Rock Island Auction Company’s final Premiere Auction of 2006 was held December 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th and approached $8.5 million in sales (due to a mathematical error our previous reportings of $8.7 million were incorrect). This outstanding Premiere sale catapulted Rock Island Auction Company’s 2006 auction total to over $19 million, far exceeding the industry record established by Rock Island Auction Company in 2005 of nearly $16 million. This incredible sale makes it the third consecutive year that Rock Island Auction Company is the world’s leader in yearly sales by firearms auction houses. The auction company reached another milestone in that sales for the company since its inception have exceeded 100 million dollars.

With the first major snow storm of the season occurring on preview day, the outlook for a great sale looked bleak. Entire communities south of the Moline based auction house were without power. Interstate 80 between Chicago and the Quad Cities was completely shut down. However as is often the case this did not keep collectors away. The auction hall was full when the first lot went up for sale at 10 a.m. and as would be expected at any auction, there were items that achieved lofty prices and some that were relative bargains.

The weekend consisted of many surprises and several world records. Headlining what became the finest auction in Rock Island Company’s history were the nine lots that each sold for over $100,000. Eight of the nine lots sold for even more than the high estimate. With such desirable and rare pieces being sold, it was no wonder that people were willing to pay top dollar. The star of the auction ended up being a magnificent factory cased Colt Paterson with accessories which sold for $299,000. A pleasantly surprising lot was the factory engraved, 1^st generation Colt single action army with box which was estimated at $50,000-$70,000 and sold for an astonishing $143,750. With so many people interested in these rare guns, the competition was not always willing to back down. A fine example of this was the WWII Liberator pistol with ammunition. So much interest was shown for this scarce piece that extra phone lines had to be brought in to accommodate all of the telephone bidders who wanted in on this piece of history. It is no wonder that the Liberator, which was estimated at just $3000-$4000, sold for $9,200.

People looking to get their hands on other pieces of history were also in for a battle. This auction featured some very impressive, historically significant pieces. It included Civil War General R.B. Marcy’s presentation Colt revolvers which sold for $230,000. Achieving great local interest was the LeClaire, Iowa native Col. William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody’s 1907 Savage pistol which sold for $126,500. Providing a little history on Edwards Pierrepont, who was a campaign manager for Abraham Lincoln, a U.S. Attorney General, a New York Supreme Court Justice, and the prosecutor of John Suratt, one of Lincoln’s assassins, helped gain even more interest in an already popular Colt Belt Paterson.

• Lot 3079 - Magnificent Colonel Colt Factory Presentation Rare Double Cased Pair of Colt Revolvers to Civil War General R. B. Marcy, sold for $230,000
• Lot 3027 - "National Treasure" Factory Engraved and Inscribed Savage Model 1907 Semi Automatic Pistol Presented To Buffalo Bill Cody By The Factory with Scarce Promotional Cabinet Card Photograph, sold for $126,500
• Lot 1079 - Exceptional Colt Belt Paterson No. 2 Percussion Revolver owned by Edwards Pierrepont, sold for $109,250
• Lot 3251 - Extremely Rare, Historic and Important Factory Engraved, "Billy The Kid", Gold Cylinder, Colt Frontier Six Shooter Revolver Presentation, sold for $92,000

The 700+ Colts were the stars of the auction as they comprised eleven of the top 12 lots and accumulated over $4 million in sales. There were some big surprises including Colt 1860 Army revolver with a pre-sale high estimate of $42,500, selling for $97,750. The gathering of Colts ranged from antique to modern, but it was the early antique percussions that stole the show.

• Lot 1073 - Magnificent Factory Cased Colt No. 2 Belt Model Paterson Revolver with Accessories, sold for $299,000
• Lot 3050 - Exceptionally Rare Squareback Colt Texas Holster Model No. 5 Paterson Revolver, sold for $264,500
• Lot 3070 - Magnificent Cased and Deluxe Gustave Young Factory Engraved Colt Model 1849 Pocket Revolver with Panel Scenes, sold for $207,000

Sporting arms as a whole did very well ranging from Sharps single shots to modern assault rifles to medal winning shotguns. There was a Sharps 1853 sporting rifle which sold for $18,400, a rare Heckler & Koch model 21 semi-automatic rifle leading the assault weapons at $11,500, and a gold medal L.C. Smith shotgun that rounded out the group at $25,875.

• Lot 144 – A Very Rare Important Unique Special Order Heavy Barrel Sharps Model 1874 Sporting Rifle (Heaviest Barrel Known), sold for $43,125
• Lot 1592 – A Exceptionally Rare and Original Gold Medal Winning Engraved Special Order L. C. Smith Model A2 Double Barrel Shotgun, sold for $25,875
• Lot 186 – Rare Cased Sharps Model 1874 Buffalo Rifle with Heavy Barrel, sold for $25,875
• Lot 1841 - Very Rare Heckler & Koch Model 21 Semi-Automatic Rifle, sold for $11,500

The Winchesters made a strong showing during the sale with two outstanding Henry rifles leading the way. A Winchester 1886 Lever Action achieved $34,500 and an early production four digit serial number, first number 1873 Deluxe passed its high estimate of $9,000 and sold for $12,650.

