mid-17th-century German Wheelock sporting carbine, estimated at $2,000-$4,000

CRANSTON, R.I. – Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers’ online-only Historic Arms & Militaria auction, scheduled for Wednesday, February 22 and starting at 6 pm Eastern time, is a well-rounded sale, with objects that are affordable for the beginning collector as well as the most advanced. Areas of focus for its 300 lots include the Civil War, World Wars I and II and modern firearms. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Personal items from legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley to be auctioned March 18

1926 check handwritten and hand-signed by Annie Oakley Butler, her married name

CLEARWATER, Fla. – On March 18, 2023, Blackwell Auctions will offer several items personally owned by Annie Oakley, including an engraved carriage clock gifted to her for her birthday during her European tour in 1901. Several other items will also be offered, including 16 books that were owned – and, in some cases, signed – by Oakley, including a book inscribed to her husband by the author, bandleader John Philip Sousa. The collection also boasts a personal check, signed by Oakley shortly before her death, made out to her niece.

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Morphy’s Nov. 15-16 Extraordinary Firearms & Militaria Auction targets rarest and best

Pair of circa-1978 Ivo Fabbri (Italian) sidelock side-by-side 12-gauge shotguns, custom made with engraved mythological and fantasy scenes by Claudio Tomasoni. The duo has been featured twice on the cover of American Shotgunner magazine (April 1981, June 1986). Beautiful pair of game guns exhibiting the world’s highest standard of quality and design from a company that makes only around 30 firearms per year. Presented in fine two-gun leather luggage case. Estimate $60,000-$90,000

DENVER, Pa. – Two days of unprecedented buying opportunities await bidders at Morphy Auctions’ Nov. 15-16 Extraordinary Firearms & Militaria Auction. A breathtaking 800-lot selection of rare military and civilian arms follows a timeline that runs from the early 18th century through contemporary times. Several lots are historically significant, with ties to Civil War legends and even “The King” himself, Elvis Presley. Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.

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Antique Colts, WWII Lugers featured Oct. 29-30 at Milestone firearms auction

Colt pinched-frame .45-caliber Single-Action Army Revolver manufactured in 1874 and one of a shipment of 15 guns sent to J.P. Moores & Sons (NYC) that year. Accompanied by 1985 letter of documentation from Colt factory historian. NRA Silver Medal winner in 1989. Estimate $40,000-$65,000

WILLOUGHBY, Ohio – Over the weekend of October 29-30, Milestone Auctions in suburban Cleveland will host an exciting 1,469-lot Premier Collectible Firearms sale featuring the types of antique, military and civilian weapons hobbyists yearn for. As always, there will be excellent examples to suit every pocketbook, with a historical timeline that starts in the pre-Revolutionary War era and advances through every successive conflict of the centuries to follow. Absentee and online bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Antique Colts reigned at Milestone’s $2M Premier Collectible Firearms Auction

Colt Model 1861 Navy Revolver, manufactured 1863, 7½in barrel, caliber .36 percussion. One of fewer than 39,000 produced. Compartmented, velvet-lined case with powder flask, bullet mold, cartridges and tin of percussion caps. Sold for $18,600 against an estimate of $10,000-$15,000

WILLOUGHBY, Ohio – On June 17-18, 2022, Milestone Auctions held a 1,450-lot live webcast sale of rare military, police, Old West, Civil War, NFA and other collectible and historical firearms, closing the books at $2 million. Online bidding was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.

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Morphy’s July 12-14 Collectible Firearms & Militaria Auction traverses 4-century timeline

After Rembrandt Peale (1778-1860), unsigned circa-19th-century portrait of George Washington in his Continental uniform. Paper tag on verso notes painting was relined and restored in 1931 by Hannah Horner Field, Upper Darby, Pa. Framed size: 25 x 29in. Estimate $70,000-$100,000

DENVER, Pa. – Morphy’s July 12-14 Collectible Firearms & Militaria Auction serves as a grand showcase for 1,471 lots of expertly vetted antique and vintage weapons and relics, many with noteworthy provenance. The top-notch selection follows a four-century timeline, starting with 17th-century weaponry and traversing history through European wars, the American colonial and Revolutionary War period, the Civil War, World Wars I and II, and the modern era. In addition, there are numerous specialty categories which include sporting arms and ammunition; (55) swords, (25) cannons, Nuremberg lockboxes, Native American weapons and art; and the Doug Everhart collection of Derringers. The militaria section is distinguished by six very special lots containing war heroes’ Purple Hearts. Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.

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World auction records shattered at Morphy’s $7M Firearms auction

Important identified Revolutionary War New England fusil (musket) inscribed on metal tag ‘Made By DB For B. Bacon 1776,’ referring to Benjamin Bacon Sr. (1726-1807), who served throughout the war as a captain in the 21st Connecticut Militia and responded to the Lexington alarm. Manufacture attributed to Deacon Barrett. Sold for $50,400

DENVER, Pa. – Intense interest in weapons of war from the Revolutionary War period through the modern era was the driving force behind Morphy’s barnburner of a firearms sale, May 17 and 18. With expectations of reaching $1.5 million, the two sessions – one titled Early Arms and Militaria, and the other, Extraordinary Firearms – combined to total more than $7 million. Spectacular prices were paid for Class III guns, which are strictly controlled and require NFA registration. Three of the 100+ Class III lots offered in the sale reached individual prices in excess of $100,000. Absentee and Internet live bidding was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.

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