Theodore Roosevelt's Hunting Knife

Lot 1020: Family Descendant Documented Historic J. Russell & Co. Hunting Knife Masterpiece Presented to U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt by James W. Gerard with Elaborate Platinum Raised Relief and Gold Sculpted Eagle Head Handle by Dreicer & Co. A Nearly Priceless Piece of American History

To say that Teddy Roosevelt is a well-known, beloved, and important character in American history is an understatement. Though fame tends to find perspective when one's face has been immortalized with granite in the Badlands of South Dakota. TR was admired across the nation. He had a robust personality, gave profound speeches, lived his beliefs, and changed the face of this country forever with his efforts in wildlife and habitat conservation. Whether leading the legendary Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War, embarking on prolific hunting adventures, offering "Square Deals" to his constituents, surviving an assassination attempt on his life, winning the Nobel Peace Prize, or beginning construction of the Panama Canal, the tales of Teddy Roosevelt's life have become part of the fabric of this nation's great history.

Roosevelt in October 1910

It should come as no surprise that a knife once owned by President Roosevelt also has more than a few tales to tell. Its origin begins in 1909 when TR received this national treasure from his good friend New York Supreme Court Justice James W. Gerard. Both men served in the Spanish-American War, but upon leaving the service found opposite ends of the political spectrum. They likely became acquainted in the New York political scene when Roosevelt served as the New York governor for two years and Gerard sat on the Supreme Court bench. The story of the knife's presentation is recalled best in the words of U.S. Marshal Thomas D. McCarthy, whom Justice Gerard had asked present the hunting knife to Roosevelt with the following instructions, 

"'Be sure to get a coin, a penny from the President when you give him the knife,' the Justice told me. 'Remember the old superstition that a gift of that sort cuts friendship unless a small payment is made for it.'

     When I gave Colonel Roosevelt the knife I asked him for the penny. He didn't have one in his pocket, neither did his secretary Mr. Loeb, neither did Senator Chamberlain who was present. So I volunteered: 'Here, Mr. President. I'll lend you a cent.' He took it and put it in his vest pocket.

     After ten minutes of conversation during which time he gave me an autographed photograph for myself and a book for my father who always admired him, the President suddenly reached into his pocket, withdrew the coin and said: 'Mr. McCarthy, it gives me great pleasure to hand you in return for Judge Gerard's gift this one cent coin.' Ever since then I have prized the photograph and the book Mr. Roosevelt gave me is one of the most cherished possessions of my father. And I always have been proud of the fact that a President of the United States owed me a penny."

The knife was considered an extremely lavish gift and wore a 1909 price tag of $1,250, about $33,266 in 2016 dollars. It was such a send off to the nation's youngest president, that it warranted national news coverage. In Rock Island, Illinois, the city's newspaper at that time was the Rock Island Argus. On Thursday, March 10, 1909 they printed at article on the sixth page entitled, "Fine Knife for Roosevelt."  It reads as follows:

"Gem Studded Hunting Weapon Presented to Ex-President by a Friend.

One of the handsomest of the presents that have been pouring in upon former President Roosevelt from friends in every part of the United States who have wished to give him some token of their friendship to carry with him on his African hunting trip is a hunting knife given him by Justice James W. Gerard of the supreme bench of New York city, who is an old friend of the ex-president. The weapon is a masterpiece of jeweler's workmanship, the hilt being wrought in gold and platinum and ornamented with jewels. The top of the handle is carved in the shape of an eagle's head of solid gold. The eagle's eyes are garnets.

On one side of the hilt beneath the eagle's head is depicted a forest scene, with two American Indians behind a birch tree, one of them standing, rifle in hand, the other crouching. The tree is done in gold upon a platinum background. On the reverse side is set the arms of the United States, surmounting a wishbone and intertwining tree boughs in gold. Below is the monogram 'T.R.' The background on this side is also of platinum. Two bears' heads extending out from the handle form the guard at the base of the blade, which is of the finest steel and engraved as follows: 'Presented to Theodore Roosevelt by His Friend, James W. Gerard.' The knife is nearly a foot long and is said to have cost $1,250."

