I'd love to have it
Posted on 10/07/2011 9:06:18 AM PDT by smokingfrog
FULL TITLE: 1836 Colt Revolver Sets World Record Price For A Single Firearm, Bringing $977,500 At Greg Martin Auctions/Heritage Auctions In Dallas
DALLAS, TX – An exceptional, rare and fine ivory-gripped Texas, or Holster Model No. 5, Paterson Revolver from the Al Cali Collection realized $977,500 as part of Greg Martin Auctions/Heritage Auctions Sept. 18 Signature® Arms & Armor Auction in Dallas, setting a world record price realized for a single Firearm sold at auction. All prices include 15 % Buyer’s premium.
It was purchased by an unidentified West Coast collector, who auction house officials will only identify as a Silicon Valley mogul.
“There are certain collectibles that transcend genre, period and form and exist simply as great works of art,” said Greg Martin, President of Arms & Armor at Greg Martin Auctions/Heritage Auctions, “and clearly this supremely beautiful firearm is such a thing. The nearly seven figure final price realized proves just how great a piece this is, and well worthy of being the world record holder.”
The auction, altogether, realized more than $8 million, with 583 bidders vying for 378 lots, translating into a 90% sell-through rate by lot value. Altogether, the top four lots of the Cali Collection brought more than $3.277 million.
The revolver, with a 9-inch barrel and attached loading lever, is the finest known surviving example of Samuel Colt’s first revolver, produced by the legendary gunsmith in Paterson, N.J. in 1836.
“This is as desirable as any piece that exists, and as desirable as any piece I’ve seen in my more than 40 years of buying and selling the very best firearms in existence,” said Martin. “Out of maybe 3,000 similar pieces made, with most likely less than 300 surviving, this is clearly among the very best , and the market realized that.”
(Excerpt) Read more at historical.ha.com ...
I'd love to have it
That is a thing of beauty
Pawn Stars would have offered $1,500 and 3 min of TV time.
For later.
I wonder if the .32 Browning Automatic which sparked WWI, is still around?
It would have to be pretty valuable.
Sweet!
Wow, I didn’t even realize the Colt company existed in 1836. I had assumed more like from the second half of the nineteenth century.
Interesting. That particular gun was never commercially made though.
. . . after saying it has a “limited market” and will be on the shelf for a few years.
O NOES an automatic handgun sold through the gun show loophole!
/journalist
Thanks for posting that, I would have guessed the gun would have been lost in the mists of time and fog of war.
Beautiful!
LOL. You're not too far off base. In all fairness to Pawn Stars though, I did see one episode where the customer was totally clueless on what the value of their item was and wanted only a fraction of what it was worth. Rick informed them of the real value and offered them considerably more than they originally wanted.
On the other hand Hardcore Pawn would have offered $150.00 and then would have thrown them out of the store while accusing them of trying to pawn a fake. (Disclaimer: only watched Hardcore Pawn once or twice and couldn't stand those jerks. Maybe they act the way they do because they're located in Detroit)
I love Pawn Stars for its entertainment value, but there is nothing real about it. Multiple camera angles, customers wired for sound, light reflectors, mic booms, and numerous retakes. I talked to somone who went to the place and there is a line to get in because of the stores celebrity status, and you’re not likely to see the TV personalities working the counters. Oh and they close the store during filming. Small number of customers are invited in for background effect only.
Figured as much. My daughter went to Vegas last year and was gonna check it out but said the line was beyond ridiculous. Yet every episode the crowds inside aren’t too bad. Totally scripted. But at least we get to see some cool stuff.
That gun looks like it was made yesterday! The neatest Colt that I ever had the privilege to handle was one of the two original Colt Walker pistols that belonged to Walker himself. Both of his pistols were displayed in a custom case at a gun show a few years ago. After the owner had pulled one from the case for photographs, I said, “While you have that out of the case, could I examine it?” To my pleasant surprise, he agreed. There was history in my hand! Walker received his pistols in Mexico only days before he was killed. The guns were recovered and had been in the Walker family for over a century before being sold separately over the years [much to the sorrow of some Walker descendants that I met!]. The current owner finally managed to buy both and reunite them.
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