In the 1800s, any idea for how to improve firearms was fair game, and it resulted in some inventions and innovations that are still in use today, virtually unchanged from their birth roughly 200 years ago. We have this golden age of firearm invention to thank for percussion firing systems, the pepperbox and revolver, cased, rimfire, and centerfire ammunition, the lever action, the bolt action, and even the earliest semi-automatic firearms. Obviously, these are the success stories the likes of which have changed firearms and even the fates of nations forever. However, for every success story there are dozens of ideas that didn't make it. Some didn't get the military contracts they needed, others were eclipsed by more popular designs, many were impractical, and then there were those that were just goofy or downright dangerous. Even the vaunted Smith & Wesson was not immune from the pitfalls of 19th Century firearms design. Case in point: the Model 320 revolving rifle.
In 1889, a structure was constructed from a lattice-work of iron and placed in Paris squarely at the entrance of the 1889 World's Fair. At 1,063 feet tall, it was likely not lost on many Americans that the newly built Eiffel Tower now eclipsed the Washington Monument as the tallest man-made structure in the world. Such is the scenario that prominent architect Daniel Burnham found himself in during 1890. He was given the responsibility of transforming an entire square mile of marsh into a showcase of beauty, ingenuity, architecture, prosperity, and invention. Burnham was overseeing construction and exhibit selection, and with the spectacle and success of the Paris Universal Exposition looming behind him, failure was a very real possibility.
The Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair that was off to a bad start. Intended to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus's landing, the event had to be postponed a year in order to make the proper accommodations. However, those efforts would prove to be worth the wait. Burnham had assembled a "who's who" of architects, designers, landscapers, and planners and gave one commandment to precede all others, "Make no little plans." The full quote reads,
"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency. Remember that our sons and our grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty."
Taken to heart, this prime directive gave rise to a White City filled with neoclassical architecture, high brow art, frivolous entertainment, national pavilions, and a list of inventions so long, it reads like a tome of American contributions. It includes items such as: the Ferris Wheel (arguably the fair's premier attraction), the zipper, Cracker Jacks, Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, Aunt Jemima's pancake mix, Juicy Fruit gum, cream of wheat, shredded wheat, the telautograph (an early, analog fax machine), AC power, the movie theater, the dishwasher, phosphorescent lamps, Hershey's chocolate, spray painting, Gold Medal baking flour, elongated souvenir coins, moving walkways, the debut of harry Houdini (a then unknown Ehrich Weiss) and much more.
The exhibits chosen for this monumental event had to be the very best. The decree of "no small plans," had apparently extended far beyond the planners, and worked its way to the inventors and exhibitors themselves. Even firearms manufacturers held themselves to the task to bring forth their most elegant, finely decorated firearms. The results are spectacular: remarkable engraving executed by the most esteemed Master engravers, lush and expertly applied gold inlays, and outsourced embellishments from the likes of Tiffany & Co. Some of the most outstanding work being done on firearms in the world at that time was present in that single square mile in Chicago, Illinois.
In Rock Island Auction Company's 2016 April Premiere Firearms Auction, we are extremely fortunate to have no less than four guns with direct ties to this prestigious and historic event. Here is a brief look at each one.
It's no secret that famed New York jeweler and silversmith Tiffany & Co. was known to make wonderful embellishments for firearms. Some were done for Colt, but the largest grouping known are those decorated for Smith & Wesson in the 1890s. Unlike those done for Colt, the Tiffany work on Smith & Wesson firearms were all individually completed by commission or special order by wealthy clients.
These remarkable handguns were commissioned by D. B. Wesson specifically as show pieces for the Columbian Exposition, but their glory days extended far beyond. Many were also exhibited at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris as well as the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. This revolver is accompanied by its factory letter which details its shipment with four other Tiffany decorated revolvers. It is unknown how many Columbian Exposition guns survive today, but only nine Tiffany-commissioned Smith & Wesson revolvers were created specifically for the Columbian Exposition (others were made as special orders). Four of which are currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, plus twomore located at the Springfield Museums in Springfield, MA, making this revolver one of only three that are potentially available to private collectors if they aren't already behind museum glass or if they still exist at all.
An exquisitely crafted gun, it is a masterpiece of silver and steel. It was shipped to Tiffany & Co. with a nickel finish and hard rubber grips, but what resulted is truly stunning. The geometric acid etching on the barrel extends to the cylinder and top strap, but even these angular designs are not without nods to the floral vines that wrap themselves around the grip and come to a spine on the front and back straps. The grip's vine embellishment is elegant and simple, ending with in a crown-like finial. It is given its shape by what is made to look like a small cord binding the grip, so that cold, solid sterling silver grip appears as if it might have the same texture as a soft curtain, bound up to better let in the sun.
Greener was once king of the world when it came to hunting shotguns and rifles. During the time of the Columbian Exposition his 37,000-square foot facility located at St. Mary's Row in Birmingham was dubbed by W.W. Greener, a fantastic self-promoter, as the "largest and most complete sporting gun factory in the world," which turned out 1,000 hand-built shotguns and rifles annually. Unlike many competitors, Greener had sales agents and retail locations around the world in cities such as new York, London, Paris, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Montreal, and Buenos Aires. He had legitimate geniuses in his employ, working to invent and popularize features that are still used in modern sporting guns to this day. The following year, nine of the top 11 shooters in the 1894 U.S. grand Nationals were using Greeners.
With his marketing prowess and international savvy, Greener was not going to miss the chance to showcase his finest wares to a nation of shooters who were simultaneously experiencing an era of economic prosperity. To that end, he spared no expense at his booth showing off a high number of firearms in a variety of styles: shotguns, rifles, double barrel, hammerless, automatic ejectors, external hammers, a "locking lug" which better secured the break action arms, safeties, large bore safari guns, small bore guns for small game, double and quad barrel smooth bore pistols, and so on. Greener also took it upon himself to help educate the throngs on the technical aspects of the firearms displayed, by showing bits of the steel and iron used to make the arms, dissected actions, cross-sectioned barrels to illustrate the chokes and rifling, locks for hammer guns, wooden models of the guns, and models from other manufacturers for comparison. The Committee on Awards for the event is quoted as saying, "Altogether, it was a very complete exhibit."
