Category: A Victory!
Note Sorry but I could not up load the gun pictures!!!!! Grumpy
Most of us don’t buy guns to save or make money — it’s usually quite the opposite. However, if you have the financial means, firearms can be a really great investment, and that’s been true for quite some time.
For most of the 20th century, Colt revolvers and Winchester lever-action rifles led the pack as blue-chip investments. These models are still good bets for a solid return, but as you’ll see from this list, the guns that fetch the highest prices aren’t all Colts and Winchesters.
In recent years, the internet and online auctions have allowed people to bid on rare items, including guns, from anywhere in the world. This has led to an unprecedented explosion in the high-value gun market. Their potential for future income generation has really ramped up with some amazing, record-setting auction prices since about 2000. Every gun on this list sold within the past two decades.
This list of the most expensive guns ever sold is impressive; it includes guns that were owned by historical figures and involved in historical events and works of art adorned with fine engraving and precious metals. These guns are each in a class of their own. Coincidentally, they’re all handguns — while there are plenty of long guns that pull large prices, none of them are at the tippy-top of the list.
All told, the six firearms on this list have a combined sales total of $14.45 million. Technically, some of the entries are pairs of guns, but since they are sets that should never be separated, they’re counted together.
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Presentation Colt 1849 Revolver
Sale Price: $1.14 million
This heavily embellished cap-and-ball Colt revolver was sold in 2012 at Sotheby’s for a cool $1.14 million.
This revolver, which features deep-relief engraving and gold inlay, is one of six Model 1849s to be embellished in this style. Most of them were given to important politicians. One was gifted to Russia’s Czar Nicholas I. Two others were given to the kings of Sweden and Denmark.
These six presentation guns are so impressive and visually stunning that four of them are held in museum collections. This particular gun is currently housed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Millikin Colt Dragoon Revolver
Sale Price: $1.66 million
Profusely engraved by master engraver Gustave Young, this Colt Third Model Dragoon cap-and-ball revolver falls within the serial-number range for a variety of other special presentation guns given out by the factory.
This gun was originally owned by Col. John Millikin, who was killed in 1862 during the American Civil War. His son, Paul, who was a colonel in the Spanish-American War and World War I, inherited the gun after his father’s death. Paul’s name and rank are engraved on the gun’s backstrap.
It sold at auction by Rock Island Auction Company for $1.66 million in 2019 against a pre-sale estimate of $1.2 to $2 million and is now in a private collection.
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Simon Bolivar Pistols
Sale Price: $1.8 million
These twin pistols were made by Nicolas-Noël Boutet, the personal gunsmith to Napoleon Bonaparte. He is regarded as one of the finest gunmakers to have ever lived anywhere in the world. The Marquis de Lafayette (Gilbert du Motier), always a friend to revolutionaries, gave the pistols to Simón Bolívar in 1825. Bolívar dedicated his life to liberating six South American nations and was known as “the George Washington of Latin America.”
This pair of flintlock pistols bear exquisite carving, gilding, engraving, and precious metal inlay. Put simply, they are two excellent examples of Boutet’s unrivaled talent. They were sold at auction by Christie’s for $1.8 million in 2016 against a pre-sale estimate of $1.5 to $2.5 million, and are now in a private collection.
Danish Sea Captain Colt Walker
Sale Price: $1.84 million
There’s a lot that makes this gun rare. For starters, it’s a civilian Colt Walker, of which only 100 were made; far fewer are still known to exist. Then, it is the only known cased civilian Colt Walker revolver from the factory. It’s essentially new in its packaging.
To top it off, it’s the only known Colt to include maintained documentation, in Sam Colt’s own handwriting, from the date of its original sale after criss-crossing the Atlantic a couple times and surviving a world war.
The gun gained its nickname when it was purchased by a Danish sea captain named Neils Hanson when he visited New York City in 1847. He took it back to Denmark, where, a century later, the gun survived the Nazi occupation by being buried in a garden. It was subsequently sold back stateside after the war.
It sold at auction by Rock Island Auction Company for $1.84 million in 2018 against a pre-sale estimate of $800,000 to $1.3 million and is now in a private collection.
