July 30th, 2020 – Firearms, Militaria & Ephemera

General Washington leans over his maps in the candlelight of his tent. He hears the despair in the moans coming from the sick tent and feels the oppressive threat of the encroaching British forces bearing down on him after the Battle of Long Island during the New York campaign of 1776. The captures of two of his commanders, General Sullivan and Lord Stirling, weighed on his mind after the battle which had taken place in Brooklyn just a week before. “Good God, what brave fellows I must lose,” General Washington remarked after watching the battle turn south for the revolutionaries. Legend has it that after he ordered the retreat of his men from Long Island, Washington himself was the last man to leave Brooklyn. In his tent on that September day Washington made a decision and had a letter written to request four ships on which to transport those poor souls injured in the battle. The General managed to make his tone cordial and dignified even though he must have felt a great deal of regret and responsibility for his men. A great leader even before he was the leader of a nation, Washington displayed in the letter both humility and dignity required of great men who fight for a worthy cause.

Lot 11, George Washington signed hand written letter, headquarters New York, 8 Sept. (1776); Estimate $8,000-12,000

This letter, with an estimate of $8,000-12,000, is among the first lots crossing the block in Pook & Pook’s July 30th Firearms, Militaria & Ephemera Auction. The ephemera side of the sale, the majority of which comes from the collection of Joseph Rubinfine of Merritt Island, Florida, features an impressive number of letters and signatures from the Founding Fathers and more. Standouts in the sale include John Hancock’s very own John Hancock, an edition of Benjamin Franklin’s The Pennsylvania Gazette from June 1752, an impeccable vellum ship’s passage from 1803 signed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison with a beautiful engraving of a lighthouse and tall ship, and a military appointment signed by Abraham Lincoln. Another fascinating lot is from an Ohio collection. Lot 96 is a detailed WWI hand-written diary and archive of Wilson Kappel, Bolivar Ohio, mechanic US Army, Company C, 6th Infantry, starting with his registration on June 5th, 1917 until his arrival back home on July 31, 1919. His accounts include 153 pages of riveting entries with stories detailing his life from the front lines.

Ephemera may start off the sale, but Pook & Pook will exhibit exceptional examples of what you have come to expect from Pook & Pook’s discretionary militaria sales, such as a beautiful powder horn from the French and Indian War attributed to Jacob Gay (estimated at $15,000-20,000) and another powder horn from the Revolutionary War belonging to Isaiah Thomas with scrimshaw decorations of a mermaid, a tall ship, geometric patterns, and more (estimated at $10,000-15,000). Among the numerous Colt revolvers, be prepared for the standout “Cattle Brand” first generation single action Army revolver, highly engraved with a spare cylinder in a fitted silk and velvet lined case ($8,000-10,000). There is a really good collection of bayonets that were accumulated over decades by a local collector. There are many Brown Bess variations and also an extremely Scarce Ames Mfg. Co. Sappers & Miners model 1847 musketoon sword bayonet, one of only 830 produced.

Small arms included in the sale are a Spanish copy of a Kerr's patent percussion revolver, a French “Garde du Corps du Roi” model 1816 flintlock pistol, a Lehigh County, Pennsylvania flintlock pistol, a Colt model 1911 US Army semi-automatic pistol, a Dan Wesson Arms double action revolver, a Les Baer Custom 1911 semi-automatic pistol, a DWM model 1906 American Eagle Luger semi-automatic pistol, a Colt single action army revolver made in 1899, and a Pre-war commercial Mauser model 1896 Broomhandle pistol, as well as many Smith & Wesson revolvers. 

Lot 147, French and Indian War scrimshaw powder horn, 1758; Estimate $15,000-20,000

There is a nice group of Civil War firearms with many saddle ring carbines. Of the long arms going up for sale are a Burnside, US Springfield model 1884, Colt contract musket, Spencer, Sharps New Model 1863, Gallager Patent, Smith Patent, Colt 1851 Navy, and a Sharps and Hankins just as an overview. The auction block will also be visited by dozens of lots of swords, knives, and accessories.

As with most Pook and Pook firearm auctions, amongst the 560 crossing the auction block there is a nice selection of shotguns from all of the familiar makers. Charles Daly, A. H. Fox, Parker, Weatherby, Italian Remington, and Belgian Brownings are just a few of the names on the roll call. Headlining the rifles is a Mauser Obendorf commercial deluxe type A bolt action big game rifle estimated at $4,500-6,500, a British Snyder officers’ carbine in .577 caliber, Winchester model 1873 lever action rifle, US Remington model 1903-A3 sniper rifle, as well as a contemporary flintlock rifle by Jesse Holder. The Downingtown, PA auction will also feature dozens of rifles from the Collection of Ed Hilliard of West Collingswood, New Jersey.