The shotgun in this auction is no exception to the high quality arms that were on display for the exposition. The wood is well-figured and finely checkered, the forearm piece being tipped with a inset made from horn. The buttstock continues forward up the checkered pistol grip where it meets an intricately engraved tang, trigger guard, and box lock action, all of which, in addition to the tiny floral scroll engraving is dotted with wild game panel scenes. Just over the serial number on the tang is an engraved pheasant rooster on the wing, and the trigger guard features two hunting dogs on a point, The safety switch on the left shows another ring-necked pheasant beneath it, with the word "Safe" in gold inlay, and the box lock on the same side has a hunting dog running after two sprung game birds. The opposite side lock has a more disciplined dog still holding his point on two quail that have burst from cover. Atop the opening lever is gold inlaid crown and full coverage of the same engraving. The underside of the action has two engraved rabbits, as hidden as they would be during a hunt. The engraving extends up the scalloped lock and on to the side-by-side barrels, the rib between which is engraved with an egret and a maker's mark before continuing into its matte finish. The inscription reads, "W. W. Greener. Haymarket London & St. Mary's Square, Birmingham, England. Winner at the London Gun Trials, 1875, 1877, 1878, & 1879." The muzzles are punctuated with a single brass bead between them.
It is of note that this Greener shotgun is also a Greener's best grade "G-Guns," officially known as a Royal Grade G60, and shows many of the same features such as the chiseled fences, gold crown and "Safe" marking, the fine floral "bank note" engraving, and so on. Vic Venters in his book Gun Craft" gives the quote, "Outside of a small group on connoisseurs, virtually no one realizes these guns exist or the level of craftsmanship they embody. For all intent, they are lost to history." Barely more than 20 craftsmen were trusted to manufacture these best-grade G-Guns from 1880 to 1916. Venters further quotes, "They were Greener's elite, a workforce hand-picked for its skills and experience. For 45 years the same surnames appear in the archives under each of the 14 major stages in building a G-Gun... Unfortunately, we know very little about these men - not even their first names - other than that they were among the best craftsmen of their day and that they spent their entire working lives in the employ of Greener's. We do know that they were extraordinarily well paid for their era. It was quite normal for them to earn 100 shillings per week in the 1880s, when the average Birmingham trade worker was only taking home about 20."
Some extra research into this shotgun could yield big results for one lucky collector.
If this Winchester's ties to the Columbian Exposition weren't enough to endear it collectors, its assortment of special order features and embellishments would seal the deal. It has an octagon barrel, half magazine, Lyman front sights, and a fancy checkered walnut stock. The combination of the full octagon barrel and the half magazine is a rare one indeed.
Then there are features that are above and beyond even a special order Winchester. Mentioned first and foremost in the accompanying Madis letter are the "very special silver inlays." Adjacent to the receiver at the top of the grip, these silver pieces, accented with a large fleur de lis are also engraved and would have been added at the same time as the rest of the gun's engraving. Madis writes, "Collectors have named these inlays 'Tiffany inlays,' after the New York jeweler who did most of this work." Despite this flattering title, the engraving on the receiver, barrel, forend tip, and buttplate were instead masterfully executed by L. D. Nimschke, "...one of America's foremost engravers of his period." Lush scroll work covers every surface of the receiver sans two areas that have been reserved to panel scenes of a hunting dog in pursuit of its quarry and a majestic stag. This work goes far above and beyond typical Winchester engraving. Both it and the checkering are considered "extensive" and alone earns this rifle a prized status among collectors.
Perhaps even more distinguishing than engraving and special order features, if it could be so, are two features especially unique to this rifle. One is an inlaid, still-functioning compass that has been inset into the right side of the stock and given a handsome, engraved, brass frame to better hold in the recessed compass. It is similar to one seen on the Winchester Factory Presentation Model 1873 given to Edward Stabler, inventor of the Stabler cut-off system. The second is an inscription on the left barrel flat that reads, "Made for Helen A. Foster. Prize Rifle Columbian Exposition."
It may initially seem unusual to see such a rifle inscribed to a woman, but at the Columbian Exposition women were particularly active in the event. So much so that the Women's Building was said to be slightly less popular than the prominent and extremely well-received Ferris Wheel. Born as Helen Foster, Helen Foster Barnett was the wife of Dr. James P Barnett of Brooklyn, New York, but she is far from being known by virtue of her husband. Dr. Barnett passed in 1886 leaving her with their children and a considerable fortune. She turned into a well-known and generous philanthropist, mostly via her appreciation and support of art. It is unknown (even by Madis) how Mrs. Foster is associated with the rifle. Was the rifle made as a prize for her to present? Was it made as a prize for her personally thanks to her love of the aesthetic or perhaps some charitable act or donation on her part? Madis says it best, "Research continues on the inscription, Mrs. Foster, and the history of the rifle."
This little gem of a Smith & Wesson revolver appeared side-by-side with the opulent Tiffany-embellished handguns that were on display for those six months in 1893. The rich dot and scrollwork engraving should be familiar to Smith & Wesson collectors and is unquestionably done in the hand of one of the Young engraving dynasty: Gustave, Oscar, or Eugene. It is noted in the factory letter that this revolver was "offered by Smith & Wesson for sale at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, but did not sell and was sold after the close of the World's Fair." With its provenance and embellishments, this revolver should have no such troubles at Rock Island Auction. It wouldn't take long for it to find a home even after the exposition; the letter further indicates that it was shipped within months on January 15, 1894 to Hartley & Graham Co, in New York City. It still matches all of its factory original specifications: 4-inch barrel, factory engraving, nickel and gold finish, and pearl grips.