One item of note not covered in the Argus article is that of the knife's creator. That honor belongs to two separate companies: J. Russell and Co. of Green River, New York whose stamp is on the blade, and Dreicer & Co., whose name is printed on the handle's edge. It should be of significant note to collectors that Dreicer & Co, despite being in business only from 1904 - 1923, were a top jewelry retailer and a direct rival to such well-known names as Fabergé. With the split of duties for the blade and the highly ornamented handle, it is unknown which shop performed the acid etched inscription.

The knife has been passed down through the Roosevelt family for the last 107 years. It has never been made available to the public prior to this sale. When Theodore died in 1919, the knife went to his second wife, Edith (his first wife, Alice, passed in 1884). Edith in turn bequeathed the knife to her eldest daughter Ethel Roosevelt Derby. Mrs. Derby intended to present the knife as a wedding gift to her granddaughter in 1976. To secure the knife during her cross-country travels from Oyster Bay to Seattle, Mrs. Derby kept the knife in her purse. However, this was cause for alarm at the security checkpoint in John F. Kennedy International Airport, in New York City. Upon seeing this incredible knife and hearing its story, security allowed the knife to be transported by the pilot in the cockpit for the duration of the flight. Upon landing, it was returned to Mrs. Derby who presented the knife to the couple several days later at their wedding. Thrilled with such a historic and beautiful gift rife with family history, the couple immediately used it to cut their wedding cake.

The stories this knife can tell after scant more than a century are enough to endear it to the heart of any collector or history enthusiast. Even without the tales that have truly given this item a personality all its own, its provenance alone elevates its status to that of National Treasure.  A hunting knife given to arguably the greatest conservationist and one of the most well-known hunters of the 20th century? What could be more perfect representation? Rock Island Auction Company is honored to present this perfect slice of American history to the public for the first time in its existence, and cannot wait to hear of the new adventures in which it partakes.

- Written by Joel R. Kolander

Sources:

"Fine Knife for Roosevelt." Rock Island Argus 11 Mar. 1909: 6. Print.

Herbert, Thomas. Theodore Roosevelt: Typical American, His Life and Work. United States: L.H. Walter, 1919. 341-42. Print.

George Washington's Telescope

To claim an item as George Washington's is nearly as American as the Pater Patriae himself. As was shown in our story about the Thompson submachine gun that was thought to be John Dillinger's, in a surprisingly short time myth and rumor can take the place of fact and documentation. So many items and places are associated with George Washington that the cliché has even entered the popular realm with a comedy stage play entitled "George Washington Slept Here," that was also adapted into a 1942 movie starring Jack Benny.

Granted, in George Washington's younger days he would've undoubtedly slept in a number of beds.  He was a surveyor in the 1750s and a colonial officer, both jobs that required frequent travel. From 1775 and on, he rarely found himself at his Mount Vernon estate, instead spending time in either Philadelphia for business with the Continental Congress or in Massachusetts to satisfy duties as the head of the Continental Army.  Even after the American Revolution, Washington was far from sedentary. Just four short years later, he would be elected president and would feel an obligation to tour the nation as a way to introduce himself to his constituents. With this kind of travel, any number of locations can rightly state that "George Washington Slept Here," used their dinner set, or gave a new found importance to any number of what would otherwise be mundane, everyday objects.

Lot 3084: Historic Dolland Brass Spyglass Inscribed "G. Washington, Mt. Vernon" with Notarized Letter of Family Provenance from William Lanier Washington with Case

This unfortunately, and as with nearly every object of value, gave rise to a counterfeit market of items all claiming provenance to George Washington. Collectors of Washington artifacts have every right to be skeptical of any item claiming a first-hand interaction with the first president, especially important ones such as pistols, swords, uniform pieces, silverware, or other items of value. With both the importance of Washingtonian artifacts and the wariness of spurious memorabilia in mind, Rock Island Auction Company is proud to present an item of significant historical significance: a brass spyglass of President George Washington.

