Cranston, RI, USA, January 24, 2024 — Rare Gettysburg battlefield pickup items, a Confederate Louisiana frock coat, a Confederate Louisiana shell jacket and shirt and a tool room sample Model 1941 Johnson rifle are just a few of the expected highlights in Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers’ Historic Arms & Militaria auction slated for Wednesday, February 7th, online-only, with no live gallery bidding.
The auction, starting at 10 am Eastern time, contains 280 lots. The catalog is a nice mix of guns and other weapons plus non-gun related items, spanning multiple conflicts and generations. Up for bid will be a wide array of wonderful historic objects, including accoutrements, documents, autographs, belt plates, muskets, carbines, flintlock and percussion arms and other items.
“The material in this auction comes from a variety of museums, historical societies and private collections around the country,” said Joel Bohy, Bruneau & Co.’s Director of Arms & Militaria. “It’s been a great experience to catalog such a wide variety of things for dealers, the beginning collector, as well as the most advanced. In short, there is something for everyone in this auction.”
An expected top lot is lot #72, a Confederate Louisiana frock coat with a steel gray jean cloth body, one of the finest enlisted Confederate frock coats extant with impeccable provenance. It’s believed to have been worn by Charles Stebbins of the 5th Louisiana, who deserted and took the oath of allegiance, but further research is probably warranted. (est. $30,000-$40,000).
Also expected to fetch $30,000-$40,000 is lot # 90, a Confederate Louisiana light gray brown jean cloth jacket with an issue striped cotton shirt having two breast pockets. Both clothing items are in excellent condition, with the shirt being one of the few known Confederate issue enlisted examples. The jacket and shirt are pictured in several books relating to the Civil War.
Lot #59 is a Confederate officer’s kepi (cap with a flat circular top and a peak) that was picked up at Gettysburg. The cap features a brown/gray satinet body, dark blue broadcloth band, two rows of gilt metallic officer’s braids, a bound edge visor, blue silk lining with Confederate newspaper sewn into the pasteboard crown, and a cloth sweatband (est. $15,000-$20,000).
Lot #1 is a circa 1777 Continental Army staved canteen with two interlocking hoops, marked on the face “U:STATES”, with a paper label on the opposite side marked, “Canteen used/by William Fleming/of Lower Oxford/township, Ches. Co, Pa/ In the war of 1812,” plus part of a wire loop on the side that might have been for a string for the stopper (est. $5,000-$10,000).
Lot #65 is a circa 1862-1863 Confederate brown wool felt beehive-style slouch hat with the string mark from blocking the hat, picked up at Gettysburg by a New York soldier. The hat, 14 ½ inches wide, is pictured in the books Gettysburg Battlefield Relics & Souvenirs by Mike O’Donnell and Don Troiani’s Regiments & Uniforms of the Civil War (est. $8,000-$10,000).
Lot #74 is an extremely rare rectangular Confederate Noble Brothers cast pewter belt plate marked on the face “C.S.A.”, with soldered iron wire belt hooks on the back. Included is a post war label written by Sgt. Major William A. Smith, 17th Michigan Volunteers, whose descriptive list states the plate was found at the Knoxville battlefield (est. $8,000-$12,000).
Lot #82 is a circa 1863 Confederate low convex drum tin canteen with a coarse brown cloth covering, with an old paper label glued to one side marked “Confederate Canteen/picked up on/Gettysburg/Battlefield/1887/In a closet/under the/stairs in old/seminary”. The canteen is pictured in O’Donnell’s Gettysburg Battlefield Relics & Souvenirs (est. $8,000-$12,000).
On to weaponry, where lot #227 is a U.S. Model 1941 Johnson tool room sample rifle with a .30-06 caliber, serial number S-10, having a walnut stock and parkerized finish, marked on the right rear of the receiver “CRANSTON/ARMS/CO”, and marked on the top of the receiver “MADE IN PROVIDENCE R.I. U.S.A.”, overall 45 ¾ inches in length (est. $3,000-$5,000).
Lot #9 is a J. Valet A Liege Model 1728 musket made circa 1744-1747 in what is present-day Belgium, .76 bore, with walnut stock, steel fittings and a lock marked “JACQUES VALET/A LIEGE”, with an early French Model 1717/29 square-shouldered contract-type bayonet with a star or sun pattern on the base of the blade, overall 63 ¾ inches in length (est. $2,000-$4,000).
Lot #225 is a World War II-era U.S. Model 1903A4 Remington sniper rifle, .30-06, having a walnut stock, a parkerized finish and leather sling, the left side of the receiver ring marked “U.S. / REMINGTON /MODEL 03-A3” and the serial number (“Z4001786”) on the right side of the receiver near the scope mount, overall 43 ½ inches in length (est. $2,000-$3,000).
Online bidding will be provided by bidLIVE.Bruneauandco.com and the mobile app “Bruneau & Co.” on iTunes or GooglePlay, plus the platforms LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. Phone bids will be accepted for this auction. Top place a phone bid, you may call 401-533-9980.
Previews will be held by appointment only, in the Bruneau & Co. gallery at 63 Fourth Avenue in Cranston. To schedule an appointment, call 401-533-9980; or, email to info@bruneauandco.com.
All winning bids will be subject to a 17.5 percent buyer’s premium, with a 3 percent cash or check discount when bidding on the Bruneau & Co. platform and app only. Third party bidding platforms will be subject to a 20.5 percent buyer’s premium, with no discount.
Before purchasing a firearm at auction, Bruneau & Co Auctioneers recommends having it examined by a qualified gunsmith to determine whether or not it is safe to use. FFL transfers are handled by Lost Treasures in Pawtucket, RI, and are subject to a $35 fee.
To learn more about Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers and the online-only Historic Arms & Militaria auction planned for Wednesday, Feb. 7th, at 10 am Eastern time, visit www.bruneauandco.com.
About Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers:
Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions, with commissions as low as zero percent. Now would be a perfect time to clean out your attic. To contact Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers about consigning a single piece or an entire collection, you may send an e-mail to info@bruneauandco.com. Or, you can phone them at 401-533-9980. To learn more about Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers, please visit www.bruneauandco.com. Updates are posted frequently.