10 Most Expensive Firearms Sold in James D. Julia April 2017 Auction

The Firearms Blog ^ | April 18, 2017 | By Hrachya H

[Swordmaker]

James D. Julia auction is one of those places where most rare, unique and uncommon firearms appear. Their annual spring auction took place from April 11 to 13, during which they sold firearms worth of $16 million! So in this post, we’ll see what were the 10 most expensive lots sold during the auction. The guns are listed in the order of ascendancy of their price so that the least expensive is #10 and shown first.

[Swordmaker]

This is a continuation of an earlier posting on the Colt SAA that was proved to have been used by one of Custer's soldiers at the Battle of the Little Bighorn which I posted a couple of weeks ago. At that time, the Colt had an opening bid of $90,000 and an auction estimate of $170,000 to $275,000.

The auction is now completed and that US marked .45 Colt Single Action sold for an astonishing $400,000 with a 20% buyer's Premium, which brought the total priced paid by the buyer to $480,000 plus sales tax.

Just going over the auction results, I found the author of the blog missed one of the top 10, which would have dropped the Singer 1911 proof gun out of the list.

That would have been this one, which should have come in at Number 7 at $126,000:

Lot 1025: HISTORIC 1866 WINCHESTER CARBINE, CAPTURED AT THE WOUNDED KNEE MASSACRE AND POSSIBLY USED BY SGT. WILLIAM JAMES WHO WAS KILLED AT THE BATTLE OF LITTLE BIGHORN.

Estimate: $125,000 - $250,000 Description: SN 120168. Cal. 44. This Winchester was the subject of a video called the Curator's Corner at the Whittington Museum. Wayne Armacost, the Curator, described the gun as follows "It is very, very probable and likely that this gun is just an incredible part of American history that was lost at the Little Big Horn and recovered at Wounded Knee." This carbine has a very interesting history and the possibility exists that it did belong to a Sergeant William B. James who was attached to Company E, 7th Cavalry and was killed at The Little Big Horn. 7th Cavalry troopers were issued Springfield Trapdoors; however, it is believed that Sergeant James was carrying his own personal Winchester 1866 on that fateful day in June 1876. It is further believed that this carbine was picked up by a Sioux Warrior and later recovered at Wounded Knee in 1890. What made the owner of this carbine, Mr. Larry Nirenberg, commit to 14 years of research, in trying to tie this carbine to two historical events? Under the upper tang is scratched "Cpl. James", and stamped on the lower tang is the inscription "WOUNDED KNEE 12 29 1890". His research shows that eight Wounded Knee captured weapons included four Winchesters. According to accompanying letter from The Department of the Army, Rock Island Arsenal Museum: These weapons were given to J.W. Ellis in 1897 who had a museum in Maquoketa, Iowa which was disbursed in the 1960's by auction in Delaware, Ohio (Garth's?). Six of the eight captured guns, in 1897, had tags from the Rock Island Arsenal showing ownership by Chief Red Cloud, Crow Necklace, Poorbear, Sitting Eagle No. 2, White Tail and Broken-In. Various scholars mentioned in The Winchester Collector article believe the inscriptions shown and the overall aesthetics of this weapon are similar to other known captured Indian arms. There are no known Winchesters used by Troopers at Little Big Horn. However, there are privately owned weapons used by several of the Troopers known. In the archeological study of the Little Big Horn battle site, The US Department of Interior, National Park Service issued a report that has verified 47 different types of guns used on the battle field, including 44 Cal. Model 1866 Winchesters, though these were all thought to have been used by the Indians. No weapons were left on the battlefield as the Indians took them all. Interested parties should read the extensive and most interesting 9-pg research article published in The Winchester Collector, Summer 2006 and the additional documents provided by consignor in Provenance link found on our website. CONDITION: Good to very good overall. Markings, including inscriptions, SN, are all crisp and discernible. Bbl address is mostly discernible, but pitting obscures a portion as can be seen in photos. Stocks are sound and solid showing saddle wear, some wear and erosion, hand worn patina. Metal surfaces overall show old cleaning, brass has numerous small scratches, dings and dents with worn punch dot decorated design most prevalent as framed around SN. Mechanically gun is sound with clean rifling in bore. 51369-1 JS

[Swordmaker]

Thanks to Freeper schurmann for the heads up to post this article of great gun porn for all of the rest of us gun enthusiasts.

[DCBryan1]

I’m surprised the FG 42s weren’t higher.

[Rio]

#9 – $92,000 This position is shared by two guns each sold at $92,000. Both are lever action rifles. One of them is a Henry model 1860 iron frame rifle chambered in .44 Henry rimfire. You can see that gun in the picture below:

Sure. Good luck finding ammo for that one.

[BipolarBob]

Not a Kel-tec mentioned anywhere.

/s

[Swordmaker]

The listed #7 is just commented in the blog as a Winchester 1876 at $115,000. But the author's math is wrong as is his description as a mere Winchester 1876. This is a One of One Thousand Winchester Model 1876 in almost mint condition, which accounts for the high price premium. The actual price is $123,000, when you add the buyer's premium of 23% (which I just checked) on the $100,000 bid, rather than his figure. That makes all of his data suspect.