The dot and scroll engraving finds nearly every corner of the revolver, starting on the butt and backstrap, it resumes on the sides of the frame and hinge, the top strap, the cylinder, and down the barrel. The pearl grips are bright and iridescent, while the trigger guard retains traces of the original finish. Once regarded as one of the finest guns that Smith & Wesson had to offer, this revolver would resume a place of honor in any collection in which it resides.
All in all the event was a huge success for Daniel Burnham and the city of Chicago. The bustling metropolis was now associated with all the luxury, innovation, beauty, spectacle, and entertainment that the Columbian Exposition had packed into its six short months. Historian David Nasaw writes of the world fairs and their purpose that reached far beyond mere entertainment, "The world's fairs were paeans to progress, concrete demonstrations of how order and organization, high culture and art, science and technology, commerce and industry, all brought together under the wise administration of business and government, would lead inevitably to a brighter, more prosperous future."
In an age of economic prosperity, expansion, innovation, industrial might, and melding nationalities, the Columbian Exposition was perhaps the best physical manifestation of a nation bursting at the seams to grow in every direction at once. The firearms present at this show are also a perfect representation of the era from which they come, a physical time capsule that can be held in the hand, contemplated, and returned gently to a collection until the next time it is called upon to tell its tale of a time in American when nothing was impossible.
The Hall of Fine Arts at the 1893 Columbian Exposition
Venters, Vic. Gun Craft: Fine Guns & Gunmakers in the 21st Century. Camden, ME.: Shooting Sportsman, 2010. Print.
World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, Ill., 1893: Report of the Committee on Awards of the World's Columbian Commission. Vol. 2. Washington: G.P.O., 1901. Print.
There are a lot of "firsts" in the world of firearms and with those "firsts" comes a great deal of misinformation and seemingly pedantic clarifications. For example, Colt did not make the first revolver, no matter what Wikipedia says. Conversely, when many folks think of the first semi-automatic pistol they incorrectly think of Hugo Borchardt's strangely beautiful C-93. While that is an early entry into the field of semi-automatic pistols, it is in fact predated by the Schönberger-Laumann of 1892. Borchardt enthusiasts or others wanting to maintain their fact's "correctness" counter by saying that the Borchardt was the first commercially successful semi-automatic.
That's where the mountains of confusing clarifying details begins to cloud history.
Now, the Borchardt isn't the first semi-automatic pistol, it's the first commercially successful semi-automatic pistol. By adding those two little italicized words, the claimant's statement remains true. However, to a society not mired in nuance, and more often focused on the biggest, fastest, first, longest, or other measurements of superlative magnitude, this aggrandizement can be misleading and often times, downright incorrect.
To that end, in researching this article, even the Schönberger-Laumann 1892 is referred to as the first commercially sold semi-auto pistol. Was this because the man who designed the pistol, Joseph Laumannm, had built earlier functioning models before he signed over his patents to the Gebruder Schönberger company? Is he predated by another pistol all together yet unearthed in my research? In any case, one can see how a quick clarifying term can change a gun's claim to a prestigious historic title. This is even worse when it comes to revolvers! Claims abound when it comes to: the first revolver, the first cartridge revolver, the first successful double-action (DA) cartridge revolver, the first standard issue revolver, the first modern double action revolver, and so on ad nauseum.
Nothing is wrong with acknowledging the contributions of the gradual improvements to firearms throughout history. Small improvements over time lead to big, finalized changes. Do you think Winchester would be famous without Walter Hunt, Lewis Jennings, Smith, Wesson, King, or Henry? In fact, too many inventors and contributors throughout history are often not given their due proportional to their influence. However, one must remain accurate in historical attribution. The first revolver was not invented by Samuel Colt. The first semi-auto service rifle was not the M1 Garand. The first lever action was not the Winchester. The first rimfire cartridge was not invented by Smith & Wesson.
The First Double Action Revolver
Robert Adams was a British gunsmith and inventor born in 1809. The general mentions of him historically are for his work at the London arms factory of George & John Deane. It was under their employ, on August 22, 1851, that he was granted a British patent for a revolver design that functioned in a revolutionary way (no pun intended). Adams' patent covered a new design of gun that indexed the cylinder, cocked and dropped the hammer, all with a single pull of the trigger.
At the same time Samuel Colt's revolvers were selling like hotcakes in the United States. His Colt Walker (1847), despite its limited production, was extremely effective for the men who used it (despite problems with ruptured cylinders), and it soon saw improvements in the subsequent models such as the Dragoon (1848), Baby Dragoon, and the 1851 Navy. Some of these weapons he brought to the 1851 Great Exhibition of Works of Industry of All Nations (a.k.a. The Great Exhibition of 1851) held at the Crystal Palace in London's Hyde park. Like many similar shows it sought to display each nation's products to each other and the world. For manufacturers, there could be no better time to make a name for one's self or to show off one's wares to big buyers and governments from all corners of the globe. There were only two revolvers on display at this exhibition (though other manufacturers such as Lefaucheux were present), a display by Colt and a booth of George & John Deane showing the new revolver design by Robert Adams. A collision course had been set.
The Deane & Adams revolver on display was a five-shot revolver was likely chambered in .500 caliber (12.7 mm). Other calibers would come later, such as the 1851 Infantry in .440 (11.2 mm) and the 1851 Pocket in .320 (7.65 mm). In that huge expo building of glass and iron, the Deane booth of firearms was the only one that had brought a decorated firearm - a single revolver described as "ornately engraved." Colt, who had brought a large display, had only brought his plain, machine-made pistols, giving the Adams the lion's share of the public's attention. To add further insult to injury, the Deane brothers won a prize medal for their display, while Colt was issued an Honorable Mention. The burgeoning arms maker quickly turned the new found attention to his advantage, and found himself running against Colt in the military trials that began September 10, 1851 at the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich.
The Adams had several advantages over its American counterpart. First and foremost, it was a double-action revolver, and requiring only one hand to operate was seen as a large advantage. In fact, the revolver was solely a double action (DAO), with the hammer spur having been removed so that a shooter could not cock it manually. They were virtually hand-made and thus had a higher quality and fit than the Colt. The Adams took less time to reload than the Colt, fired a larger cartridge, fired it more quickly, weighed less, and did not experience a single misfire during the trials. It also utilized a solid frame with the barrel and frame being created in one forging, giving the gun additional strength, an important benefit before the introduction of more sophisticated metallurgy techniques. In the two hour test, the Adams fired 25 times with no misfires, but the Colt suffered four.
However, it had its disadvantages as well. The same hand fitting that gave the gun its high (though somewhat inconsistent) quality and solid feel, slowed production, eliminated part interchangeability, and increased its cost; something Colt did not suffer with his machine-made guns. It offered no recoil shield, its longer DAO trigger pull hurt the gun's accuracy, and the percussion nipples had not been hardened, sometimes resulting in several problems, but most notably their occasional fracturing upon detonation of the percussion cap. Also, while the rapid fire of the double action was appreciated, the lack of a single action option was viewed as a detriment.
As ordnance boards around the world tend to do, they chose the more traditional design and signed a contract with Colt that resulted in an overall sum of 9,500 revolvers going to the Royal Navy and 14,000 to the British Army (5,000 of which were produced in America). This purchase of mostly Model 1851 Navy revolvers was made despite the fact that the Ordnance Board did not approve either revolver. Perhaps this contract is what caused Colt to build his London factory, that "officially" began production on January 1, 1853. The mass-production and assembly lines were an eye-opening experience for the European gunsmiths of the day. Charles Dickens even came to tour the factory and wrote about his experience in the May 27, 1854 issue of his magazine, Household Words. Despite the Colt contract, many British officers still recognized the quality and higher stopping power of the Adams revolver, often buying them out of their own pockets.
While Colt was busy selling his single actions and being content with his military contracts, Adams was stoking the fires of improvement and commercial sales. He was putting immense pressure on Colt in retail sales and was so successful at such that the Deane brothers made him a partner, changing the name of the business to Deane, Adams, & Deane. He also kept improving his revolvers. By adding a bullet rammer similar to one in use by W. & J. Rigby (known today as John Rigby & Co), he quickly eliminated one major objection to his revolver. To address the lack of single action operation Adams designed a system of his own, but eventually preferred that of Lieutenant Frederick E. B. Beaumont, to which he bought the patent. By incorporating the improved DA/SA action and hammer spur in his weapons, which were now being manufactured more cheaply and quickly, he had removed nearly every objection to this revolver. The newly improved revolvers are known as Beaumont-Adams revolvers and began production in 1856 (patent date for Beaumont is Feb 20, 1855). By the time production rolled around, they had also substituted the Rigby bullet rammer for one designed by James Kerr, Adams' cousin.
This put both revolvers squarely in the middle of the Crimean War (Oct 1853 - Feb 1856), where each saw much more arduous testing than that of the Ordnance Board. The Colts were found to be more rugged, but the rapid firing, large caliber DA Adams revolvers held their own. Two readily available quotes best describe the reputations of the two weapons. The first is a letter from Crimean War soldier J. G. Crosse from the 88th Regiment of Foot, who felt compelled to write a letter to Adams after he experienced the following: "I had one of your largest sized Revolver Pistols at the bloody battle of Inkermann, and by some chance got surrounded by the Russians. I then found the advantages of your pistol over that of Colonel Colt's, for had I to cock before each shot I should have lost my life. I should not have had time to cock, as they were too close to me, being only a few yards from me; so close that I was bayoneted through the thigh immediately after shooting the fourth man."
It is worth noting that the Russians also valued the Adams revolvers, often taking them as war trophies and eventually reproducing their own copies of the gun. The Colts, on the other hand, suffered from the reputation of being slow and under-powered, accusations made even more severe by the previous letter.The following letter was written by Lieutenant Colonel George Vincent Fosbery during the Indian Mutiny of 1857. It reads,
"An officer, who especially prided himself in his pistol shooting, was attacked by a stalwart mutineer armed with a heavy sword. The officer, unfortunately for himself, carried a Colt's Navy pistol of small caliber and fired a sharp-pointed bullet of sixty to the pound and a heavy charge of powder, its range being 600 yards, as I have frequently proved. This he proceeded to empty into the sepoy [an Indian soldier] as soon as he advanced, but having done so, he waited just one second too long to see the effect of his shooting and was cloven to the teeth by his antagonist, who then dropped down and died beside him. My informant told me that five out of the six bullets had struck the sepoy close together in the chest, and all had passed through him and out of his back."
It wouldn't take too many stories of men having their heads split open to turn the tides of opinion against the Colt revolvers. Beginning in 1855, Beaumont-Adams revolvers were ordered for the British Army and the War Department, most being chambered in .479 caliber. British officers, who had to purchase their own sidearms at this time, also favored the domestic product. With the loss of the military contract and the immense popularity of the Adams in the retail market, Colt was forced to close his London factory in 1856 (some sources say 1857), approximately four short years after it had opened. Some say that the experience in London soured Colt against double actions, which he never produced produced in his lifetime. Colt died in 1862; the first DA was the less-than-rugged Model 1877 "Lighting." Even rival Remington had a solid frame DA dating back to 1862 (pat'd 1858). Even after their founder's passing, Colt seemed to be ignoring the writing on the wall.
