Historic Guns Head to Auction Block

by
posted on December 16, 2016
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
si-news-2015-5-28-15.jpg (62)

Historic firearms associated with the both famous and infamous continue to attract interest (and large sums of money) from investors and collectors, and next week, guns with ties to Tom Horn, Pancho Villa and Calamity Jane will be offered to the highest bidder.

A rare engraved Remington Model 1890 single-action .44-caliber revolver (Serial No. 1254) presented to the notorious Wyoming “gun for hire,” Tom Horn, who was tried, convicted and subsequently hanged for murdering a 14-year-old boy in 1901. The gun was gifted to Horn by John C. Coble, who acted as the gunman’s biographer and also paid for the majority of Horn’s legal defense, coffin, gravestone and all funeral expenses and publishing costs of his book.

In addition to its provenance, the firearm model is one of the most rare of Remington revolvers, with only 2,020 made from 1891-1896.

Starting bid for the Horn gun is $30,000, and it is expected to fetch between $60,000-$80,000 at the Dec. 19, 2016, Altermann Galleries auction in Santa Fe, NM.

Also part of the New Mexico auction are a Remington Model 1875 single-action .44-caliber inscribed to Pancho Villa and a Hopkins & Allen Ranger .32-caliber in a clamshell purse holster that belonged to Old West character Calamity Jane.

As an example of other historic firearms attracting the attention of collectors in recent years, on June 14, 2014, an 1873 Colt .45 revolver belonging to frontier scout and showman “Buffalo Bill” Cody sold at auction in Dallas for more than $40,000. In 2012, another pistol belonging to Cody when he was a scout for the U.S. Army during the American Indian Wars sold for $240,000.

Also in 2014, the Colt .45 revolver that Tombstone, Ariz. lawman Wyatt Earp reportedly carried during the O.K. Corral shootout fetched $225,000 during an auction at J. Levine Auction and Appraisal in Scottsdale.

In June 2012, a rare 12-gauge Parker Brothers shotgun that Annie Oakley once used to dazzle Queen Victoria fetched the hefty sum of $143,400 at auction. Made by Parker Brothers, the gun accompanied the sharpshooting celebrity when she traveled to England with Cody’s famed Wild West show in 1887. In addition, Oakley’s Marlin .22-caliber rifle went for $83,650, and her iconic Stetson hat brought $17,925.

On the more notorious side, two guns carried by gangsters Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow when they were ambushed and killed by law enforcement officers in 1934 went for a cool half-million at auction in 2012. Parker’s .38-caliber Colt Detective Special found taped to her thigh sold for $264,000, while Barrow’s Colt 1911 .45 sold for $240,000 to the same bidder, whose name was not revealed by the auction company.

Check out the auction for more information.

Latest

Ruger LCP Max Thumb Safety
Ruger LCP Max Thumb Safety

First Look: Ruger LCP Max With Thumb Safety

Add a little more peace of mind to a popular pocket pistol.

I Carry: Wilson Combat Division 77 Project 1 9mm Pistol in a Galco Holster

In this special Independence Day episode of "I Carry," we have the new Wilson Combat Division 77 Project 1 pistol carried in a Galco Concealable 2.0 Belt Holster along with a Galco SB& Fancy Stitched Belt and Double Magazine Carrier.

First Look: Viktos Counteract 15 CCW Backpack

Built from the ground up for everyday carry.

Ruger Acquires Anderson Manufacturing

Ruger will integrate Anderson’s capabilities into its broader operations.

Review: Sunshine Safety Emergency Medical Gear

Because there's more than one way to be your own first responder.

First Look: CMMG Zeroed Suppressors

CMMG extends the Zeroed line of accessories into the world of suppressors.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Illustrated delivered to your inbox.