It is a humble looking treasure of Americana. While its brass bears a pleasant patina, dings and scratches fleck its surface, the optics themselves need work, and several parts bear over 200 years of honest age.  However, this field telescope is the product of one of the finest optics manufacturers of the era.  It was made by The Dollond (later spelled Dolland) family, who built their superior instruments from the mid-1700s until the last decade when they have become the subject of several corporate acquisitions. Named as "Optician to the King" in 1761, the Dolland family also made several important contributions to the telescope. For these reasons and others, early Dolland telescopes remain in high demand by collectors.  Examples are currently housed at Monticello as well as a model at the National Museum of American History that was used by Washington during the American Revolution. Telescopes have been highly valued historically - the wealthy and social elite of Washington's day drove their popularity and, in turn, their technological development. Both a invaluable tool to the military man and a hobby of the wealthy, Washington fit squarely into both groups and unavoidably found himself in possession of a telescope.  In fact, Washington's will lists "11 Spye glasses" (sic) in his estate's inventory at the time of his death. The social and mechanical significance of the telescope are sure to entice some, but the historic importance of this telescope cannot be overstated.

George Washington holding a brass-colored spyglass in "George Washington Before
the Battle of Trenton" painted by John Trumbull

This artifact of President Washington's had been passed down through family generations for over 120 years. We know this because the spyglass was previously sold by the first auction house in the United States, the now defunct American Art Association (AAA), in February, 1920. The sale was billed as "William Lanier Washington's Collection of Relics and memorabilia of George Washington."

Accompanying this spyglass is a notarized 1920 affidavit from William L. Washington, the great-great-great grandson of George Washington's brother Colonel John Augustine Washington. It states that the spyglass was given by George Washington to his nephew Col. William Augustine Washington (son of the aforementioned Col. John Augustine Washington) while George was still alive. This nephew must have held a place of importance in Washington's life as he is also listed in George's will as the Executor of his estate after his wife, Martha.

From there it was passed on to the nephew's son, Colonel George Corbin Washington (William's great grandfather), who in turn passed it to his son, Colonel Lewis William Washington.  The affidavit then states that "His widow gave it to their son, William d'Hertburn Washington, who, during his lifetime, sold it to my younger brother, Lewis William Washington... from whom I inherited it."

Furthermore, in the investigation of this article, I was able to track down a digital copy of the original auction catalog with some assistance from the helpful Chief of Archives and Records Management at the Frick Art Reference Library, an institution that houses the records of the former AAA. Beginning this catalog is a lengthy and detailed five page letter written by William Lanier Washington describing special items in the collection and listing "several direct family sources" that at one time point inherited or bequeathed many of the items in the sale. It is strikingly thorough. The section discussing the Washington heritage reads nearly like the first verses in the Gospel of Matthew, giving detailed lineage all the way back to George Washington. Thankfully, William also takes the time, at nearly every level of the family tree, to quote extracts from that person's last Will & Testament detailing to whom these historic artifacts should go, and specifically mentioning many of the items. It is astounding that the provenance of these items should be detailed so thoroughly and even more so that such information is available to collectors and investors today!

As shown in last week's article, Rock Island Auction Company regularly offers astounding pieces of history from America, Europe, Japan, and of firearms development. Many of these items would not be out of place in the world's top museums for history or art, and we are proud to do our part in finding new stewards for these remarkable pieces. If you would like to get more up close and personal with this important spyglass, or any of the items in our auction, you are cordially invited to attend our Preview Day. Held the Thursday before every auction, Preview Day is your opportunity to hold, inspect, touch, or shoulder any item in the auction. It's been called "the Museum You Can Touch," by many collectors, but it improves on a museum in two distinct ways.  First, our inventory revolves a lot more frequently than any museum.  That happens when you sell over 22,000 guns annually.  Second, you can actually own the items you see! It would be our pleasure to have you as our guest at this or any of the industry leading auctions at Rock Island Auction Company, and when you see the care we take in presenting these phenomenal specimens, we promise you'll want to come back.