Unfortunately for Adams, the view from the top would not last long. In 1856 he had a falling out with the Deane brothers, left that partnership, took most of his patents with him, and founded the London Armoury Company on February 9, 1856. He had some help again from his cousin James Kerr, who would later develop the Kerrs Patent Revolver. By 1857 there was trouble in the provinces and the Indian Mutiny of 1857 cemented the Adams' position as the official sidearm of the British Army. When it came down to it, the practicality of the gun's rate of fire and large caliber were deemed more important than the suffered accuracy of the double-action.
Eventually, Adams would have his disagreements with the London Armoury Co. as well. He would sell his interest in the company, leaving it to Kerr, but would keep the rights to his revolver and have them produced under license, even by his most recent employer. This turned out to be remarkably prescient on Adams' part as the issue that sent him away was the increased production of infantry rifles at the expense of the production of his revolvers. The new rifles were to be sold to the newly formed Confederate States of America, the primary buyer for Kerr. At the end of the American Civil War, London Armoury lost its biggest client and went out of business the following year.
The standard issue revolvers Robert Adams made would only be replaced in 1867 by those made by his brother, John Adams. The pistols from John's Adams Patent Small Arms Company would remain the official revolvers of the British Army until they were replaced by the Enfield Mark I in 1880, the same year of Robert Adams' death.
-Written by Joel R. Kolander
Sources:
Ezell, Edward C. Handguns of the World. A Comprehensive International Guide to Military Revolvers and Self-Loaders. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1981. Print.
Here we go again, fellow firearms collectors! Another successful auction and another recap that shows you the highlights, over achievers and most popular items from that weekend. If you haven't seen this type of article, we have been writing them after the last several auctions, and like to emphasize that these results are in no way "cherry picked." The guns, knives, and results shown here are listed solely by virtue of their data regardless of condition, history, embellishment, provenance, or other factors.
Estimate: $1,000 - $1,600 Realized Price: $2,587.50 Number of Sealed Bids: 34
With Rock Island Auction's recently developed outbid notifications, the amount of bids on particularly desirable items can escalate quickly. One might also think it helps eliminate tie bids, but hundreds of items had bids still locked in a dead heat, some as many as a five-way tie! Those who use these notifications have a huge advantage to win the lots they want.
That said, the lot that received the most sealed bids (bids placed before the auction took place) is this lot of two cased Smith & Wesson revolvers - one a 29-2 and the other a 27-2. Looks like Colt Pythons aren't the only wheelguns that collectors want in their safes.
With an FG-42 selling at RIAC in last year's September Premiere Auction for $299,000 perhaps it should come as no surprise that a Krieghoff manufactured version would fetch a higher price. However, it should signal to the collecting community that last year's price was no fluke or random spike, as these fearsome German machine guns continue to command high prices from some of the world's top collectors.
Even at this high price it was still a close race at the top. Lot 1657 held an engraved and gold washed Walther PP presentation pistol with an "H. Himmler" signature on its grips, that sold for $287,500. It also provided the most excitement of the auction as jump bids were being placed in $50,000 increments! Both of these should also indicate that the German military collectors market is still as strong as ever.
It might not be as pretty as some of the other "top guns" shown in this article, but the historical significance of these Confederate pieces made them more than attractive to more than one collector. Confederate items remain remarkably desirable even in the wake of popular opinion regarding the Confederacy and the American Civil War.
Highest Performing Genre: German Military - Walther PP/PPK
Undoubtedly led by the aforementioned golden "H. Himmler" PP, this dauntless little pistol continues to cement itself as a classic firearm. Often dwarfed, literally and figuratively, by other beloved military pistols such as the M1911, the C96 Broomhandle, the P08, and the P38, these little pistols still have a hot spot in the collector market and its overachieving performance goes to show exactly that.
The top selling Colt in this action may be up for some discussion as to which one technically takes the crown. Shown above is the gun I feel should win the award. It's a Colt Model 1855 Sidehammer "Root" revolver that has been elaborately engraved by Gustave Young and comes in the supremely rare Buhl case. First off, the pistol features eight punch dots on its hammer, which with Gustave Young engravings indicates the number of days taken to complete the work. Eight is a large number, especially when the work was done on such a small revolver, and Colt aficionados know this. The revolver is stunning in and of itself, but the debate arises because arguably the larger portion of the lot's sale price is tied to the case and not the revolver. Buhl cases were used by Colt for only the most prestigious of presentations, with examples being presented to Edward Prince of Wales, his father Prince Albert, Queen Victoria, and his ever-important patent attorney, Edward Dickerson. This particular example is brass bound rosewood and inlaid with antique ivory, silver, brass, and pearl. The lot was estimated at $85,000 - $130,000.
Challenging this sidehammer's crown is Lot 1329, which holds an amazing pair of Colt Single Action Army revolvers that bear superb factory engraving and opposite, relief carved, steer head grips. It is "Grade B" engraving performed by Master Engraver Wilbur A Glahn, and the guns themselves remain in excellent condition. Their estimate was $110,000 - $160,000.
I'm awarding "Highest Selling Colt" to the 1855 Sidehammer based on several factors:
It outperformed its estimate
The price is based on only one gun and a case, not two guns.
One could argue that the Root isn't in as high of a condition as the SAA revolvers, or that each lot had two valuable items so the number of guns shouldn't enter into it. When it comes right down to it, the lot with the Root has the benefit of being a rarer lot thanks to the Buhl case, and the immeasurable benefit of being something Samuel Colt would've almost certainly had his hands on at some time in his life. The rarity of the cases and the importance of their individual presentations almost ensures it.
Three words to describe this rifle: gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. It rightly earns its place as the top Winchester in this auction. It is magnificently master engraved and gold inlaid by John Ulrich, who also signed his work. I try to keep these sections brief because there is so much good information to cover, so I'll just let the following picture do the talking. Take a look at the expertly carved stock, the tightly scrollwork on the receiver, and the shading work on the gold inlays. You can even click on it for a larger view. It truly is an amazing rifle.
