Shotgun Wyatt Earp used to avenge brother's death offered at Heritage Auctions

The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Friday, March 29, 2024


Shotgun Wyatt Earp used to avenge brother's death offered at Heritage Auctions
Wyatt Earp: An Amazingly Documented 10-Gauge Shotgun Used by Him to Kill "Curly Bill" Brocius. Imaged by Heritage Auctions.



DALLAS, TX.- The gun Wyatt Earp used to kill “Curly Bill” Brocius could bring $100,000 or more in Heritage Auctions’ Americana & Political Auction Feb. 22-23 in Dallas, Texas.

The Wyatt Earp: An Amazingly Documented 10-Gauge Shotgun Used by Him to Kill "Curly Bill" Brocius is a museum-quality piece, arguably the most important Earp gun in existence.

Earp was a lawman and gambler in the Arizona Territory in the late 1800s and early 1900s whose résumé includes stints as a professional gambler, teamster and buffalo hunter, and perhaps most famously, taking part in the infamous shootout at the O.K. Corral in 1881. Brocius was a notorious gunman, rustler and outlaw credited with a litany of crimes, including cattle rustling, stagecoach robberies and killings, and had a history of run-ins with members of the Earp family.

“Wyatt Earp’s brother, Morgan, was brutally killed, and Curly Bill Brocius was identified as one of those involved,” Heritage Auctions Americana Director Tom Slater said. “Earp once pistol-whipped Curly Bill Brocius for fatally shooting a popular Tombstone town marshal named Fred White, and when he learned of his brother’s death, he formed a posse that was later called the ‘Earp Vendetta Ride.’

“When they went out to hunt for Brocius, Earp borrowed a 10-gauge shotgun – this shotgun – from his friend, Fred Dodge. They found Curly Bill at Iron Springs on March 24, 1882, and in the ensuing shootout, Earp used this shotgun to kill Curly Bill … after which, he returned it to Fred Dodge.”

The weapon heads to auction with stellar provenance. When Dodge died in 1938, it was among many items that were passed down to his son, Fred Dodge, Jr., who then sold the weapon in 1963 (in a transaction from which the bill of sale can be seen on HA.com). When dealer Greg Martin sold the gun after purchasing it in 1984, he wrote "The Stevens double-barreled shotgun serial number 927 you recently obtained from me represents one of the most important historical treasures I have ever owned...In my opinion the great historical associations, the first-hand accounts, and the impeccable documentation of ownership through the Dodge family make your Stevens shotgun one of the great treasures of the Old West. It is a direct link between Wyatt Earp and an era of American lore that is of incalculable importance."

The gun is accompanied in the auction by a photostat of the 1963 bill of sale from the younger Dodge, Martin’s letter and a letter from Jim Earle, a renowned collector who owned it in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Also included is an impressive archive of more than 25 original documents relating to its provenance.

Heritage Auctions has offered numerous relics and artifacts from the Old West, but this shotgun, which remains in very good condition, is widely viewed as the best – and the one in highest demand – yet. Bearing serial number 927 on the barrels, fore-end, triggerguard and receiver, the 10-gauge weapon includes 22-1/4-inch barrels with a fixed front bead sight. The top of the barrels is marked “J. STEVENS & CO. CHICOPEE FALLS MASS.”










Today's News

January 29, 2020

Shocking truth behind famous ancient Egyptian mummy's death revealed

Up close, there's more to the Ghent Altarpiece than the lamb

The frame as art: Guernsey's to offer Eli Wilner's personal collection

Historians unveil rare photos of Sobibor death camp

Man on trial for 'trying to steal Magna Carta'

Jason Polan, fast-drawing artist of the offbeat, dies at 37

Helen Frankenthaler Foundation awards $2.5 million to endow art history doctoral programs at five universities

The survivor of Auschwitz who painted a forgotten genocide

Bob Shane, last of the original Kingston Trio, dies at 85

Why fashion's fairy grandmother Agnes b. is a true believer

Newly discovered portrait of pioneering British female artist Isobel Codrington to be offered at auction

Exhibition of new paintings by Olivier Mosset opens at Gagosian

Norton Simon Museum appoints Emily Talbot to Chief Curator

Tower Bridge launches new film and exhibition to sing in celebration for 125th Anniversary

Latifa Echakhch selected for Swiss Pavilion at Biennale Arte 2021

French South African auction partnership offers powerful African art sale on Valentine's Day

Survey exhibition showcases works by the late painter, curator, and professor Sandra Jorgensen

Koppel, Laffi drive Heritage Auctions Silver to more than $1.77 million in 2019 sales

The Baltimore Museum of Art opens a solo exhibition of works by Ellen Lesperance

Shotgun Wyatt Earp used to avenge brother's death offered at Heritage Auctions

There are glowing seesaws in Midtown, and New Yorkers are losing it

Exhibition features hanging sculptures from Carolina Caycedo's Be Dammed series

arebyte Gallery exhibits a new body of work by UK based artist Helen Knowles

Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center announces two new hires

Camille Walala installation teases new LEGO arts and crafts building concept

Christie's 100 │ Online Only: Christie's presents its most accessible auction to date

How Smartphones have Changed the World of Photography

Everything you need to know about Aadya Bazaar

An Interview With Jarren Frame




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

sa gaming free credit
Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful