A Remington revolver owned by the legendary Buffalo Bill provided a highlight at Heritage Auctions' Legends of the Wild West sale on June 10.
 "The most important Buffalo bill gun extant" |
The auction house has called the item "the most important William F. 'Buffalo Bill' Cody gun extant", having been used by Cody in his days as a plainsman during the American Indian wars.
The US civil war-issue Remington New Model Army .44 would be the second most important of Cody's guns, had his favoured Springfield rifle, named "Lucretia Borgia", not been broken in a hunting accident shortly before his death. The remaining components of the rifle can be seen at the Buffalo Bill Historical Centre in Wyoming.
William F Cody, renowned for his sharpshooting and keen eyes, served as a civilian scout for the US army during the American Indian wars, in which he fought 19 documented battles. He later went on to achieve fame as Buffalo Bill in the original Wild West show from 1883 to 1916.
Characteristically unsentimental about his belongings, Cody gifted his second most prized possession to his "longtime best and most trusted friend" Charlie Trego as a Christmas gift in 1906. It was during this period that Cody was serving as the judge advocate general of Wyoming.
Accompanying the gun was the message: "To Charlie & Carrie Trego. This old Remington revolver. I carried and used for many years in Indian Wars and Buffalo killing. And it never failed me. WF Cody Dec 13th 1906". It had been scrawled on Bill's judge advocate business card.
Along with the message and a huge collection of ephemera and photographs, the gun was sold for $239,000 against an estimate of $200,000.
Similarly, a 12 gauge Parker Brothers shotgun from the legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley sold for $143,400 against a valuation of just $50,000. The 186.6% increase on estimate was fuelled by unconfirmed suggestions that the gun may have been the same Parker Brothers shotgun that Oakley named as her "first real gun".
Elsewhere in the auction, an epic 11 by 20 foot oil painting by John Mulvany, entitled Custer's Last Rally, shared the $239,000 price achieved by the Buffalo Bill revolver. The scene depicts the last stand of George Armstrong Custer at the famed battle of Little Bighorn in 1876.
Paul Fraser Collectibles is pleased to offer collectors the chance to own George Armstrong Custer's autograph, a fantastic keepsake from the doomed cavalry officer's final battle. See our full selection of fascinating militaria here.
