At the beginning of the past month, we reported about Rock Island Auction Company preparing to hold the world’s largest firearm auction. The auction took place as scheduled (February 13th to 16th) and with over 11,200 guns sold in over 5,500 lots, the RIA February Sporting & Collector Auction generated $10.4 Million. Here is how RIAC described this auction in their press release.

Long had we touted the February 2020 Sporting & Collector Firearms Auction to be the largest event of its kind ever held. The sale itself was record breaking in its size and scope with phenomenal results to match. In this auction alone we had record numbers of: overall bids, overall bidders, sealed bids, lots, new clients, RIAC Live viewers/bidders, web traffic, and participation from a record number of states and countries!

Rock Island Auction also shared with us some of the exact numbers. During this auction, bids were received from 49 states and 15 countries. There were over 40,000 absentee bids (phone bids, sealed bids, and bids via RIAC Live) and almost 1,300 people using RIAC Live online bidding platform.

Probably the most interesting lots worth mentioning were those that turned out to be much more desirable in the eyes of collectors than their estimated values were. Here are some of these firearms that were sold for way more than the estimated high price.

U.S. Springfield Model 1903A1 Bolt Action Sniper Rifle with Unertl “USMC-SNIPER” Telescopic Sight. Estimated Price: $2,750-$4,250; Sold For: $10,350

Japanese Sugiura Shiki Semi-Automatic Pistol. Estimated Price: $1,500-$2,500; Sold For: $4,600

Prototype Colt Dragoon Percussion Revolver. Estimated Price: $7,500-$12,000; Sold For: $21,850

Factory Engraved Smith & Wesson No. 2 “Volcanic” Lever Action Pistol. Estimated Price: $6,500-$9,500; Sold For: $14,950

Tokyo Arsenal “Grandpa” Nambu Semi-Automatic Pistol. Estimated Price: $2,000-$3,000; Sold For: $8,625

To take a look at other lots sold during this auction, browse the online catalog of the February 2020 Sporting & Collector auction. You can also download the list of prices realized.

Images courtesy of Rock Island Auction Company, www.rockislandauction.com