-Written by Joel R. Kolander





SOURCES:


http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101072313230;view=1up;seq=17


http://www.rockislandauction.com/viewitem/aid/66/lid/3084

Luxurious Le Page Shotguns

For those not familiar, Rock Island Auction Company sent out a series of emails containing some of the highlights in our May 2014 Premiere Firearms Auction. These messages covered a number of popular genres and gave a first look at some firearms that are bound to attract the attention of some of the world's foremost collectors and investors. This blog, and the ones to follow, are a reprint of those emails for those who do not receive that type of communication. As an added bonus, these blogs will also include many photos that did not appear in the original emails in order to keep them at a reasonable size. We hope you enjoy these collectible firearms and their multitude of photos!

If you like what you see below, be sure to check out our auction highlights in the Photo Preview, 4-page Sneak Preview, or our full 16-page mailer. To search our entire auction listing please visit www.rockislandauction.com/search. 

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Collector friends, you are in for a treat today. We have for you two spectacular shotguns from Parisian gunsmith Le Page. These are two of the most ornate, artistic, and technique-laden firearms you will ever see. This may sound like a large expectation to meet, but after we show you the photos of these marvelous arms, we believe they meet those expectations.

The first is the cased, exhibition quality, relief carved Le Page double barrel percussion shotgun with an elaborately carved stock.

Every square inch of this shotgun is covered in extraordinary detail and ornament. To look at pictures of the gun, one finds that looking a second time invariably reveals tiny details that were missed on the first passage. Pierre Le Page was a French gun maker who came to renown by earning the business of the aristocratic crowd in the 18th century. He would eventually become the firearms maker for Maréchal Marice de Saxe as well as the House of Orleans, and would even deliver a gun to King Louis XV. The business would be handed down several times (as it was to him originally) through the Le Page family. The business eventually became the arquebusier et fourbisseur of the House of Orleans, King Louis XVI, Emperor Napoleon I, & King Louis the XVII. They would become famous for their pistols, long arms, and swords and were in direct competition with also distinguished Versailles-based gun maker Nicolas-Nöel Boutet.

The elaborate and pain-stakingly engraved barrel.

This particular shotgun was presented in 1879 by M. Paul Jules Grevy, Fourth President of France, as a gift to Don Manuel Gonzalez, President of Mexico. When this gun was residing in the second floor at Harolds Club in Reno, Nevada, once one of the most prolific collections of Western Americana, it was examined by Shreve and Company, an established jeweler considered to be the oldest commercial establishment in San Francisco, which stated,

"...there is no person living today capable of executing such metal carving. If such a person could be found, it would unquestionably take him 5 to 10 years to complete such a job."

The amount of ebony carving and steel chiseling on the gun is simply boggling and a fitting gift from one head of state to another. Even the forestock has been paid an unequaled amount of attention by depicting in carved steel the portrait of the French President Grevy.

Being an armorer to royalty had its privileges and for Le Page it brought a clientele list that sounds unimaginable - filled with dukes, barons, marshalls, generals, presidents, and even a famous perfume maker. Le Page weapons would win many awards in the mid to late 1800s at the Paris Exhibitions, London exhibitions, and one held in Vienna. With the detail and skill exhibited in the firearms shown, it's easy to see why.

The above shot perhaps best captures nearly all the separate elements of this gun: the carved steel percussion hammers shaped like a dog pouncing on a fox that serves as the percussion cap holder, said fox hiding within the scrollwork, the sideplate depicting a lion winning a battle against a snake, the grape vine pattern that covers the barrels, the deeply carved ebony stocks, and the ornate trigger guard that reveals a pheasant eating the same grapes depicted on the barrel.

A close-up of the dog-shaped carved steel hammer, the percussion cap holder fox, and the breech.

The trigger guard with a another carved animal, this time a pheasant eating grapes

The above picture gives us our first glimpse of the carved ebony of the piece and it does not disappoint. One immediately sees grape vines and grapes that swirl around nesting birds and even cherubs. The buttplate even depicts a running dog on this side and a large cat on the other. Also notice the small three dimensional rabbit holding the end of the trigger guard extension. The image below is further evidence that not a single surface went to waste as even the narrow ends of the buttplate were used for engraved scenes, this one depicting three hounds killing a wild boar.

This gun could easily warrant another dozen photos to capture its detail from every angle. However, in the interest of brevity we shall move on to the next Le Page arm in our May 2014 Premiere Firearms Auction.

