Morphy’s Dec. 6-8 Firearms & Militaria Auction is locked and loaded with rare and historic Colts, premier English & Continental sporting guns, 100+ NFA lots

DENVER, Pa. – On December 6-8, Morphy Auctions will conduct a 1,152-lot Firearms & Militaria Auction featuring star-studded entries from long-held, highly respected collections. Among the top highlights are treasured pieces from the collection of the late Richard “Dick” Burdick, who was one of the foremost authorities on Colts. According to his friends in the ColtForum online community, Dick was “a giant in the world of Colt collecting” and one of the premier collectors of Single Action models. He served for years on the Colt Collectors Association’s Board of Directors, both as director and treasurer.

Dick had a passion for engraved and historic cartridge Colts. His rare smoothbore Colt Frontier Six-Shooter Single Action Revolver originally belonged to legendary exhibition shooter John Witner Garrett (1865-1937), whose Colorado Springs sporting goods store was described in 1928 as “the most unique novel and attractive gun and sporting goods room in the West.” Dick, himself, wrote an article in the Summer 2022 edition of The Rampant Colt in which he characterized Garrett as “a man of many accomplishments.”

Indeed, Garrett was not only a trap shooting world-record holder, he also had hunted with the Theodore Roosevelt party in 1901, and competed with Annie Oakley in sharpshooting championships. The Burdick/Garrett gun is one of only 15 Colt Single Action Revolvers manufactured with a smooth barrel in .44 caliber for a .44 smoothbore cartridge. It is offered with extensive documentation, including a Colt factory letter that confirms its configuration and original shipment date of 8/21/1912. 

Another great prize from the Burdick collection is a factory-carved Colt .45 Sheriff’s Model Single Action Army Revolver with matching numbers and factory-carved ivory grips. According to author/collector Ron Graham, it is one of only two known factory-engraved guns of its type with a 3½-inch barrel. A Colt Factory Archive letter confirms that the gun was shipped in 1898 in a shipment of one gun. 

Dick’s collection shares the auction spotlight with top-tier firearms from the venerable collection of Dr Jim Watson of Scottsdale, Arizona. One of the crown jewels of Dr. Watson’s incredible collection is a historic circa 1837-1840 cased Colt No. 3 Paterson belt-model percussion revolver. It is believed to have been given to William Watson, a New York City attorney who represented Samuel Colt (1814-1862) in patent disputes, by a New Jersey politician named Andrew Parsons. This may explain the inscribed plaque affixed to the gun’s original case. It reads: “W Watson / from A P.” An extraordinary specimen, the gun is accompanied by its case and various accoutrements, and represents one of very few such sets in private hands.

The auction also boasts one of the finest collections of sporting arms to come to market in quite some time, with highlights that include an extremely rare Bertuzzi Gullwing in a desirable 20-gauge over configuration. This shotgun has demi-bloc nitro proofed 28¾-inch barrels and is adorned with game scenes, hunting dogs and scrollwork engraved by Marico Torcoli and Valerio Peli and comes in a leather case.

A very rare 16-gauge side-by-side shotgun built circa 2013 by the German firm Hartmann & Weiss (Hamburg) has nitro proofed 29-inch blued barrels and rose and scroll engraving by master engraver Florian Gullert. In excellent condition, it comes with a lightweight leather toe-under case bearing a black and gold Hartmann & Weiss leather trade label.

A 16-gauge side-by-side Best SLE bespoke shotgun, Serial No. 1188, was made by P V Nelson, the distinguished English gunmakers who crafted Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s “Golden Jubilee” gun. In virtually new condition with bright bores and barrels retaining 98% original colors, the auction entry’s tight scrollwork and floral bouquets were engraved by Keith Thomas. Together with its custom brown alligator, oak and leather case with accessories.

Magnificent in every way, a Model 1860 Henry factory-engraved and silverplated rifle made in 1862 is of a .44 RF caliber and is marked on its barrel with the Henry pattern: OCT 16, 1860 / MANUFACT’D BY NEW HAVEN ARMS CO. NEW HAVEN CT. Its engraving pattern matches one shown in The Book of Winchester Engraving, where it is noted that “Engraved Henry rifles are among the most sought-after antique firearms in the world. The quality of hand embellishment used during the mid-19th century in America literally transformed an ordinary firearm into a work of art.” 

Last but certainly not least, Morphy’s will respond yet again to the red-hot NFA market with a fantastic selection of machine guns, including a finished Maremont M-60 with its original shipping box and mint accessories; and a spectacular all-original, high-condition Colt 1921A Thompson 1921 machine gun, 1921, with the three-digit serial number 152. It is one of five guns that were shipped by Auto-Ordnance Corp (NYC) on April 26, 1921 to British arms expert Captain H B C Pollard. As intelligence officer on the staff of the Chief of Police in Ireland, Pollard was headquartered at Dublin Castle at a time when guns of this type were part of the arsenal kept on hand for possible use in quelling the Irish independence rebellion. 

There is so much more to please the antique and vintage arms collector in Morphy’s December 6-8, 2023 Firearms & Militaria Auction, which will be held at the company’s Denver, Pennsylvania gallery, starting each day at 9 am ET. All forms of bidding will be available, including live via the Internet through Morphy Live. Questions: call 877-968-8880 or email info@morphyauctions.com. Online: www.morphyauctions.com.