Page 8 - Auction84-Book1

A Celebration
There is an undeniable satisfaction in refinement. From the aroma of a well-aged bourbon, to the elegant lines and beautiful complications of a fine timepiece, there comes a certain pleasure by being in the presence of excellence. It is a moment of respite – a pause - that not only acknowledges those responsible for its creation, but also a pride in partaking in such quality. The investment of time and hard work draws one toward those who also make that same investment. After all, a job well done bears the sweetest fruit.
The concept is anything but new. For centuries, those who have found success have celebrated it richly. Monuments have been built, symphonies written, cathedrals raised, and elaborate presentations
have been made across recorded history. Kings and nobility frequently commissioned ornate pieces of armor and lavish weapons to signify an important victory or a new alliance. It was only natural when battlefield arms and armament evolved
into firearms, they too should be finely crafted – serving not only as a celebratory gift, but as a lasting legacy of one’s accomplishments.
Almost as long as fine arms have been used as recognition, they have been collected for many of the same reasons things are appreciated today: elegance, function, beauty, sentiment, craftsmanship, and history. Just as today one
appreciates refinement, so too have our forebears extolled a well-executed process of creation.
Fine arms are not only appreciated for their style and craftsmanship; they are a mishmash of dualities and
contradictions. Consider their functions. They can serve as beautiful, generational gifts or as an implement of war. They are simultaneously art and functional tool. They are bygone history, yet present today.
They are romance and they are combat.
One need not be a firearms cognoscenti to appreciate their myriad facets of appeal. Anyone who enjoys
art, engineering, manufacturing, history, or the evolution of human technology through the centuries will find an area of arms collecting that speaks to them. It can also be quite financially attractive. Plainly put, this centuries old past time represents a great deal of underappreciated art and undervalued investments. Consider that in
2018, Picasso’s 1905 masterpiece ‘Fillette à la corbeille fleurie’ sold for $115 million. That same year a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO brought $48.4 million, the most expensive car sold at auction. Coincidentally, the most
expensive single firearm ever sold at auction was also achieved that year, a cased Colt Model 1847 Walker revolver that brought $1.84 million. To call anything priced at seven digits a bargain seems facetious at
best, but the fact remains that the very pinnacle of firearms collecting can be reached for substantially less investment than other collectible genres.
It is a rare phenomenon that items steeped in tradition can also serve as a modern-day opportunity, where an investment can serve as a legacy. Yet collector firearms do just that. They are
the collision between form and function. In them is all the skill and aesthetics of art, as well as
6
LOT 1241
Exceptionally Rare and Magnificent, Documented Silver-Banded, Factory Cased Colt No. 5 Squareback Model Texas Paterson Percussion Revolver
Not All Art is