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While the previous firearm was an exercise in engraving and carving, the next firearms seeks to provide the same experience with inlaid materials. Utilizing both gold and pearl, the artisan who created this beautiful shotgun uses delicate floral pattern inlays as well as deep engraving to build this beautiful long arm.

The Damascus barrels, with a gold inlaid band at the muzzle, become more ornate toward the breech with gold inlaid text on the rib, and each barrel ending in a 5 inch section of wondrously executed, deep relief, flora,l scroll pattern engraving outlined and accented with gold. That floral pattern extends to the lockplates and even up each of the hammers. The trigger guard is ornamented in its own way appears to be one of the most work intensive sections of the whole gun.

The stock inlays involve the same contrast of bold and delicate design that was shown in the engraving. A pronounced, intertwining pearl border fences in a garden of floral gold and pearl vinous inlays. The buttplate received much the same deep relief engraving treatment as other areas of the gun, but the design is more similar to that of the trigger guard than that of sideplates and breech.

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These two guns are so extraordinary that they were an easy choice to go on the back cover our upcoming 16-page Premiere Auction Mailer as well as the front cover of Volume II of this catalog and the inside cover of Volume III. Guns with this high level of aesthetics and craftsmanship are just one more reason you have to see the immense selection of high end, investment quality, historic, and one-of-a-kind firearms at our May 2014 Premiere Firearms Auction.  We hope you enjoy these great photos and appreciate you taking the time to view all these great collector firearms. 

 

Please search our other categories of antique items and firearms!

Antique European - Other

Antique European Handguns

Antique European Longarms

Antique Handguns - Colt

Antique Handguns - Other

Armor

RIAC Remembers the 50th Year of JFK's Assassination

This November 22 will mark the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination.  Surely that month will provide an abundance of Kennedy history, pictures, videos, and conspiracies.  It will undoubtedly also re-open the debate on his policies and effectiveness as a president.  Are people more apt to remember The Bay of Pigs or the Cuban Missile Crisis?  Marilyn Monroe or the Space Race?  Of course, no president is perfect and the conversations that arise will hopefully be an excellent chance to study American history and learn from administrations past.

In this year of remembrance, Rock Island Auction Company has come across two very important pieces that will be sold at the December 6th, 7th, & 8th Premiere Firearms Auction.  One of which is from this extremely popular Democrat, and other is from one of the most revered Republican presidents - Ronald Reagan.


John "Jack" Fitzgerald Kennedy

Kennedy sitting aboard PT-109.

This history of President Kennedy is well-known and will not be reviewed in this article.  Instead, we will cover his history as related to the item being offered at auction: a rocking chair owned and used by President John F. Kennedy that is documented and authenticated by the Kennedy Family.

President Kennedy had severe health issues his entire time in public office.  One of the earliest of his chronic ailments was his bad back, which began to cause him troubles as early as 1936.  Jack had followed his elder brother Joe to Harvard and also like his big brother, began to play football there.  It was during his participation in this rough-and-tumble sport that young Jack ruptured a disk in his spine.  The injury would never be fully recovered from and would continue to plague Kennedy the rest of his life.  It kept him out of the Army in 1941, so Kennedy joined the Navy.  His bad back would be exacerbated even further in 1943 when  Lt. Kennedy's Motor Torpedo Boat, PT-109, was rammed by the Japanese Destroyer Amagiri, splitting it in two and instantly killing two of Kennedy's men.  In the accident Lt. Kennedy was thrown hard into the cockpit further injuring him.  Survivors were led by Kennedy to a small island several miles away and Kennedy even towed badly burned crew mate Patrick McMahon to the island by clenching a strap of McMahon's life jacket between his teeth.  He would later be treated for this injury, released from active duty in 1944, and receiving a honorable discharge in early 1945.

Kennedy after a spinal surgery in December 1954

After defeating the Republican incumbent for the U.S. Senate seat in 1952 and marrying Jacqueline in 1953, Kennedy would have several spinal operations over a course of two years.  The surgeries plus other medical issues were severe enough to warrant Kennedy being read his last rites on more than one occasion.  It was during his recovery from these surgeries that he wrote his Pulitzer prize-winning Profiles in Courage.

