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Legends
and “Big Sky Country.” Malcom
King’s absolutely awe-inspiring
grouping featuring 200 years of best
quality gun making. The Dr. Gerald
Klaz collection of high art European
firearms and one of the finest
collections of Smith & Wessons.
Many of Dr. Klaz’s treasures can be
viewed in the Metropolitan Museum
of Art’s Arms and Armor Gallery
372. The sale also features the estate
collection of gun collecting pioneer
Robert Berryman. Many of us in this field would not be doing what we are doing today if it was not for Mr. Berryman’s contributions, passion and influence over the last fifty years. Gus Cargile is a friend to most of you and a dear friend to just about everyone at RIAC. He is a staple at our premier auctions and is known to just about everyone in south Texas and northern Mexico and probably Thailand for that matter. Gus has assembled some of the very best of the best in 1911 automatic pistols and has just recently celebrated his 99th birthday! Happy Birthday Gus!
In tandem
with these
aforementioned
collections,
we welcome a
select group of
fine Colts from
author, scholar
and friend John A. Andrew I. “Mac” McCroskie Kopec. Mr. Kopec is the world’s foremost authority on the most iconic 19th century American firearm the Colt Single Action Army Revolver. His scholarship and friendship has provided so much to the entire collecting fraternity. Many collectors will not even consider an SAA without Mr. Kopec’s inspection. It’s an honor to welcome several select pieces from Mr. Kopec’s personal collection. Welcome Bocephus! Mr. Hank Williams Jr. the Grammy award-winning artist
and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee has been a
lifelong 19th century American firearms connoisseur and has assembled a phenomenal grouping of Smith & Wesson’s. We welcome a selection of fine arms from the Hank Williams
Jr. collection. One of the names synonymous with fine and historic arms collecting throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s was Richard Prosser Mellon. Simply reference the Herb Glass Sr. advertisement in the famous 1971 Texas Arms Annual. A quiet giant in philanthropy and land conservation Mr. Mellon built one of the finest firearms collections of the 20th century.
We proudly offer a
fabulous selection of
fine arms from his
collection. Last and
certainly not least, we
are proud to offer two
of Colorado’s finest:
The esteemed George
Moller collection and
a selection of rare
and important high art
European arms from the late collection of Warren “Tom” Lewis. Both titans in their field and best of friends for many years. Both had a lifelong love affair with firearms and their history. Mr. Lewis mastered numerous disciplines and handled the finest in Colts, Winchesters, Smith & Wessons and Spencer rifles and carbines. His personal collection of fine, rare and historic high art European arms is among the finest in private hands. Mr. Moller along with authoring the definitive works on the U.S. shoulder arms assembled the most important and complete collection of primary issued U.S. shoulder arms and their rivals in private hands. His collection contains several “one-of-one” examples missing from even the most advanced private collections and public institutions.
These opportunities would not be possible without the greatest team in the business. As long as I write the “About this Auction” I will give credit where credit is due. We are extremely blessed to be surrounded by so much talent, so much passion, so much tenacity and so much ambition. I
do not know how else to say it, and I say it a lot, but with
the opportunity to market and sell one great gun, one great collection, let alone all the names mentioned and so many more, comes an enormous weight of responsibility. It is the responsibility to do that collector, his collection, his family and the generations to follow justice. That is how we approach what we do every day. Cheers to the best team in the business. We hope you enjoy the catalogs. We have a phenomenal sale for you. I cannot encourage you enough to come in person and see this grouping of fine and
historic arms for yourself. Safe travels. We will see you soon.
Respectfully,
Kevin Hogan, President
Rock Island Auction Company
A Celebration of
Fine Arms Collecting
Collectors are a peculiar bunch. I should know. Dad and
I have been perusing fine and historic Smith & Wesson’s together for 27 years. While tastes and interest can change, motivation never wanes. The most important acquisition
will always be the next one. Most collections are built over many years and include the highest highs and the lowest lows, the ultimate score, the big mistake, the one that got away and the once in a life time find. This is the engine that drives collectors. Mix in the countless hours of study and conversation, a couple hundred thousand miles traveled and friendships that last half a century, it is a hell of a life. Friends and dealers will remember many collectors but only a select few will never be forgotten. These collectors become legends.
We at Rock Island Auction Company have been extraordinarily blessed
to be selected to handle many of these legendary collections over the years, some still living and others no longer with us: Robert Bretherton, Larry Jones, Allan Cors, C.W.
John A. Kopec
Dr. Robert & Cathy Azar
Slagle, Bobby Smith, Frank Sellers
to name a few. However, never
before in our industry has there
ever been an auction comprised
of so many influential collections,
true legends in the field, whose
combined collecting knowledge and experience is close to half a millennium. I do not believe we will ever see such an omnipotent assembly again in my lifetime.
Hank Williams Jr. memorializing the American West Richard P. Mellon
Several of these collections have already made their debuts over
the last several years. The Robert M. Lee collection, likely the finest firearms collection ever assembled. The Mac McCroskie Collection,
in the Field of
a true blue chip collection of the finest in 19th American firearms. John Fox and his collection
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