At the top of the sale with a $8,260 result was this 1941 Johnson semi rifle that was in good original condition with some minor losses. About 100 people were watching the lot as it crossed the block and 10 bidders actively pursued it. A long-time private collector had the winning bid ($6/9,000).
Review by Madelia Hickman Ring; Photos Courtesy Montrose Auction
MONTROSE, GA. — More than 800 lots of handguns, long guns, knives and railroad watches were presented in Montrose Auction’s March 16 auction. Antiques and The Arts Weekly caught up with Montrose’s firearms specialist, Jacob Cottle, after the sale for some post-event reflections.
“Our sales are usually between 400 and 600 lots but once a quarter, we do a sale that’s larger, between 800 and 1,000 lots. This particular sale had more than 100 consignors; it was great to have that many people involved. I’d say it was one of the top five to 10 sales in terms of totals we’ve ever had — the total was about $644,000.”
Montrose has historically sold on just two platforms: their own proprietary platform (montroseauction.com) and Proxibid, but for this sale, Cottle said they also conducted the sale on icollector.com and liveauctioneers.com. He noted that in selling on additional platform, the firm subsequently attracted a lot of new bidders to the sale, which also welcomed between 75 and 100 people to their salesroom. The majority of guns in the sale were American made and dated to after 1940. Cottle noted the market for sporting guns has picked up following the lull it experienced during the pandemic.
An online bidder paid $4,130 for this Winchester Parker DHE 12-gauge shotgun made in the 1980s ($3,5/4,700).
A 1941 Johnson Automatics semi-automatic rifle produced by Cranston Arms was the top lot, exceeding its $6/9,000 estimate to bring $8,260. The model was primarily used by the US Marine Corps and this example featured not only a Parkerized finish with oil-finished walnut stocks but had a working action and was considered a fine original example. Cottle noted a longtime private collector, bidding on the phone, prevailed to win it away from nine other bidders.
A circa 1983-89 Winchester Parker DHE shotgun — made in an unusual 12-gauge — was one of only 1500 made in that gauge and was also in good condition. Another existing client — this one bidding online — paid $4,130 for it.
Matching numbers for all the parts was one of the desirable elements of an LC Smith Ideal Grade 12-gauge shotgun that brought $3,640 from an online bidder. Of particular note, the gun was accompanied by its original shipping carton and matching hang tag, which Cottle said “you almost never see.” Another LC Smith gun, a 16-gauge shotgun with vivid case coloring, sold to a buyer in the room for $3,416, exceeding its high estimate.
Rarer than the 12-gauge was this Venerable Browning Sweet Sixteen Auto Five shotgun that was made in Japan in 1988 and featured an engraved frame with blue finish. Highly popular and collectible in the South, it found a new home — whereabouts not disclosed — for $2,006 ($800-$1,500).
Cottle said that Browning A5 semi shotguns in the “sweet sixteen” 16-gauge model — distinguished from a standard 12-gauge example — is “a Southern classic and highly collectible down here;” one he had that brought $2,006 was “a fantastic example.”
“We’ve been seeing an uptick in British-made shotguns, so we had a good assortment of those. Typically, the non-US-made items are military weapons from other countries, which is what that is,” Cottle said, referring to a Soviet State Factories Tokaren TT-30 pistol that was cataloged as “an extremely fine Wordl War II example.” Collectors agreed, taking it to $2,440, an above-estimate result.
Montrose Auctions expects to hold two auctions in April, dates to be announced.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.montroseauction.com or 478-376-4559.
