Collector Firearms Expertise

Rock Island Auction Company specializes in selling collector firearms. We know the business inside and out and keep our finger held tightly against the pulse of the industry. We sell over 23,000 firearms annually, giving us an unmatched perspective on the market.

Firearms Specialists

RIAC has the finest and most knowledgeable firearms specialists in the industry. These specialists understand the product, know the market, and most importantly, know what it means to be a collector, because many of them are collectors themselves. They understand the collecting mindset and recognize a “must own item” or understand when a piece may be a once in a life time opportunity to own. Because we know the passion, emotion, history, and the hunt behind each and every collection, we can accurately recognize and assess the monetary value of a piece.

Building a Collector Firearms Auction

We don’t just hold auctions.  We build them. Rock Island Auction Company strategically plans each and every auction.  Each auction has a theme and revolves around the “critical mass theory.”  This theory requires that each auction be grouped into complete genres.  This becomes very easy to see when searching our Premier Catalogs!  You’ll notice entire sections dedicated to different categories of firearms:  Colt, Winchester, U.S. & European military, Japanese, Smith & Wesson, Confederate Army, and so on.  If you consign to us a very rare Civil War revolver, our job is to make sure that revolver is seen by Civil War collector enthusiasts.  Instead of just placing it in the next auction alongside non-related pieces, we would advise you to place it in an auction that featured other Civil War items.  By building these categories, we can more accurately focus our advertising efforts and create excitement in the groups that collect in those particular genres. During an auction, this also ensures that collectors of that genre don’t miss a single item of interest.

Personnel

Aside from our collector firearms and auction expertise, our office personnel are also a tremendous asset to Rock Island Auction Company. They know our system inside and out to clients’ interactions timely and convenient, and also ensure we fully comply with all applicable laws. Our shipping department is top notch and frequently receives commendations for how effectively they package the items won at our auctions.  We do our absolute best to make certain the items our bidders win arrive to them in the exact same condition as when they shipped.

Read our blog on the life of a gun collector part 2