The sale will feature examples by Winchester, Colt, Savage, Springfield, Spencer and others.
(WINDSOR, Conn.) – Around 325 lots of antique arms, firearms, swords and more will cross the block on Sunday, Oct. 9, at Nadeau’s Auction Gallery, in the firm’s showroom facility located at 25 Meadow Road in Windsor, starting promptly at 11 a.m. (EST). Windsor is located in north central Connecticut, just north of Hartford and not far from the Massachusetts state line.
The sale will be packed with over 25 highly collectible Winchester rifles, plus other rifles by makers such as Savage (two with bayonets), Springfield, Parker, L.C. Smith, Spencer Roper (three will be sold); Vetterlis, Henry (reproductions), Whitney, Bullard and various flintlock and percussion rifles. Swords will include an example used in battle by a general in the War of 1812.
Pistols will feature Smith & Wesson, Remington, Sharps, Derringer, Connecticut Arms, Cooper, Colt (Confederate, Navy, Army, London and replicas), plus boarding pistols. At press time, many fine late additions were continuing to pour in. Only a handful of lots – about a half-dozen – will carry reserves. The rest will be sold absolute (everything sells, regardless of price).
“We held our first sale of this type earlier this year, after spending about a year on the required paperwork and licensing, but it did well and was well worth the effort,” said Ed Nadeau, owner of Nadeau’s Auction Gallery. “Right now we’re the only auction house in Connecticut that holds an FFL (Federal Firearms License) and we hope to stage 2-3 such auctions per year.”
Previews will be held Thursday and Friday (Oct. 6-7), from 2-6 p.m.; Saturday (Oct. 8), from 8:30-11:30 a.m.; and on Sunday (Oct. 9, auction day), from 9 a.m. until the first gavel comes down (at 11 a.m.). Online bidding will be facilitated by Artfact.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted. A full catalog may be viewed online, at www.nadeausauction.com.
Winchester rifles and shotguns are hugely popular among collectors. Three lots expected to do well include a Model 101 pigeon grade 3-barrel skeet shotgun, still in the original box (est. $2,000-$4,000); a Model 1895 .30-40 caliber lever-action rifle with nickel steel barrel (est. $1,500-$2,500); and a Model 1886 .40-82 caliber rifle with 22-inch barrel (est. $1,500-$2,500).
Other Winchesters will feature a Model 1894 .38-.55 caliber lever-action rifle with 26-inch round barrel (est. $800-$1,200); a Model 1892 .25-20 caliber lever-action rifle with 24-inch round barrel (est. $800-$1,200); a Model 1894 .38-55 caliber lever-action rifle with 26-inch round barrel (est. $800-$1,200); and Chief Crazy Horse Commemorative Model 94, new in box.
Colt is another name coveted by vintage firearms collectors. Two Colt pieces expected to do particularly well are a first-generation single-action U.S. Army revolver, 1904 production, with 85 percent finish (est. $2,000-$3,000); and a single-action .44 caliber special revolver, pre-World War II vintage, with a 5 ½ inch barrel and handsome leather holster (est. $2,000-$3,000).
Three other noteworthy Colts in the sale (all carrying pre-sale estimates of $1,000-$2,000) are a Model 1877 Department of the Army revolver, 1901 production, with 85 percent finish; a .32 caliber pump-action Lightning rifle, with 26-inch octagonal barrel; and a pre-war Frontier U.S. Army six-shooter revolver, .44-40 caliber, with front sight on a 5 ½ inch barrel.
The top lot of the day just might go to an L. Wurzinger Werndl Model 871 singe-shot Trapdoor rifle, 10.4 mm. The weapon carries a pre-sale estimate of $4,000-$8,000. Another lot that could bring $4,000 or more is an unusual wrought iron steel chair made out of regulation weapons, including bayonets, bayonet scabbards, swords, gun and bomb parts and mechanisms.
Three weapons made by the Savage Arms Company should get paddles wagging. They are a .303 caliber Model 1899 lever-action musket rifle with 26-inch round barrel and matching 1899 bayonet (est. $4,000-$6,000); a similar rifle, also with a bayonet (est. $2,000-$4,000); and a Model 1895 .303 caliber lever-action rifle with 26 ½ inch octagonal barrel (est. $1,000-$2,000).
Rifles by Bullard Repeating Arms will include a long frame, .40-60 caliber lever-action rifle with 24-inch octagonal barrel (est. $1,500-$2,500); and a .40 caliber long frame rifle with full mag and half-round/half-octagonal 22-inch barrel (est. $1,500-$2,500). Also sold will be a Springfield Model 1873 .45-70 caliber Trapdoor rifle with 32-inch barrel (est. $1,000-$2,000).
Rifles made by B.F. Joslyn Firearms will also be sold. Three lots of note include a Model 1862 carbine rifle, .52 caliber rimfire, with 21 ¾ inch barrel, 1st type /2nd model (est. $1,000-$2,000); a Model 1862 .54 caliber rimfire rifle with 21 ¾ inch barrel (est. $1,000-$1,500); and a carbine Model 1864 rifle, .54 caliber rimfire, with 22-inch barrel (est. $1,000-$1,500).
Three rifles made by the Roper Repeating Rifle Company – all three circa 1867-1868 shotguns, two 12-gage with a 28-inch barrel and one 16-gage with a 26 ½ inch barrel – all have identical pre-sale estimates of $1,000-$2,000. Also sold will be a .50 caliber military model Spencer lever-action repeating rifle, new model, with 30-inch round barrel (est. $2,000-$4,000).
Rounding out the list of anticipated top lots are a Martin Firearms Model 410 gage lever-action shotgun with a 26-inch barrel (est. $1,000-$2,000); and an A. Uberti Henry .44-40 caliber lever-action rifle with 24 ½ inch octagonal barrel and 13-shot tube, marked ‘Barrel Henry’s’ (patent Oct. 16, 1860) and made in Italy for Cimarron F.A., Houston, Tex. (est. $800-$1,200).
Nadeau’s Auction Gallery has four more sales planned through the end of the year, to include a major New Year’s Day sale (Jan. 1, 2012), which will feature an eclectic mix of custom mahogany and high-end Victorian furniture, English and Continental items, fine art and prints, quality silver, estate jewelry, Oriental rugs and more. Auctions featuring quality general estate merchandise are also scheduled for three dates: Oct. 22, Nov. 12 and Dec. 3, in Windsor.
Nadeau’s Auction Gallery, Inc., is a family owned and operated business and one of the largest and fastest-growing full-serviced auction galleries in New England. The firm began in 1985, when Edwin Nadeau, Jr., first opened his “barn doors” in Colchester, Conn. Since 1988, Nadeau’s has been housed in a 12,000-square-foot showroom in Windsor, outside of Hartford.
Nadeau’s is always accepting quality consignments for its bigger sales, held throughout the year, and its general auctions, held every three weeks. The firm is actively seeking quality gun collections for its next gun auction (date to be announced). To consign an item, an estate or a collection, you may call them at (860) 246-244, or e-mail them at [email protected].
For more information about Nadeau’s Auction Gallery and the upcoming Oct. 9 auction, please log on to www.NadeausAuction.com