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Wish I had known about this, I would have loved to go the preview of the collection as the aution took place about 8 miles from my house. :cry_smile
Going...Going...Gone!
Auctioneer Sells Civil War Weapons in Fairfield Event
By AMY CALDER
Staff Writer
Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinal
FAIRFIELD -- George Juno really wanted the rare revolver dating to the Civil War -- so much so that he bid $140,000 on it.
But Juno, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., lost to a telephone bidder who got the revolver for $145,000. The First Model LeMat revolver reportedly was taken in 1863 by U.S. Navy monitors who captured the Confederate warship Atlanta.
The revolver was one of more than 200 items sold Monday as part of an extraordinary three-day antique firearms and military auction at James D. Julia Inc., located on U.S. Route 201.
The auction, to continue today and Wednesday, is expected to bring in up to $14 million, according to auctioneer James Julia.
"It's the largest gross firearms auction in history, anywhere in the world," Julia said.
Monday's auction represented items from the collection of Ben Michel of New Jersey.
Before the auction began, Michel said he started collecting as a child and continued for 40 years.
"I just decided that the collection had reached a point where it was complete -- it was difficult to add to it," he said.
He had no regrets about parting with the 232 items, he said.
"I'm still a collector of other things," he said. "You move on to other things."
More than an hour into the auction, Juno bid on the LeMat, a .42-caliber cap-and-ball black powder firearm invented by Dr. Jean Alexandre Francois LeMat of New Orleans. Juno, who said he was representing a client, noted that the revolver's serial number 7 made the revolver most desirable. It is the lowest serial number revolver with an established Confederate usage.
Despite his unsuccessful bid on the revolver, Juno appeared happy with other finds.
"We bought several pieces today," he said. "We'll go for a lot more."
Julia's auction barn Monday was a treasure trove of items from both sides of the Civil War, including guns, knives, swords, uniforms, flags and drums.
Collectors, dealers and people representing institutions from all over the world, but primarily North America, bid on items either in person, over the telephone or via the Internet.
Early in the auction, Julia took bids on a gold sword that once belonged to U.S. Army General David Emanuel Twiggs, who served in the Mexican War.
After several people bid on the sword, Julia pronounced it sold for $550,000.
People applauded after the sale, the details of which appeared shortly thereafter on eBay, an Internet auction Web site. But by late afternoon a Julia spokesman said the sword was not sold after all because the amount did not meet the owner's minimum required price.
The eBay site showed a value for the sword of $750,000 to $1 million. Julia's spokesman declined to cite the owner's minimum required price. He said the sword would not be offered for sale again at this auction.
The sword was made by the Ames Manufacturing Co. of Chicopee, Mass., in 1848 for a cost of $1,500, according to literature issued by Julia. Commissioned by U.S. Congress for Twiggs' services in the Mexican War, it was presented to the general by President James Polk.
Later, when Twiggs accepted a commission as a major general in the Confederate Army, President Lincoln branded him the "Benedict Arnold of the North," and took possession of the sword. It stayed in the White House for about 20 years before being returned to the Twiggs family.
Mike Clark, an antique gun dealer from Houston, Texas, bought several rifles Monday morning, spending thousands of dollars. He had not intended to bid on Confederate firearms but he could not resist because the prices were so good.
"I'm buying the lower-end stuff," he said. "It's coming from such a great collection, I feel like there's got to be a profit on it."
Earlier, during the auction preview, Clark was admiring what he called a "Kentucky rifle," with raised wood carving and punched-out brass on the stock.
Made around 1810, the rifle was used by people heading to Kentucky from Pennsylvania, he said. He expected the gun would sell for $15,000 to $20,000.
"They were used by hunters, people going West," Clark said. "Kentucky rifles were not made in Kentucky; they were mostly made in Pennsylvania. Kentucky was considered the wild frontier."
Julia said today's auction will include a private collection of Indian Wars items; Winchester and Colt firearms; and guns and other items belonging to frontier sure-shot Annie Oakley.
Wednesday's items will include high-grade shotguns and 20th century sporting, military and collector items.
Prior to this week's auction, Julia's largest firearms auction to date garnered $9.2 million, he said.
"This is a major event in the firearms world," he said. "It has a direct beneficial effect for my consigners, myself and the collectible firearms industry in general."