So the real, #7, the Winchester 1866 I posted above would have sold at a corrected price of $129,150. Sorry for not checking the actual buyer's premium and taking the blogger's calculated figures for granted.

In fact the actual paid price on that Custer Battle Field Colt SAA would NOT be the $480,000 this blogger calculated for it but rather it should be $492,000.

I suspect his price calculations are ALL off by a similar miscalculation. So let me provide the corrected final auction prices using the correct 23% auction buyer's premium:

• #10 1911A1 Singer model pistol — $86,100
• #9 A Henry model 1860 iron frame rifle
  #9 B Winchester model 1894 deluxe special order takedown rifle — $98,400
• #8 A Winchester model 1873 gold and silver Ulrich engraved rifle
  #8 B Ivo Fabbri 28 Ga. over and under shotgun engraved by Giacomo Fausti. — $110,700
• #7 (his) Winchester 1876 one of one thousand rifle — $123,000
• #7 (actual) Winchester 1866 Little Bighorn/Wounded Knee carbine — $129,150
• #6 A Winchester 1866 Nimschke engraved rifle
  #6 B Winchester 1866 Ulrich dollar engraved rifle — 135,300
• #5 Krieghoff FG-42 2nd model Machine Gun rifle — $159,900
• #4 Krieghoff FG-42 1st model Machine Gun dewatted rifle — $209,100
• #3 Parker “A1 Special” 20 gauge side by side shotgun — $270,600
• #2 Ivo Fabbri over and under 20 gauge shotguns engraved by Valerio Peli — $320,100
• #1 Colt Single Action Army Custer Battle Revolver — $492,000

[Swordmaker]

Sure. Good luck finding ammo for that one.

There was an unopened box of .44 Henry rimfire sold on this auction. . . with buyer's premium it went for $6,150.00.

Not bad, considering the price of the gun you'd be shooting it in.

[Swordmaker]

Not a Kel-tec mentioned anywhere.

No RoHms either.. . /s

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Ever so often an ammo company will produce a run of Henry .44 rimfire. Some was produced about thirty years ago and advertised in Shotgun News.

[MileHi]

They are all awesome. Just want to say, the engraving on those 20 O/U shotguns is amazing.

[MileHi]

You’ll like these.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Thanks!

The engraving on the Fabbri’s is amazing. I believe Tom Selleck shoots one at sporting clays.

[IncPen]

plink

[Figment]

I found that most impressive. No cnc’s , no lasers. Just craftsmanship

[Big Red Badger]

Couple this post with the RIFLE
That was used at Little Big Horn
by hostiles...

WOW!

[Swordmaker]

Couple this post with the RIFLE
That was used at Little Big Horn
by hostiles...

WOW!

They were both sold in the same auction and Julia Auctions never reveals who the buyers are. I am wondering if the buyers for both guns, who obviously have money, aren't possibly the same Custer aficionado? I think it is a distinct possibility.

That would explain the fervent bidding war for the Custer Colt. The person who won the 1866 Winchester early in the auction would fight tooth and nail to get the other Custer gun later in the Auction.

[Big Red Badger]

Remembering the RIFLE that was forensically proved to be fired from two separate hills held by Indians.

[Big Red Badger]

Been to several auctions and been caught in that “Contest”...
Very exciting!

[Swordmaker]

Remembering the RIFLE that was forensically proved to be fired from two separate hills held by Indians.

Recall that Custer and his 207 troopers were killed on the first day of the four days of fighting. . . and the natives looted all of those weapons in those soldiers possession on that first day. The battles from those others hills took place on the other three days as well as the first day, so it is reasonable to assume that the weapons from Custer's dead soldiers were pressed into service by the Indian Warriors who claimed them.

There is also an extant Henry Rifle where the forensics seem to match bullets and shell casings found both around the Custer battle and on those hills. It was likely brought to the battle by one of the Indian warriors since all of the shell casings associated with it seem to have been from Indian firing positions.

That makes three possible guns associated to the Custer disaster, with only one absolutely documented to have been there in the hands of one of the soldiers, the Colt.

The 1866 Winchester, being perhaps a soldier's personally owned carbine, is speculation based on letters and other ephemera. The Henry's presence is based on archaeology done at the various battle sites, finding cartridge casings and bullets that may match that Henry. The question is what are the possibilities that forensic comparisons with the extant gun and the markings, indentations, and rifling striations on approximately twenty expended shells and corroded lead bullets recovered 130 years after they were fired can be accurately compared with a bullet and casing fired from the same gun 130 years later after years of use and additional wear on the firing pin, chamber, and rifling?

Have you ever seen a bullet that's been a buried for even a few years? I think it may come down to a matter of wishful thinking opinion, especially with the heavily corroded bullets.

[Big Red Badger]

I see Your point...
It did drive me to purchase an
Uberti .357 Baby Rolling Block.
I dream of lending Custer a Hand !