Highest Selling German Arm
Since the top two selling items of the entire auction were German arms and have already been covered, I'll not rehash it here.
This is one of a select few Henry rifles that come through our doors with a documented history. It is even accompanied by a British pattern 1821 saber. Both weapons can be traced to Samuel H. Light (1834 – 1914), a man who can be found on the Illinois Civil War Muster Roll, joined the 7th Illinois Cavalry on September 15, 1861, and re-enlisted on November 4, 1865 as a sergeant. The family home was located in Edgar County, Illinois, an area known to have raised men for a number of Illinois regiments. Both items have been passed down through the family for generations before finally ending up at Rock Island Auction Company. Not only is it the centerpiece of a rich history, but it is absolutely “fresh” to the collector market. This Henry has resided in an Illinois farmhouse for the last 150 years! It can’t get much fresher than that. Both the provenance and the "freshness" of the rifle trumped its "attic" condition to bring a welcome sale price.
Our newest auctioneer, Alex, is standing next to this positively massive field gun to give a perspective of its true size. Our official description lists it as "The massive cannon is just over 11 foot long from the muzzle to the end of the carriage tail and is 5 1/2 feet wide from the outside edges of the wheels which stand 4 feet and 10 inches tall. The bore is 4 1/2 inches at the muzzle..." These twelve pound "Napoleon" cannons were first used in the U.S. in 1857 and were the most used smoothbore cannon during the Civil War.
Most "light 12-pounders" were made of bronze, but when the Union Army took the Ducktown copper mines near Chattanooga, Tennessee in November 1863, the Confederacy no longer had access to the 1,000 pounds of copper required to make each gun. They began to make the critically important weapons from cast iron with iron reinforcing bands, but only around 120 could be produced by the South before the end of the war. Given that this 12-pounder is made from iron and the bore lacks the Union signature swell at the muzzle, it can be safely said that it is a reproduction of a Confederate light 12-pounder as made by the renowned Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, Virginia. It would be quite the eye-catching piece in any Civil War or Confederate weapons collection. The light 12-pounder was likely used to greater effect on Civil War battlefields (in terms of casualties and fatalities) than any other piece of artillery, so it should come as no surprise that some astute collector made it the top selling non-firearm in this auction.
There you have it, collector friends. By the numbers, those are the top items from our 2015 September Premiere Firearms Auction. Seeing big revolvers as the most popular was no surprise, but to not see a lever gun in the top Winchester spot certainly was! Also, two German WWII guns and two Confederate pieces each found their way into top spots. Even though the users of each took arms against the United States, collectors admirably overlook that in search of the aesthetic, well-engineered, or tangible pieces of history. It may seem silly to say, but there are many that cannot or choose not to do so.
From an 11-foot long item to one barely the size of a man's hand, these top items truly run the gamut: military and civilian, royalty and infantrymen, leaping out of planes and riding on horses, and that's just in the top several items! We hope that you'll come to an auction sometime to see our "rotating museum" of fascinating, historic, and stunning collector firearms. We promise it's worth the trip!
The appeal of firearms is different things to different people. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder after all, and one doesn't have to sell over 20,000 guns a year to realize it. It goes without saying that many collectors appreciate the history behind certain firearms, like the Peacemaker or the '73 Winchester. Others seek collectible firearms by virtue of a keen fascination with a certain conflict, say the Civil War, Great War, or World War II. There are also those who desire mint condition guns to know what they were like when they originally left the factory, folks that appreciate the fine precision and machining of a well-made sporting arm, aficionados that want to trace every single variation of a firearm be it Lugers or M1 Garands, and even people who just like the raw power of a Class III weapon barking some lead down range.
Well, today's items enjoy an appeal all their own and it's none of those mentioned: they're just unusual. Be it by way of their appearance, design, or just an item we don't receive very often, all the following items are what I'd like to call Atypical Items.
Calico Carbines
The Calico has always been a pretty odd bird. Using a helical magazine located on top of the frame and coming in a variety of shapes and sizes, the firearms from Calico Light Weapons Inc. have always had a very distinct, futuristic appearance. It's this very appearance that has placed them in many movies such as Spaceballs, Total Recall, RoboCop 2 & 3, Bad Boys, Star Trek: First Contact, and even the Bond flick Tomorrow Never Dies.
Besides its appearance, there is an unspoken "fun factor" when dealing with a Calico firearm. That big helical mag on top will either hold 50 or 100 rounds of .22LR or 9mm making it one darn good plinker. Granted the weight of 50 or 100 rounds in a full mag will drastically change the handling of the weapon and making it far less practical, but we're not focused on that right now. OK, Mr. Wet Blanket? RIAC has two chances to get your hands on a Calico in this auction. One is in lot 5604, which holds a Calico M100 carbine (.22 LR) and one M900 carbine.(9mm). To add to the curiosity factor of the M100, it has been nickel plated, ensuring whomever wins it will have a suitable and stylish firearm in any sci-fi movie cameos they make.
Apparently, the M100 with it's scary folding stock, large magazine, and black finish was too scary for some folks, so Calico came up with the M105S. The new variant implemented a wooden stock with thumbhole, making it much less black and removing its folding SPAS-12 looking stock. The M105S can be found with three other guns in lot 5600. One of these things is not like the others.
