Elmer Keith firearms auction

54rndball · Mar 11, 2015

Old Elmer Keith had a great collection and the family is auctioning it off. I knew about his love for six guns, especially his old No. 5 Colt SAA, but he had some nice hunting rifles, including a Sharps, and some very rare percussion revolvers. Check it out!

http://jamesdjulia.com/auction/373-march-2015-firearms-auction-tradition-continues/?session=1

kenpo333 · Mar 11, 2015

Unbelievable gun collection and a couple extremely rare motorcycles. What more can you ask for?

Machodoc · Mar 12, 2015

Don't look!!! You'll just be filled with lust -- and a strong temptation to mortgage the house.

Maverick0313 · Mar 12, 2015

Thanks for this post. NEAT stuff.

Alea Jacta Est · Mar 12, 2015

Sometimes it's just nice to look...

501st · Mar 12, 2015

Perhaps its just me, but I rather see a collection like this go to a Museum, like those operated by the NRA, rather than being sold off to various bidders.

DavidWB · Mar 12, 2015

Shoot! Too late...I already looked.

mxrider · Mar 12, 2015

Incredible!

trickg · Mar 12, 2015

54rndball said:
Old Elmer Keith had a great collection and the family is auctioning it off. I knew about his love for six guns, especially his old No. 5 Colt SAA, but he had some nice hunting rifles, including a Sharps, and some very rare percussion revolvers. Check it out!

http://jamesdjulia.com/auction/373-march-2015-firearms-auction-tradition-continues/?session=1

If you read his autobiography, "Hell, I was there!" you get a good idea of what he used and what he preferred - he had quite an accumulation of stuff.

JOESTEELER · Mar 12, 2015

Beautiful collection

Mooseman · Mar 12, 2015

Out of my league.

54rndball · Mar 12, 2015

501st said:
Perhaps its just me, but I rather see a collection like this go to a Museum, like those operated by the NRA, rather than being sold off to various bidders.

I believe it was in a museum up in Idaho, Salmon maybe? It might have been part of a Cabela's store. From what I hear, the Keith family decided to auction off the firearms, etc.

Machodoc · Mar 13, 2015

I think that this is only part of the collection, and the other part is being auctioned by a different house that's handling the more common and low-end (very relatively speaking) pieces. I'll be quick to add that the "low end" stuff would still make most of us here drool.

501st said:
Perhaps its just me, but I rather see a collection like this go to a Museum, like those operated by the NRA, rather than being sold off to various bidders.

I agree, but it's also like someone coming up to one of us and asking us to donate our entire inheritance to a museum. It doesn't seem to make sense if we inherited a house, stocks and bonds, or cash, but we feel comfortable thinking that way when it involves a collection of rare artifacts ... especially when they belong to someone else. I assume that his children and grandchildren have mortgages, college to pay for, etc., like the rest of us.

But, yes ... it sure would be nice if that collection could be kept together.

501st · Mar 13, 2015

Machodoc said:
I think that this is only part of the collection, and the other part is being auctioned by a different house that's handling the more common and low-end (very relatively speaking) pieces. I'll be quick to add that the "low end" stuff would still make most of us here drool.

I agree, but it's also like someone coming up to one of us and asking us to donate our entire inheritance to a museum. It doesn't seem to make sense if we inherited a house, stocks and bonds, or cash, but we feel comfortable thinking that way when it involves a collection of rare artifacts ... especially when they belong to someone else. I assume that his children and grandchildren have mortgages, college to pay for, etc., like the rest of us.

But, yes ... it sure would be nice if that collection could be kept together.

I wouldn't have any problem if the collection was kept by the family. But to be sold off to strangers across the country/world? Possibly never to be seen again. (or possibly damaged later on)

A collection like this isn't like the other items you mentioned, it has a historical value. I'd rather have more people be able to enjoy those firearms for many decades than for them to end up in the hands of a few collectors and enjoyed by a vastly smaller audience.

BigDaddy · Mar 13, 2015

For all we know, the Keith Family may no longer be gun people. He died 30 years ago, maybe the surviving family only has distant memories of him.

It's like inheriting a coin or stamp collection for people who don't collect either. You don't want it, you don't like it, you don't really know what you have other than it can be turned into a lot of money to buy a second home, a boat or a college education.

Machodoc · Mar 13, 2015

501st said:
A collection like this isn't like the other items you mentioned, it has a historical value. I'd rather have more people be able to enjoy those firearms for many decades than for them to end up in the hands of a few collectors and enjoyed by a vastly smaller audience.

OK ... then let's look at it another way. Why not sell all you own, mortgage your home, etc., and buy as much of the collection as you can--then donate it to a museum?

Or maybe ask each of your friends to buy all they can, and donate to the same museum ... see how high that idea floats.

My point is not that it wouldn't be great to see the collection kept intact and be accessioned by a museum. It's only that we tend to be far more generous with other people's assets than our own. It might be that his heirs simply can't afford the luxury of making such a generous donation.

Let's just hope that some of the pieces being sold off eventually find their way to the safekeeping of a good museum--but even that's no guarantee that they'll be protected forever and not disappear from view. Have you noticed some machine guns on GB now that were sold off to the public by the Evergreen Museum because they are in financial difficulty? How about the huge archive of US Military records that caught fire several years back, with losses of hundreds of thousands of records? That was supposed to be a very safe place.

BTW

54rndball · Mar 15, 2015

Just heard a report on the Elmer Keith auction. The Old No. 5 Colt SAA sold for $70K and the Jim Corbett rifle went for $230K! Geez, I could have sold the house and maybe bought both.

somd_mustangs · Apr 10, 2015

Here's a chance to get one of the Keith Colts.
Admittedly in bad shape but it's at $1 right now.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=477532192

BigDaddy · Apr 14, 2015

somd_mustangs said:
Here's a chance to get one of the Keith Colts.
Admittedly in bad shape but it's at $1 right now.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=477532192

Damn I missed that one in the original auction. The seller has a lot of positive feedback, but I wonder how often he has Hitler's luger for sale.

somd_mustangs · Apr 14, 2015

BigDaddy said:
Damn I missed that one in the original auction. The seller has a lot of positive feedback, but I wonder how often he has Hitler's luger for sale.

I know the guy pretty well and bought/sold/traded with him quite a bit.
I wouldn't hesitate to do business with him, easy to work with etc etc.
He's honest and one of the more knowledgeable dealers out there especially in the area of Lugers, PPKs, and other German pistols. Not so much Colts.
His "crew" run a lot of the GB listings so there are sometimes exaggerations and mistakes - many of the GB items are consignments so they start off with what the consignor tells them.
On his website at least he offers a full money-back lifetime guarantee the gun is as represented. Not sure about the GB.

He did have a Goering presentation Luger a few months ago, but so far none from Hitler.

Elmer Keith firearms auction

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

take to the hills

Ultimate Member

Old Guy

Retired and loving it

Extinguished member

Ultimate Member

Active Member

Former MSI Treasurer

Guns 'n Drums

Active Member

R.I.P.- Hooligan #4

take to the hills

Old Guy

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Old Guy

take to the hills

-----

Ultimate Member

-----

Users who are viewing this thread

Log in

Forum statistics