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ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Rock Island Auction Company (RIAC) has announced its May Premier Auction achieved $28.2 million in total sales, with a pair of Ulysses S. Grant Remington revolvers selling for $5.17 million on the opening day of the three-day auction on May 13-15.

The May Premier Auction was the second-largest auction in the history of the company, a news release says. The Remington revolvers, numbered 1 and 2, were previously owned by Civil War general and 18th President Ulysses S. Grant.

Ulysses S. Grant’s revolvers (photo courtesy of Rock Island Auction Company.)

The sale of the revolvers shattered the auction house’s previous record, which was the sale of a garniture of six arms presented to Napoleon Bonaparte at $2.875 million in December 2021, the release says.

The auction also included arms from well-known figures such as Wild Bill Hickok, Frank Sinatra, J. Edgar Hoover, and a Colt Single Action Army revolver documented as a battlefield pickup at the Little Bighorn.

Other highlighted pieces from the auction include:

  • Wilbur Glahn engraved and gold inlaid Colt Single Action Army
    • Pre-auction estimated price: $170,000 – $250,000
    • Price realized: $411,250
  • Confederate Dance and Brothers Revolver
    • Pre-auction estimated price: $95,000 – $160,000
    • Price realized: $199,750

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