If you've never gotten the heebie-jeebies when thinking of the horrors of war, this surgical kit should help. Still not convinced? Kits with tools like these were commonplace during the American Civil War, where historical accounts likening field surgeons to butchers are not uncommon (and are also not without a dramatic flair accumulated over time). Even the great poet Walt Whitman documented the scenes he saw. When looking for his wounded brother George, Walt's travels took him to Fredericksburg, where he witnessed the barbarity of "modern medicine." He writes,
"FALMOUNT, VA., opposite Fredericksburgh, December 21, 1862. — Begin my visits among the camp hospitals in the army of the Potomac. Spend a good part of the day in a large brick mansion on the banks of the Rappahannock, used as a hospital since the battle — seems to have receiv’d only the worst cases. Out doors, at the foot of a tree, within ten yards of the front of the house, I notice a heap of amputated feet, legs, arms, hands, &c., a full load for a one-horse cart. Several dead bodies lie near, each cover’d with its brown woolen blanket. In the door-yard, towards the river, are fresh graves, mostly of officers, their names on pieces of barrel-staves or broken boards, stuck in the dirt. (Most of these bodies were subsequently taken up and transported north to their friends.) The large mansion is quite crowded upstairs and down, everything impromptu, no system, all bad enough, but I have no doubt the best that can be done; all the wounds pretty bad, some frightful, the men in their old clothes, unclean and bloody. Some of the wounded are rebel soldiers and officers, prisoners. One, a Mississippian, a captain, hit badly in leg, I talk’d with some time; he ask’d me for papers, which I gave him. (I saw him three months afterward in Washington, with his leg amputated, doing well.) I went through the rooms, downstairs and up. Some of the men were dying. I had nothing to give at that visit, but wrote a few letters to folks home, mothers, &c. Also talk’d to three or four, who seem’d most susceptible to it, and needing it."
Quite a harrowing description and one that affected Whitman profoundly. Besides writing about the horrors of war, Whitman would also go on to pen many patriotic poems, including the well known "O Captain! My Captain!" as well as spend countless hours in war hospitals visiting with soldiers, comforting them, or helping them write letters.
While primitive compared to today's technology driven field of medicine, kits such as these were often the most effective tool against the wounds from another piece of high technology of the time: the Minié Ball.
Volcanic Cartridge
Speaking of the Minié Ball and developments in ammunition, you may be surprised to see a round of ammunition included with the Volcanic Lever Action Navy Pistol in lot 5002. It is a Volcanic round, patented by Smith & Wesson and is a direct development from the Minié Ball. The Minié Ball is essentially just a bullet with a hollowed out tail. The very rear of the bullet, where the lead was the most thin,would expand due to the pressure created by the expanding gases when the weapon was fired. This expansion is the source of the round's advantages. Once the lead had expanded, it created a tighter seal forcing more gas to push the bullet instead of escaping around it. This more efficient use of the gas from the ignited gunpowder increased muzzle speed significantly, creating a faster and more deadly cartridge. This tighter fit of the bullet in the barrel also allowed the bullet to grab the rifling more effectively, in turn providing more accurate shot placement. The third benefit was that the tight fit also helped remove fouling from previous shots.
The next iteration would be the "Rocket Ball." The Rocket Ball would be patented in 1848 by Walter Hunt, a00 seldom-remembered but great inventor responsible for things like the safety pin and the fountain pen, Hunt is also critical to the Winchester story, not because he invented the Rocket Ball, but because he also invented the Hunt magazine (tube magazine) and the very earliest version of a lever used to operate his gun. All that aside, his "Rocket Ball" or "Volitional Ball" for his Volitional Repeater, was created by essentially filling the cavity of the Minié Ball with propellant and sealing it at the rear with a cork disk which had a tiny hole at its center so that a source of ignition could reach the propellant. It was a weak cartridge with a short range due to its limited amount of powder.
The next logical step was for someone to make the cartridge truly self-contained by adding a primer. So that's exactly what Horace Smith & Daniel B. Wesson set out to do. By adding a primer and making improvements on Hunt's lever action, the partnership of Smith & Wesson would eventually become the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company, thanks to several new investors, one of which was a familiar New York shirt maker named Oliver Winchester.
So besides the round having a really fascinating history, the gun itself is part of Winchester and Smith & Wesson lore and quite rare. Only 1,200 of these pistols are estimated to have been made between 1855-1857. To sweeten the pot even further, it has matching serial numbers on its lever, the underside of its grips, and on the grip strap under the left grip.
Helmets, et al.
Most nations have military dress uniforms with no purpose what-so-ever. With their aim on symbolism and statement instead of practicality, they can be flamboyant, highly ornamented, and occasionally silly to those not familiar with the meanings behind them. If you need proof of this, please feel free to Google "Evzones" or "Swiss Guard," but don't take a drink of anything before you do. It turns out that helmets are no exception. In our February Regional Auction is an impressive assemblage of helmets, czapkas, pickelhaubes, and shakos. All of which I'm sure are laden with symbolism, military significance, and national pride. However, to look at them through 21st Century glasses and with no national context, some of these helmets can appear downright flashy. Here are a few examples.
Ah yes, the pickhaube. It's what makes finding the Imperial Germans so easy in all those World War I films, right? That big ol' spike on the top, plus the large brass plate were designed to appear very aggressive, though the brass plate may have providing another thin layer of protection as well. After the Germans beat the French in 1871, these were the big ticket item for many European armies The early versions were much taller and ridiculously impractical. The short version you see before is much more akin to later styles that would have existed right up until the introduction of the German Stahlhelm in 1916. A stahlhelm, with its now classic "coal scuttle" design, remained roughly the same shape throughout World War II, though other changes were made. Pickelhaubes were not durable enough for the trenches and provided no real protection being composed primarily of leather, lacquer, and the brass adornments. Combined with their high cost to manufacture, both government and soldier alike were likely glad to move on to superior designs.
While czapka in Polish simply means "cap," the word now is generally understood to mean the type of Polish helmet shown above. Its four-sided top resembling a mortar-board hat from graduation day, these were for full dress. Also like graduation day, different colors and plumes in different locations symbolized different units. Lancers were exactly what they sound like - troops with lances. Just like knights, Romans, and Greeks, these troops on horseback with spears or lances could be an effective military force, and they were up until the technological developments of the Great War. Today very few military units, even ceremonial ones, wear the helmet that once symbolized Polish independence.