In the 1950s Kennedy consulted with New York doctor Janet Trevell regarding his lower back pain.  Suffering some similar maladies herself, Dr. Trevell recommended a style of rocking chair that had a tall, stiff back.  She called it the "Carolina Rocker" and the future president found it to be an effective remedy.  It is estimated that JFK owned between 12-14 of these chairs, each at different place he would frequent.  The chair for sale by Rock Island Auction Company is believed to have come from the Kennedy Palm Beach estate that served as the family's winter home.  These chairs have come to be known as "Kennedy Rockers" and are an iconic image associated with the young president.  This particular chair, used by Kennedy himself, was given to long time family cook Nellie McGrail (1911-1995).

For roughly 20 years McGrail was the family cook at the Palm Beach home and was Rose Kennedy's personal cook until 1984 when the matriarch would suffer a stroke.  McGrail was a beloved member of the Kennedy staff.  She was flown to Hyannis Port every year to celebrate Rose's birthday and on any other occasion that required her culinary delights.  She also had close ties with the family of Senator Edward "Teddy" Kennedy.  The chair was presented to McGrail upon her retirement in 1994 with a brass plaque attached to its left arm stating that the chair was indeed owned by the late President Kennedy and the reason for its presentation.  As if the brass plaque were not enough, the chair also comes with the following documentation and Kennedy family items:

Lot 1202: Documented President John F. Kennedy's Rocking Chair as Authenticated by the Kennedy Family

A letter from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis to Nellie McGrail

A letter from Sargent Shriver to Nellie McGrail

• A letter from Senator Edward Kennedy on his U.S. Senate stationary confirming that the rocker was owned by his late brother and was presented to McGrail as a retirement gift
• McGrail's invitation to Caroline Kennedy's wedding to Edwin Schlossberg
• A personal 1983 dated letter from Sargant Shriver to McGrail thanking her for taking care of Rose Kennedy, his mother-in-law
• A 1973 dated letter to McGrail from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis expressing her regret that she would be unable to enjoy McGrail's cooking since she was traveling throughout Europe with Mr. Onassis for the year
• A handwritten thank you note to McGrail from Ethel Kennedy
• A 1974 handwritten letter from Joan Kennedy hoping that McGrail has "an enjoyable day and evening at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts" and inviting McGrail to join her and the Senator for dinner after the performance.
• A 1974 thank you note from Eunice Kennedy Shriver praising McGrail's cooking
• A 1960s era color photograph of McGrail with Rose Kennedy's birthday cake, likely one of the many that McGrail baked for Rose over the years
• A 1970s era color photograph of McGrail with Edward and Rose Kennedy
• A 1987 handwritten thank you note from Senator John Kerry praising McGrail's cooking while he visited the Kennedy home in Palm Beach
• An 11x14 black and white photgraph of Joan Kennedy, Nellie McGrail, and Edward Kennedy, Jr. with his birthday cake and signed by Edward, Jr., "To Nellie, Thanks a lot!  Teddy K."
• The Palm Beach Post obituarty of Nellie McGrail which details her relationship to the Kennedy Family.

The chair itself will be enough to attract the attention of Camelot enthusiasts across the nation, but when combined with the assortment of hand written letters, signatures, and photographs from well-known members of the Kennedy family, the lot will become a highly valued prize for one lucky collector.

Ronald Wilson Reagan

Reagan circa 1939

Ronald Reagan's presidency is also one that, despite its highs and lows, is remembered quite positively by many.  Like the Kennedy rocking chair, the item in this auction that was presented to the sitting 40th president has its origins in the president's younger years.  Nearly everybody is aware that before Ronald Reagan was a politician he was an actor.  Raised in Dixon, IL, just over an hour's drive from Rock Island Auction Company's current facilities, Reagan began working as a radio broadcaster in Iowa before moving to Los Angeles in 1937 to start a career as a film and television actor.  He signed a contract with Warner Brothers that same year after a successful screen test.  Reagan would star in many films, including over a half dozen westerns, but would eventually move toward television as his film roles slowed - a slowing that perhaps took place thanks to the call of WWII which would halt the young star's rise.