Going...Going...Gone!
Auctioneer Sells Civil War Weapons in Fairfield Event
By AMY CALDER
Staff Writer
Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinal
FAIRFIELD -- George Juno really wanted the rare revolver dating to the Civil War -- so much so that he bid $140,000 on it.
But Juno, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., lost to a telephone bidder who got the revolver for $145,000. The First Model LeMat revolver reportedly was taken in 1863 by U.S. Navy monitors who captured the Confederate warship Atlanta.
The revolver was one of more than 200 items sold Monday as part of an extraordinary three-day antique firearms and military auction at James D. Julia Inc., located on U.S. Route 201.
The auction, to continue today and Wednesday, is expected to bring in up to $14 million, according to auctioneer James Julia.
"It's the largest gross firearms auction in history, anywhere in the world," Julia said.
Monday's auction represented items from the collection of Ben Michel of New Jersey.
Before the auction began, Michel said he started collecting as a child and continued for 40 years.
"I just decided that the collection had reached a point where it was complete -- it was difficult to add to it," he said.
He had no regrets about parting with the 232 items, he said.
"I'm still a collector of other things," he said. "You move on to other things."
More than an hour into the auction, Juno bid on the LeMat, a .42-caliber cap-and-ball black powder firearm invented by Dr. Jean Alexandre Francois LeMat of New Orleans. Juno, who said he was representing a client, noted that the revolver's serial number 7 made the revolver most desirable. It is the lowest serial number revolver with an established Confederate usage.
Despite his unsuccessful bid on the revolver, Juno appeared happy with other finds.
"We bought several pieces today," he said. "We'll go for a lot more."
Julia's auction barn Monday was a treasure trove of items from both sides of the Civil War, including guns, knives, swords, uniforms, flags and drums.
Collectors, dealers and people representing institutions from all over the world, but primarily North America, bid on items either in person, over the telephone or via the Internet.
Early in the auction, Julia took bids on a gold sword that once belonged to U.S. Army General David Emanuel Twiggs, who served in the Mexican War.
After several people bid on the sword, Julia pronounced it sold for $550,000.
People applauded after the sale, the details of which appeared shortly thereafter on eBay, an Internet auction Web site. But by late afternoon a Julia spokesman said the sword was not sold after all because the amount did not meet the owner's minimum required price.
The eBay site showed a value for the sword of $750,000 to $1 million. Julia's spokesman declined to cite the owner's minimum required price. He said the sword would not be offered for sale again at this auction.
The sword was made by the Ames Manufacturing Co. of Chicopee, Mass., in 1848 for a cost of $1,500, according to literature issued by Julia. Commissioned by U.S. Congress for Twiggs' services in the Mexican War, it was presented to the general by President James Polk.
Later, when Twiggs accepted a commission as a major general in the Confederate Army, President Lincoln branded him the "Benedict Arnold of the North," and took possession of the sword. It stayed in the White House for about 20 years before being returned to the Twiggs family.
Mike Clark, an antique gun dealer from Houston, Texas, bought several rifles Monday morning, spending thousands of dollars. He had not intended to bid on Confederate firearms but he could not resist because the prices were so good.
"I'm buying the lower-end stuff," he said. "It's coming from such a great collection, I feel like there's got to be a profit on it."
Earlier, during the auction preview, Clark was admiring what he called a "Kentucky rifle," with raised wood carving and punched-out brass on the stock.
Made around 1810, the rifle was used by people heading to Kentucky from Pennsylvania, he said. He expected the gun would sell for $15,000 to $20,000.
"They were used by hunters, people going West," Clark said. "Kentucky rifles were not made in Kentucky; they were mostly made in Pennsylvania. Kentucky was considered the wild frontier."
Julia said today's auction will include a private collection of Indian Wars items; Winchester and Colt firearms; and guns and other items belonging to frontier sure-shot Annie Oakley.
Wednesday's items will include high-grade shotguns and 20th century sporting, military and collector items.
Prior to this week's auction, Julia's largest firearms auction to date garnered $9.2 million, he said.
"This is a major event in the firearms world," he said. "It has a direct beneficial effect for my consigners, myself and the collectible firearms industry in general."