• Lot 3167 - Rare Civil War Period Engraved Henry Lever Action Rifle with Patriotic Motif, sold for $37,375
• Lot 15 - Exceptional Winchester Model 1886 Lever Action Sporting Rifle with Casehardened Frame, sold for $34,500
• Lot 136 - Documented Very Rare Special Order One of a Kind Winchester Model 1876 Lever Action Rifle with Factory Fancy Schuetzen Stock, sold for $28,750
• Lot 16 - Rare Early Production Four Digit Serial Number Winchester First Model 1873 Deluxe Lever Action Rifle, sold for $12,650

Once again the sale of German and European Military items was a great success. Over 500 items classified as European, Japanese and Third Reich military items were sold including a high number of scarce military items, such as the Luger, Mondragons and Broomhandles. Topping the list of guns was the historical, early Mauser 1896 cone hammer “Porfirio Diaz” presentation pistol with matching stock and leather case which sold for $69,000, exceeding the estimated prices. Also a rare, serial number 1 Mondragon was auctioned off for $57,500. The very rare J.P. Sauer & Sons engraved SS presentation model 38H pistol with capture papers did very well, as well as other militaria items including German daggers, helmets, uniforms, swords and bayonets. A rare Luftwaffe Falseurnjaeger Stahlhelm helmet exceeded its high estimate by almost 250% when it sold for $5,462.50.

• Lot 1317 - Rare and Historical Early Mauser Model 1896 Cone Hammer, Porfirio Diaz Presentation Pistol, with Matching Stock and Leather Case, sold for $69,000
• Lot 1322 - Extremely Rare Serial Number 1 Swiss/Mexican Model 1908 Mondragon Semi-Automatic Rifle, sold for $57,500
• Lot 3440 - "One of a Kind" Early 1930 Production/Prototype "Mauser Factory Scoped" Broomhandle Pistol with Scope Mount and Mauser Banner Stock, sold for $54,625
• Lot 1354 - Historical WWII Nazi J.P. Sauer & Sons "Engraved SS Presentation", sold for $48,875

The U.S. Military pieces featured in this sale were some of the finest Rock Island Auction Company has ever auctioned off – and that’s really saying something. There was an ultra-rare WWI Pederson Device sold with a 1903 Mark I Springfield Rifle. The bolt was complete and fit the rifle perfectly. This sold for a striking $40,250. A collection of General Curtis E. LeMay’s pieces went to auction, with the highlight being his U.S. Contract Colt which brought $37,375. For the 1922 collector, there was a very impressive grouping that was sold including a U.S. .22 caliber rifle which was estimated up to $5,500 but ended up bringing $9,200.

• Lot 3564 - Ultra-Rare WWI US Army Pedersen Device with M1903 Mark I Springfield Rifle, Magazine, Metal Automatic Bolt Carrier, Ammunition and Accessories, sold for $40,250
• Lot 1615 - Historical General Curtis LeMay's U.S. Contract Colt .380 Caliber Model M Pistol with General Officer Belt and Holster, sold for $37,375
• Lot 3565 - Scarce Springfield Gas Trap M1 Garand Rifle,sold for $7,475
• Lot 1684 - Scarce U.S. Springfield M1922 .22 Caliber Bolt Action Rifle, sold for $9,200

Highlights of the December auction:

· Lot 1073 - Magnificent Factory Cased Colt No. 2 Belt Model Paterson Revolver with Accessories, sold for $299,000

· Lot 3050 - Exceptionally Rare Squareback Colt Texas Holster Model No. 5 Paterson Revolver, sold for $264,500

· Lot 3079 - Magnificent Colonel Colt Factory Presentation Rare Double Cased Pair of Colt Revolvers to Civil War General R. B. Marcy, sold for $230,000

· Lot 3070 - Magnificent Cased and Deluxe Gustave Young Factory Engraved Colt Model 1849 Pocket Revolver with Panel Scenes, sold for $207,000

· Lot 3058 - Extremely Rare and Desirable Colt D Company Walker Model Percussion Revolver, sold for $184,000

· Lot 1195 - Rare and Exceptional Prewar Factory Engraved 1st Generation Colt Single Action Army Revolver in Original Box, sold for $143,750

· Lot 3066 - Extremely Rare Colt Improved No.2 Belt Model Paterson Revolver/Fifth Model Ehlers Belt Revolver with Loading Lever, sold for $138,000

· Lot 3027 - "National Treasure" Factory Engraved and Inscribed Savage Model 1907 Semi Automatic Pistol Presented To Buffalo Bill Cody By The Factory with Scarce Promotional Cabinet Card Photograph, sold for $126,500

· Lot 1079 - Exceptional Colt Belt Paterson No. 2 Percussion Revolver, sold for $109,250

Rock Island Auction Company’s next Premiere Auction is scheduled for April, 2007. The next regional auction will be held February 10, 2007.

For more information on Rock Island Auction Company visit their website at www.rockislandauction.com or contact Kelly Nelson or Judy Voss at info@rockislandauction.com or 800-238-8022.