Alexander Hamilton’s Pistol Auction In Rock Island This Weekend
A pair of pistols that belonged to Founding Father Alexander Hamilton are going to be auctioned on May 14th by the Rock Island Auction Company.
The flagship offering of a three-day auction, the pistols may set a world record as the highest priced firearm ever publicly sold.
Both pistols were presented to Hamilton by his father-in-law General Philip Schuyler during the Revolutionary War, and were passed down through the family until sold in 1942.
Hamilton's pistols will be available for bidding May 14th, either by web or by phone.
“These pistols represent Hamilton’s physical ability to wage war on the enemy. They are his physical ability to achieve Revolution and start the Republic,” states RIAC President Kevin Hogan. “However, they also transcend arms specific collecting. They are an American institution in and of themselves, and an intimate way to be a part of the past.”
A lot of surviving items from the Revolutionary War Era are rare, and those with concrete ties are a true prize for collectors of historic objects. Hamilton’s pistols are one of several items of note in the sale, including a pair of revolvers given to Tsar Alexander II, the Colt revolver of Old West gunslinger and lawman Bat Masterson, and the original document of Ulysses S. Grant’s appointment to major general, signed by Abraham Lincoln.
The pistols are estimated to be sold for between $1,000,000 and $3,500,000, a record for firearms.
The pistols of the Hamilton-Burr duel have been owned by Chase Bank since the 1930's," Joel Kolander, RIAC's Interactive Production Manager said. "Interestingly enough, those pistols didn’t even belong to Hamilton."