A handgun carried into the Battle of Little Bighorn by a legendary U.S. Army cavalry officer is headlining a high-profile firearms auction in Bedford, Texas this weekend.
The Colt single-action revolver belonged to Captain Myles Moylan, later a Medal of Honor recipient — and has an estimated price of up to $120,000.
“It’s just an amazing piece of American history,” Kevin Hogan, president of Rock Island Auction Co., told Fox News Digital.
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His company hosts its “May premiere” auction on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 17-May 19, 2024.
The annual event is the first in Texas for Rock Island Auction Co.
Hogan, a lifelong Illinois resident, moved his 30-year-old company from his home state to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in December.
He cited both more favorable business and political environments in Texas as reasons he relocated his company.
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The collection includes several other signature pieces.
Among them are the following:
- A Winchester Model 21 Bicentennial Shotgun gifted to President Gerald Ford in 1976.
- A Winchester Model 1895 lever-action rifle that belonged to Bonnie & Clyde gang member and “Public Enemy Number 1” author Floyd Hamilton
- The Remington Model 11 “sawed-off” shotgun that was carried by infamous Oklahoma outlaw Ford Bradshaw, a rival of fellow sinister Sooner “Pretty Boy” Floyd, when he was killed by law enforcement.
Several battle tanks are also featured, including a World War II Stuart Light Tank, with an estimated price of up to $400,000.
“The great thing for collectors,” said Hogan, “is that you visit these eras, these times and these places though these objects that were there and played a huge part in major events. It’s very exciting.”
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Captain Moylan’s Colt revolver from the Battle of Little Bighorn in Montana is the auction’s most exciting piece, said Hogan.
The officer’s legend is one reason why.
Moylan fought to save the Union at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania during the Civil War in 1863.
He rode into Little Bighorn, Montana, with the 7th Calvary in 1876.
American troops under Gen. George Custer were decimated in battle by Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors.
Moylan survived Custer’s Last Stand, his Colt cavalry model revolver by his side.
“The gun is not only identified with the 7th Cavalry, it’s also ID’d to Captain Moylan,” said Hogan.
The officer earned the Medal of Honor for heroism when he was wounded at the Battle of Bear Paw, a decisive victory in the Nez Perce War in 1877.
He also served at the infamous Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890.
His association with some of the most famous military encounters in U.S. history, while receiving the nation’s highest honor for valor, boosts the value of his revolver.
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