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Rock Island Auction Company sales: a garniture of arms
presented to Napoleon Bonaparte that gaveled for $2.88
million in December 2021 and King Louis XIII’s royal
presentation wheellock that achieved $881,250 in August 2024.
But there are also no shortage of pieces from European
masters like Nicolas-Noël Boutet, Gastinne Renette,
Henry Nock, or Durs Egg that command impressive
prices based solely on their exceptional artistic merit.
Many of the most valuable firearms come from elite
collections, and Rock Island Auction Company’s August’s
Auction provides abundant examples. Highlights include
pinnacle pieces from The Charles Marx Collection, The Brig
& Louise Pemberton Collection, The Greg Lampe Collection,
The Norman R. Blank Collection, The Andrew Singer
Collection, The Mac McCroskie Collection, The George S.
Lewis Jr. Collection, The Andrew Singer Collection, The Jim
C. Eplen Collection, The Robert M. Lee Collection, and The
Nick Shannon Collection, and more. Every genre of the pursuit
is well-represented, from engraved masterworks, frontier
classics, silver screen icons, and historic cornerstones like the
ornate presentation flintlock belonging to South American
revolutionary Simón Bolívar, the first time this monumental
firearm has ever been offered to the collecting public.
New records have been set in nearly every area of arms
collecting, and the sector’s extensive overlap with popular
disciplines such as Western art, celebrity memorabilia, the
decorative arts field, and historic military collecting
has helped fuel an impressive uptrend in this thriving
alternative asset class. As demand continues
to grow, anyone seeking to add collectibles to
their portfolio would be wise to consider the fine
firearms market, where the patient investor will
discover a high ceiling, a wealth of opportunity,
and some of the finest treasures money can buy.
The increased competition to own these giants in the genre can be illustrated by
examples like “The Millikin Dragoon,” a cased percussion Colt in immaculate
condition. The prized revolver earned $805,000 in 2011 with Heritage Auctions,
only to more than double that sum eight years later with Rock Island Auction
Company, breaking into seven-digit territory with an impressive $1.67 million.
Elevated values are evident across every sector of the arms collecting landscape, including
significant pop culture items. In August of 2022, Rock Island Auction Company earned
the Guinness World Records title for the most expensive prop gun ever auctioned with the
$1.06 million sale of Han Solo’s blaster from the original Star Wars film. The record had
already changed hands twice the previous year, with John Wayne’s revolver selling for
$517,000 in October and Captain Kirk’s phaser rifle earning $615,000 the following month.
Historic significance and celebrity appeal are far from the only factors driving
growth in the upper echelon of arms collecting. Condition, rarity, and exceptional
artistry helped four of Rock Island Auction Company’s top performers attain seven-
figure status. All three traits are evident in the previously mentioned Millikin
Dragoon as well as a Winchester Model 1886 Express rifle engraved by master
John Ulrich which earned $1.18 million at Rock Island Auction Company in 2018.
The “Black Beauty” revolver became Rock Island Auction Company’s latest million
dollar gun when it sold last May for a stunning $1,645,000, a result achieved in large
part due to the firearm’s spectacular engraving from master artisan Louis D. Nimschke.
Persistent high risers can be found within numerous segments of the fine arms field.
Antique Colts and Winchesters, two 19th-century collecting cornerstones, jointly
account for 29 of Rock Island Auction’s 50 most expensive firearms. Exhibition-
grade flintlocks and wheellocks are another genre in high demand. Items tied to
influential leaders achieve the highest results, recently exampled by two notable
LOT 99
LOT 40
Stunning
Benchmark
Example of the
Iconic Winchester
Model 1886 Lever
Action Rifle with
Factory Letter
Stunning Factory Presentation
Engraved, Gold Gilt Smith & Wesson
Model No. 1 First Issue 2nd Type
Revolver with Ivory Grips, Distinctive
"Bayonet" Latch, and "Stand of Flags"
Gutta Percha Case 7