If you’re a gun aficionado, you’re probably always looking for the most expensive guns to add to your collection. You can find some of the most expensive guns ever sold at gun auctions. Some rifles have gone for well over $1 million. The most expensive rifles have a story behind them. Here are the five most expensive guns that have ever been sold at gun auction sites. All these five rifles have a combined sales total above $5.1 million. Winchester rifles have long been a staple in the high-end gun collector community. They have been solid investments for decades, so it is no surprise every single one of the guns is Winchester.
Winchester Model 1886 Sales price; $1,265,000
Whenever a firearm bearing serial number: “001” comes up for sale, it is sure to get lucrative pay. But the origin of this gun only made it more appealing to collectors. This model – Winchester Model 1886 Sporting Rifle was presented to congressional Medal Honor Recipient Captain Henry W. Lawton by fellow congressional Medal of Honor recipient, influential firearms designer, and a friend of the Browning company, Lieutenant George E. Albee. In the auction lot, the gun included a custom engraved pocket watch with a unique chain and was sold for more than $1.2 Million. The occasion of the gifting of the gun made it more attractive – Lawton received the gun as thank you for playing a role in the capture of Geronimo, the iconic Native American chief, in 1886. The highest bidder for the rifle raised $1,265,000 in 2016. This sum surpassed the estimated price of $500,000 to 750,000.
Engraved, Gold, and Platinum Inlaid Winchester Model – Sales price $ 1,178,750
This model takes the price for being the most beautiful gun among all the Winchester Rifles in Collection today. The rifle is engraved and signed by James Ulrich and then laid with gold and platinum accents. The model was kept with the fanciest piece of walnut available at that time, creating a stunning work of both metalwork and woodcraft. The gun was impressive enough to have featured in R.L Wilson’s Winchester engraving book. There it sits among other exceptional rifles of all kinds. The rifle is decorated with gold and platinum on both sides of the receiver. It was sold for more than $1.1 million at a gun auction. This rifle is the best-known example of Winchester’s No.1 factory engraving and style. Factory craftsmanship that will never be duplicated. The rifle was sold for $1,178,750 in 2018, blowing past the presale estimate of $500,000 and $750,000.
Nimschke Engraved Solid Silver Winchester Model 1866 –Sales Price; $977,500
Winchester model 1866 was decorated by German-American engraver L.D Nimschke. The work of Nimschke is arguably the benchmark against which all other firearms engraving is held. The model is truly over the top. The rifle has solid silver bands, solid silver mounts, and most unusually, a cast solid silver frame, carrier block, butt plate, and end cup. The incredible patterns from this rifle are immortalized forever in the form of smoke pulls made by the master himself. It is then placed in Nimschke’s iconic pull book, which serves as a study aid for all engravers. The rifle has solid silver all over this gorgeous rifle and a hunting scene on the receiver. It was sold for nearly $1 million at a gun Auction site. The gun sold for $ 977,500 in 2021, beating the presale estimate of $400,000 to $650,000. It is no surprise, given the unique features of the gun.
Winchester “One of One Thousand” Deluxe model 1876 – Sales Price $891250
This Winchester 1876 “One of one thousand” rifle is one of 54 ever made -by Rock Island Auction Company. One of one thousand rifles are the best of the best, chosen for their absolute perfection in factory craftmanship. By the numbers Model, 1876 OOT rifles are significantly rarer than the 136 model 1873 OOT rifles. The model features the Forth style engraving, and the top barrel flat of this rifle is engraved One of one Thousand to set it from the pack. It was originally sold in 1879. It was sold again at a gun auction in 2018 for nearly $900,000. The firearm remained in the same family for more than a century. In 2018. An auction house this single rifle for $891,250 against a presale estimate ranging from $350,000 to $550,000.
Winchester One of One Hundred Model 1873 – Sales Price; $805,000
Serial numbers play a big role in gun values and can jack up the price of a gun far higher than other makes and models of the same quality. This model is an extremely rare example of an all-original Winchester One of One hundred model 1873 rifle. It’s given that designation because it outperformed factory expectations in batch 100 given guns. Winchester manufactured a total of eight One of One Hundred Model 1873, six of which are reportedly known to collectors. This rifle had serial number 27179 and was the last One of One Hundred Model 1873 ever shipped from Winchester. That serial number and the fact that it was the last one ever made with its designation helped drive the price up to $805,000 when Rock Island Auction Company sold it.
Those are the 5 most expensive rifles ever sold at a gun auction. As you may have noticed, they all have unique traits that separate them from the rest. High-end guns are mostly about their uniqueness and the story behind them. So do you have a firearm you never use, a war relic handed down, or do you just want to liquidate? They are looking for you at Blackwell Auctions. They offer realistic market value estimates free of charge or any obligations. They will work hard to ensure your firearms get the greatest exposure to bring the best prices. Also, have Federal Firearms License, and they will ensure your guns are shipped and transferred to new owners safely and legally.