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Lafayette-Washington-Jackson Pistols
Sale Price: $1.98 million
This is the second time the Marquis de Lafayette makes an appearance on this list. He presented these pistols earlier than the Bolívar guns and their history is far more striking.
Lafayette gave these pistols, made by Jacob Walster in France, to George Washington during the American Revolution. Washington actually carried the pistols, and it’s believed he had the guns on him at Valley Forge, Monmouth, and the Battle of Yorktown. He also carried them later, when he was president, during the Whiskey Rebellion.
After Washington’s death, the pistols were one of the many items in his estate that were divided up among a host of tertiary relatives since he had no direct heirs.
The pistols eventually found their way into the possession of Andrew Jackson. When the Marquis visited Jackson in 1826 (before he became president), he verified that they were, indeed, the pistols he gave to Washington during the revolution. He hadn’t seen them since the war. After Jackson’s death, the pistols were bequeathed to Lafayette’s son, George Washington Lafayette.
They were sold at auction by Christie’s for $1.98 million in 2002 against a pre-sale estimate of $1.5 million and are now in the collection of Fort Ligonier in Pennsylvania.
Pat Garrett’s Colt Single Action Army Used to Kill Billy the Kid
Sale Price: $6.03 million
Billy the Kid is probably the most famous Wild West outlaw of all time. In the same vein, Pat Garrett is one of the most famous lawmen of the era because he killed Billy the Kid (aka William H. Bonney). That’s also why this fairly pedestrian revolver is at the top of the Most Expensive Guns of All Time list.
The gun itself is an unremarkable Colt Single Action Army revolver. It isn’t engraved, nor does it wear ivory or mother of pearl grips. In fact, it doesn’t have any distinctive attributes that would hint at its value. Instead, the rather extreme value of this gun lies solely in its provenance.
In what is either a loan document or bill of sale from 1906, Garrett states that this is the gun he took off of Billy Wilson, one of Bonney’s gang members, when he arrested the young man. Garrett began carrying Wilson’s gun as his own, and it just so happened to be the one he had on him when he punched Billy the Kid’s ticket in July 1881.
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The “gun that killed Billy the Kid” was in the same collection for 38 years. After that, every time it changed hands, it did so through private sales directly from one party to another.
In August 2021, the Colt came to a public auction block for the first time. Thanks to the two famous men who found themselves on either end of its barrel one fateful summer day back in 1881, the revolver received a pre-sale estimate of $2 million to $3 million.
It was sold at auction by Bonham’s for an astonishing $6.03 million, becoming the most expensive gun ever sold. It now resides in a private collection.
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T. LOGAN METESH
T. Logan Metesh is a historian with a focus on firearms history and development. He founded and runs High Caliber History LLC and has more than a decade of experience working for the Smithsonian Institution, the National Park Service, and the NRA Museums. His ability to present history and research in an engaging manner has made him a sought-after consultant, writer, and museum professional.
Over the past week, there’s been a rapid succession of legal decisions regarding the Biden administration’s ban on pistol braces.
In Washington D.C., Judge Drew B. Tipton took center stage, hitting pause on the new rule. Gun Owners of America (GOA), the Gun Owners Foundation (GOF), and the State of Texas were behind this legal push.
This ruling not only covers all GOA members but also extends to anyone working directly for Texas and its agencies.
Erich Pratt, GOA’s Senior VP, dubbed this move an “assault” by Biden on gun owners, while GOF’s Sam Paredes hailed their partial halt of the rule as a message to anyone infringing on the Second Amendment.
“While Congress was slow to act on this wide-reaching rule, GOF stepped in to defend the millions of Americans facing legal jeopardy,” said Paredes in a press release obtained by GunsAmerica. “We are proud to have helped partially halt this rule, and hope it sends a message to anti-gunners hellbent on continuing the assault on the Second Amendment.”
Are You Covered?
| Lawsuit | Judge/Court | Organization | Who is Covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| GOA, GOF vs. ATF | Drew B. Tipton | Gun Owners of America (GOA) | GOA members, Texas state employees |
| SAF vs. ATF | Jane J. Boyle | Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) | SAF members |
| Mock v. Garland | 5th Circuit | Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) | FPC members, Maxim Defense’s customers, individual plaintiffs’ resident family members |
Meanwhile, over in Bellevue, WA, the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) was busy challenging Biden’s Arm Brace Rule as well.