This brief role in western film would be time for the future governor and president to meet one Mr. Arvo Ojala.  Ojala also worked in Hollywood as a firearms technical adviser and as a "gun play artist."  Known as a quick draw master, Ojala would often be called in for close up camera shots involving a quick draw, gun spinning, or other fancy gun handling.  He had the privilege of working on westerns during the apex of Hollywood's western movie obsession.  He began his work in the 1950s, but unlike Reagan, continued even into the 1990s participating in such films as "The Three Amigos" and "Back to the Future III."  His coaching of movie stars and his manufacturing of holsters provided a priceless resource for the many, many directors that had the pleasure of working with the man who could draw, fire, and hit a target in one sixth of a second.  Arvo is likely most known as the "unnamed man" who is shot by Marshal Matt Dillon in the opening sequences of the TV drama Gunsmoke.

Clearly the two men became friends during their shared time in Hollywood.  Good enough friends that Ojala would make a rather extravagant gift to the sitting president.  Reagan would glowingly receive a cased set of consecutively serialized Colt Third Generation Single Action Army revolvers.  Not only would the  the revolvers come with their backstraps inscribed, "President Ronald Reagan / Presented by Arvo Ojala," but they would also come with one of Ojala's holster rigs featuring meticulously tooled leather and a solid gold and silver presentation belt buckle.

Lot 1201:  Historic and Superb Fully Documented Cased Consecutively Serialized Pair of ColtSingle Action Army Revolvers Presented to Sitting 40th U.S. President Ronald Reaganwith Exquisite Tooled Presentation Holster Rig and Important Gold and Silver Presentation Presidential Belt Buckle

Words alone cannot describe this offering enough and the Gipper showed he clearly felt the same way in a thank you letter to Ojala that reads, "There are no words to properly express my appreciation for the magnificent gift of the belt, holsters, and pistols so beautifully displayed in that case.  I know you described what you were planning, but I had no idea it would be so spectacular and so handsome."  That signed letter, from Reagan to Ojala, is included in this lot in addition to the holster rig, two pistols, and another letter from then Colt Vice President D.W. Davis to Ojala stating how honored he was that President Reagan has accepted the gifted Colt revolvers.

History remembers these presidents fondly, despite conflicts that arose during their administrations.  One representing the romance of Camelot and the other that of the Old West, each man was wildly popular in his time and has set forth for themselves a lasting legacy in the history of this nation.  Their glamour, notable sound bites, ideals, and respective roles in the Cold War have enshrined them in U.S. culture more solidly than their statues and other honors ever could.  This auction is a fantastic chance to own some of the personal items of these two monumental U.S. presidents.  Each one is a glimpse at that man's past, and iconic of the men they became.

In addition to these two historical offerings, other presidential items are also available in our December 2013 Premiere Auction.  We present for your approval:

A carved bust of a youthful John F. Kennedy
Standing 51 inches tall, this wooden sculpture and pedestal makes a striking and academic addition to any Kennedy or presidential collection.  It is the perfect companion piece to President John F. Kennedy’s rocking chair in Lot #1202.  The sculptor R.S. Saldibar is noted on the front as is the 1972 date of the sculpture's completion.

A large, impressive leatherbound book of official White House presidential portraits
The black leather cover is  16 ¼ inches wide by 20 inches tall and features a large, metal Great Seal of The Unites States mounted on it.  Only upon opening the large cover does one discover the title, The White House Gallery of Official Portraits of the Presidents.  The book was a limited edition release and is individually numbered, likely thanks to the extremely thick pages and high-quality printing of the portraits that must have been created at great expense to the publisher.  The book’s number is #4144 and was presented on October 5, 1907 to a Mr. H.C. Gill.  The portraits of every president are present up through William McKinley, whose administration stretched from 1897 – 1901, the final year of which is also the book’s copyright date.

SOURCES

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001654/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/Life-of-John-F-Kennedy.aspx

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/johnfkennedy

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/ronaldreagan