Historic Military Vehicles sold at 2018 Rock Island Auction

The 2018 September Premiere Firearms Auction held by Rock Island Auction Company (RIAC) was the largest firearms auction in industry history. Realizing a total of $20,011,092, a portion of it came from the sale of a number of historic military vehicles.

The vehicles had been part of the Armed Forces History Museum (AFHM), a 501(c)(3), non-profit museum in the city of Largo Florida. The museum opened in August 2008, with 35,000 sq. ft. of indoor displays and an additional 15,000 sq. ft. of outdoor viewing space. It housed historical memorabilia including fully restored, fully operational jeeps, tanks, halftracks and armor. The museum closed permanently on January 29, 2017.

The clamor around the auction had been growing for months. The presence of military vehicles, including several tanks and armored vehicles, captured the attention of even casual enthusiasts. The anticipation continued to grow as more and more pieces were announced.

Bidders came from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and 27 foreign countries. RIAC’s online catalog was viewed more than 2.8 million times.

It’s not easy to follow a first day auction of firearms that contained a $1 million gun, but Saturday was up for the challenge as many of the historic military vehicles rolled across the auction block. The audience could hear an M41A1 Walker Bulldog tank running outside the auction hall as bidding reached $230,000. This was followed by an M5A1 Stuart Light tank that sold for $287,500. In all, 19 historic vehicles and pieces of ordnance sold on Day 2. The prices shown here do not include the 15% buyer’s premium.

For more information, long on this auction, future sales, or consigning, log on to www.RockIslandAuction.com

Lot 1387: World War II U.S. M5A1 Stuart Light Tank. Sold for $287,500

Lot 1427: World War II Birmingham Small Arms Company M20 Motorcycle. Sold for $8,625

Lot 1393: Korean War- era U.S. Dodge M-43 Ambulance. Sold for $21,850

Lot 1491: World War II German Leichtes Infanteriegeschutz 18. Sold for $43,125

Lot 1428: Swiss Condor A350 Motorcycle. Sold for $3,738

Lot 1426: USMC Kaiser M38A1 Radio Jeep. Sold for $12,650

Lot 1425: Israeli Army CJ-5 Jeep with M70 Recoilless Rifle. Sold for 17,250

Lot 1424: Vietnam War- era U.S. Ford M151A1 Minesweeper Jeep with Rare P170. Sold for $18,400

Lot 1423: Vietnam War-era USMC M274A5 4x4 Mule with M40 Recoilless Rifle. Sold for $25,875

Lot 1422: World War II U.S. Bofors 40 mm. Sold for 23,000

Lot 1421: Bofors - M38 Class III/Destructive Device. Sold for $16,100