One interesting thing about buying a gun at auction is the history or story behind the firearm. From famous gunsmiths, historical figures, and more, each gun has a unique story.
Below we’ve compiled five rare guns sold at auction and the stories that make them irreplaceable.
Price: $2 million
Sale: January 2002
Auction House: Christie’s
These pistols were presented to President George Washington by Marquis de Lafayette during the Revolutionary War. Lafayette was a Frenchman who became a close friend and confidant of Washington’s during the war. De Lafayette even named his son after Washington. It’s said that Washington carried the pistols until his death in 1779. In 1824, the pistols were given to President Andrew Jackson and in the mid-19th century, the pistols were given back to the Lafayette family before being sold at auction in January 2002.
Price: $1.8 million
Sale: April 2016
Auction House: Christie’s
These pistols were presented to Simon Bolivar in 1825 by Marquis de Lafayette – yes, the same man that presented the saddle pistols to George Washington. Bolivar was known as El Libertador, meaning the Washington of the South.” These pistols were made by Nicolas-Noël Boutet, who was the gunsmith to Napoleon.
Price: $1.3 million
Sale: May 2016
Auction House: Rock Island Auction Company
This Winchester rifle is rare for two reasons: First, when it was sold at auction this May, it became the most expensive single gun sold at auction to date. Second, the gun was presented by Lt. George E. Albee, who worked for Winchester Repeating Arms, to U.S. Army Captain Henry Ware Lawton in 1886 after he captured Geronimo. The rifle is a Model 1886, serial number 1.
Price: $920,000
Sale: October 2008
Auction House: James D. Julia, Inc.
This Colt Walker pistol was given to Pvt. Sam Wilson, a Texas Ranger, in 1847. The Colt Walker pistols were a collaboration between famous Texas Ranger Samuel Walker and Samuel Colt, and they were to be used exclusively for Texas Rangers. It’s said that only 1,100 of these pistols were made, and only about 170 are in existence today.
Price: $862,500
Sale: October 2010
Auction House: James D. Julia, Inc.
This shotgun was presented to President Teddy Roosevelt in 1909 after the end of his presidency by the Fox Shotgun company. After his presidency, Roosevelt went on an 11-month safari to Africa with his son, Kermit, where the Fox shotgun made an appearance. It’s said Teddy and his group trapped or killed 11,397 animals for the Smithsonian Institute and the American Museum of Natural History.
Rare guns have a story just waiting to be told. From firearms owned by past presidents, a Texas Ranger, the man that captured Geronimo, and one crafted by Napoleon’s gunsmith, each rare gun has a unique history.
For those wanting to learn more about gun auctions, what to expect, or what to look for when purchasing a gun, read our previous how to blog posts or visit our Oklahoma gun auctions page. To find out when our next gun auction is, visit our upcoming auctions page.
