RIAC's February Regional Firearms Auction Results

The 2018 February Regional Firearms Auction at Rock Island Auction Company was a fantastic way to start off the New Year. Over 10,000 guns found new homes in just four short days and resulted in a $9.2 million realized total for this massive sale! This is the largest total for a Regional Auction in RIAC history and clearly demonstrates the growing market for collector firearms.

In addition to the outstanding auction result was also the rise of RIAC’s own online bidding software, RIAC Live. Released late in 2017 to a limited audience, RIAC Live allows collectors to bid live online in real time with streaming audio/video. February’s sale was the first major auction where RIAC Live was available to the public and the response was overwhelming. Hundreds of bidders were online from the opening lot to the closing hammer bidding and winning in a real-time auction.

DWM Model 1902 Luger Carbine

A.H. Fox XE Grade side-by-side 20 gauge

The day started quickly and saw success in a number of genres. A custom, presentation style, gold inlaid DWM Model 1902 Luger Carbine lot 341 achieved $40,250 in spite of its $22,500 high estimate. Not long thereafter in lot 518, from the Bruce Canfield Collection, a Springfield U.S.M.C. Model 1903A1 sniper rifle with its scope and scope case embodied the recent surge in U.S. military firearms’ prices by soaring past its $7,500 high estimate en route to a $31,625 realized price. The day’s half way point saw an engraved A.H. Fox XE Grade side-by-side 20 gauge in lot 725 bring $12,650 – more than doubling its $6,000 high estimate. Rounding out the genres and the day was lot 967 and its two Galil semi-automatic rifles which found a $8,050 realized price instead of its $3,000 high estimate.

Volcanic carbine by New Haven Arms

On Friday, a Volcanic carbine by New Haven Arms in lot 2000 – surpassed its high estimate at $23,000. A Springfield M1903 with scope bases and U.S.M.C. barrel in lot 2785 also surpassed its $1,300 high estimate and sold for $10,925. The second day of sales also saw some classic Colt revolvers perform well, such as lot 2453’s second-year production, Ainsworth inspected, Colt Single Action Army cavalry revolver which exceeded its $4,500 expectation for a $10,350 price.

Colt Python revolver

Saturday marked Day 3 of the sale. Collectors using RIAC Live were fighting hard for the items they wanted and it made for an exciting day. However, the theme for Saturday still revolved around perpetual collector favorite Colt. It didn’t matter whether it was percussion revolvers, Single Action Army revolvers, or powerful double actions, everybody wanted a piece of the action. Case in point was lot 4029 and its engraved First Model Dragoon with relief carved eagle grips that crossed the block over its $7,000 high estimate for $10,350. Representing the strong SAA showing was lot 4390’s pair of cased and engraved First Generation SAA revolvers with their relief carved steer head grips that roped a $7,475 price over their $4,500 high estimate. Lot 5036 contained a Colt Python revolver that showed the snake guns’ new higher prices are still holding strong as it banged the gavel for $3,450.

Sunday saw lot 6000 and its remarkably well-done reproduction of an engraved and silver plated Henry rifle, sell for $16,100. A cased and engraved Colt Second Model Dragoon in lot 6075 was one of only 2,700 went for $12,650. One of the weekend’s more unique items was a Remington Model 400 Kiln Gun with its case in lot 6663. Made to fire 8-gauge slugs to break up the slag rings that form inside industrial kilns, this working-man’s gun was in surprisingly good condition and went home with the most dedicated Remington collector in the room for $11,500 – easily knocking down its $3,250 high estimate.