Along with Rainier Arms, LLC and two private citizens, they succeeded in clarifying a preliminary injunction by Judge Jane J. Boyle. To their relief, the injunction indeed covers SAF members.
“SAF has received numerous inquiries from individuals as to whether the injunction covered our members,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut.
“We are pleased to see that Judge Boyle agrees with our interpretation and that our members are indeed protected under this injunction,” he added.
But the action doesn’t stop there. Down in New Orleans, the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) secured a win with the 5th Circuit Court in the Mock v. Garland case last week. The court confirmed that the injunction covers FPC’s members, Maxim Defense’s customers, and the plaintiffs’ resident family members.
Not Covered? Here’s What ATF Wants You To Do To Avoid Becoming A felon
Gun owners who are not covered by one of the injunctions could face felony prosecution. Possession of a short-barreled rifle without an appropriate tax stamp is prohibited under federal law.
Violation of these provisions can result in imprisonment for up to 10 years and/or a fine of up to $250,000 for individuals, or $500,000 for organizations, per the ATF.
In a social media post this month, the ATF presented comprehensive compliance options if the firearm with the stabilizing brace is classified as a short-barreled rifle under the Gun Control Act (GCA):
- Remove the short barrel and attach a 16-inch or longer rifled barrel to the firearm.
- Permanently remove and dispose of, or alter, the “stabilizing brace” so that it cannot be reattached.
- Turn the firearm into your local ATF office.
- Destroy the firearm.
- Register the firearm tax-free by May 31, 2023.
Important note: Simply removing the brace from the firearm is not sufficient, as GunsAmerica previously reported.
Conclusion
It’s been a big week for pro-gun organizations standing tall against an overreaching and unjust ban.
As they continue their battle, your support can make a difference. Consider joining or donating to SAF, GOA, and FPC to help safeguard gun rights. And stay tuned for updates, as the fight will no doubt rage on.
Categories
Huh!
Ex-Marine Daniel Penny is the spitting image of “The Dying Gaul,” one of the most famous statues from Hellenistic Antiquity. The Capitoline Museum has a Third Century B.C. marble copy found in the early 17th Century of a Fourth Century B.C. bronze original by Epigonus.
A militant wearing the insignia of Mexico’s notorious Gulf Cartel (Cartel Del Golfo, CDG) was filmed in the state of Tamaulipas carrying a US-made anti-tank missile launcher. Milenio TV identified the weapon as a Javelin, thousands of which were sent to Ukraine by the Pentagon.
Footage filmed in Matamoros on Monday and aired on Tuesday evening by the news channel Milenio TV showed a man with CDG patches armed with a Kalashnikov rifle and a missile they said was the Raytheon-made FGM-148.
Over 10,000 Javelins from Pentagon stockpiles have been sent to Ukraine since last February, to the point where the US military has begun to run out of the missiles itself.
Milenio presenter Azucena Uresti noted on Twitter that the estimated value of a Javelin launcher on the black market was anywhere from $20,000 to $60,000, while the average cost of a missile was about $30,000.
Russia has repeatedly warned the US and its allies not to “stuff” Ukraine with weapons and ammunition, both because this risked a direct confrontation and since nonexistent controls would result in the weapons ending up in the criminal underworld.
A RT investigation in July 2022 found a variety of Western-supplied weapons, including anti-tank rockets, for sale on the “dark web.” Several months later, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that $1 billion a month worth of Western weapons was ending up in the hands of “terrorists, extremists and criminal groups in the Middle East, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia.”
Kiev has denounced this as “propaganda” and insisted all were accounted for.
Sure, I totally believe that outright bald faced lie from some Ukrainian media flunky.
Let us not forget that Biden left $85 BILLON dollars worth of American military equipment in Afghanistan for the Taliban to sell off or use as they saw fit also.
I would venture to guess that there is Black Market U.S. Military war fighting equipment all over the entire globe at this point.
The immediate implications of the Mexican drug cartels having a bunch of it ought to cause some ass puckering by the local police and border patrol agents along the wide open Southern border of this country.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see some of this stuff turn up further inland either.
The Cartels have running operations from Mexico to Canada already as it is, you just don’t hear about them from the MSM