Difficult to see in this photo, notice the depiction of a skull in the lower front portion of either helmet plate. Just because they were fancy doesn't mean they weren't trying to be scary.
Remember how we said they sometimes featured plumes? This czapka is nearly identical to the one above it, with the obvious exception of the prominent feathers off of the left brow. The skull on the helmet plate is much easier to see in this photo.
A final example of the many, many helmets this auction contains, is this Dragoons Officer's helmet. Historically dragoons have been cavalry troops bearing a number of different weapons depending on both the commander and nation they served, though that definition began to change as horses became less effective on the battlefield. Most dragoon units today are comprised of a wide variety of armored fighting vehicles.
This particular 1871 pattern helmet is accompanied by its storage tin, which thankfully bears a nice surprise for any amateur historian. An outfitters tag on the tin lists the helmet as belonging to one "Capt. H.E.F. de Trafford." This helmet might not be able to talk, but with tiny bits of information like this, one may be able to find out where it went, what it saw, and more about the man that wore it.
This is making the rounds on the internet right now and it just wouldn't be fair to leave so many questions unanswered. What you see is 6 Norinco SKS semi-automatic rifles mounted in a homemade "Gatling gun" type stand. It works using very simple principles. The crank is located on the right hand side of the device and when the crank is turned the assembly that has the barrels mounted to it rotates. You know what, I'm just going to let Joerge from the Slingshot Channel explain it to you. He makes devices like this all the time and can show you show this functions. Joerge has done this with cap guns, marbles, and several other projectiles. This isn't exactly how it works, but it's pretty close. Long story short, as the unit spins, different "fins" attached to each trigger, brush past a fixed "tooth," thus moving the fin, activating the trigger, and firing the gun.
Looks like someone was having some fun with a surplus of SKS rifles they had lying around. Is it just me, or is this thing just dying to be taken to a range?
Has your curiosity piqued yet? There are over 7,000 items in this auction, more than 6,500 of which are firearms, so it's darn near effortless to find fascinating collectibles. As always, there's only so much we can show you in a short blog, so go and take a look in the catalog for yourself! You'll be glad you did.
If you recall last week's article, we talked about some early Winchester and Henry rifles that would be appearing in our 2014 February Regional Firearms Auction. It's great news for collectors for that quality of firearm to be appearing in a Regional sale! However, Henry and Winchester aren't the only two manufacturers that will have some rather upscale offerings in the upcoming auction. Feast your eyes on these beauties that are sure to attract the attention of attendees of both our Premiere and Regional Auctions.
Lot 1095: Scarce Smith & Wesson Model 320 Revolving Rifle with Stock and Case
Only 977 of these rare Smith & Wessons were manufactured! Now take away those that have been lost to time, neglect, and use and one finds a rare S&W indeed. This particular example is made even rarer by having an 18" barrel. Only 514 of the 977 came in this configuration. It also still has its stock and case!
Estimated at $4,000 - $7,000
Lot 422: Engraved Pre-World War II Walther Commercial Model PP .22 Semi-Automatic Pistol
Nearly every surface on this Walther PP pistol is adorned with engraved edelweiss flowers. If this wasn't enough of a unique touch on a PP, it also features the monogram "EB" on the right side of the frame where the letters form the shape of a butterfly (or "schmetterling" if you're feeling especially Germanic).
Estimated at $5,000 - $9,500
Lot 100: Engraved Gold and Silver Plated Colt Model 1860 Army Percussion Revolver with Ornate Cast Grip
Manufactured in 1862, this Colt Model 1860 Army revolver is elaborately adorned in nearly every way imaginable: two tone plating of silver and gold, ornate floral and feather engraving, and a lavish cast grip featuring patriotic scenes and decor. It's going to take a few more pictures to adequately show off the craftsmanship of this Colt.
Estimated at $7,500 - $15,000
Lot 103: Rare Collier Patent Percussion Revolver
The Collier patent pistol, whether it uses a percussion or flintlock firing mechanism, holds a very special place in American history. Patented in the United States in June of 1818, this design is largely recognized to have influenced Samuel Colt on his 1830-31 voyage to England and India as a sailor on the S.S. Corvo. A fascinating piece for early Americana collectors and an essential for Colt collectors, these desirable handguns are far and few between. To give an idea of its rarity, Rock Island Auction Company sells anywhere from 20,000 - 22,000 firearms a year and this is only the fourth Collier revolver we've had the pleasure to sell.
Estimated at $3,500 - $5,500
Lot 1105: Scarce Smith & Wesson Model 320 Revolving Rifle
These revolving rifles were only manufactured between 1879 to 1887 and, as mentioned earlier, only 977 were manufactured including all variants. These firearms come to us from the esteemed collection of Dr. Don Anderson. He was an enthusiast of all 19th century American firearms, but his passion and expertise was with this model. Coming from a such a notable collection, one can be assured that these guns are excellent examples in as fine a condition as he could get them. Also, being the objects behind such a strong passion they have undoubtedly been kept with the utmost care.
Estimated at $5,000 - $7,000
As with almost every article, we can only include a choice few items on any given topic. With over 2,700 lots in the February 2014 Regional Auction, and most of those being multi-item lots, we could show you one item each day for over 17 years. Thankfully for everyone involved, we'll be selling all of them in a fast-paced three days February 21st, 22nd, & 23rd, 2014. Don't forget that the Thursday before each auction, Feb 20th for this auction, is our Preview Day. You have a full day to look at, pick up, touch, inspect, draw, or shoulder any gun in the auction! Many folks call it, "the Museum You Can Touch," and we wholeheartedly agree. Whether you can come for one day or all four, we'd love to have you out to our facility and show you what a RIAC auction is. If you want a rare gun, an ornate arm, an everyday plinker, an opportunity for investment, or a new family hunting piece to cherish, Rock Island Auction Company will have you covered this February.
