DENVER, PA.- At Morphy’s September 9-11, 2025 Firearms & Militaria Auction, some of the finest and most important firearms ever to appear for public sale flew past their high estimates to land in the hands of elated new owners. The 1,285-lot selection of antique and modern rifles, shotguns, handguns, and Fully Transferable NFA-registered machine guns and accessories surpassed all expectations to gross more than $7.5 million, inclusive of buyer’s premium.

The top lot of the sale was a fresh-to-the-market factory-engraved Colt 1911A1 .45 ACP semi-automatic pistol accompanied by a Colt Archives letter. It was originally shipped to Tritch Hardware of Denver, Colorado, on October 16, 1925 as a shipment of one. Its features included a half-moon front sight, U-notch flat-top rear sight, checkered spurred hammer, long A1 grip safety, arched mainspring housing with lanyard loop, and smooth ivory grips that were replacements from slightly after the period. Those grips were signed on the interior: F L Belmay / 1948. The engraving and patterns appeared consistent with signed examples from William Gough or his workshop. In Excellent condition, the pistol commanded $102,000 against an estimate of $40,000-$60,000.

The market for NFA firearms has shown no signs of cooling down, and entries in Morphy’s September event validated that trend. One of the top performers was an extremely scarce original Thompson Ramo Woodridge (TRW) M1-14 select-fire machine gun in exceptional condition with an original TRW-marked bolt. Its receiver was stamped U.S. RIFLE/ 7.65MM M14 over a TRW triangular logo above the serial number 612891, and it was equipped with highly desirable walnut USGI E2 stock, with a pistol grip, bipod, original sling, sling loop, muzzle brake, and one magazine. It conveyed with an additional standard USGI original buttstock with the proper Department of Defense eagle-and-stars marking. Estimated at $35,000-$50,000, it soared to $88,560.



Following closely behind was an all-original Fully Transferable Maget World War II German MG42 full-auto-only machine gun dated 1943. Its bolt head was marked dfb but did not show a serial number. Likewise, the barrel was not serial-numbered but bore its original cra mark. The top cover was Nazi-marked cof with Nazi Eagle proofs. The buttstock was clearly marked hvg 43 but did not have retrofitted reinforcement wire, suggesting the gun was captured in combat before this retrofit was fully implemented. A fine specimen, it sold for $84,000 against an estimate of $50,000-$70,000.



An outstanding set of five circa-1980 small-bore Francotte (Belgium) side-by-side ejector game shotguns with nominal 28-inch chopper lump barrels came complete with individual maroon canvas cases, each bearing the maker’s label. Each of the guns had an engraved skeleton butt plate, checkered wood, a mechanical single trigger on a sideplated boxlock action with sideclips, and Belgian proof marks. Also, each was gold-inlaid SAFE ahead of a small button-style safety catch. The barrels were marked AUG FRANCOTTE BREVETE A LIEGE and MADE IN BELGIUM FOR BINGHAM LTD ATLANTA GEORGIA USA, with the serial number engraved on the bottom strap. This very attractive set sold for $78,000 against a $40,000-$60,000 estimate.



The earliest of all auction highlights, by far, was a 1628-dated Dutch West India Company bronze cannon measuring 88 inches from muzzle to cascabel. Its 5-inch bore opened up toward the muzzle, indicating it was a “drake” – a lightweight tapered-chamber design that was favored by the British Navy. The cannon’s bronze construction further validated that it was likely a naval gun. Embossed with decorative moldings throughout and, importantly, embossed with the monogram of the West India Company and the letters G and O for Groningen and Ommelanden over the chamber, it also had a secondary band ahead of the cascabel marked SICKMANS, for manufacturer Nicolaes Sickmans. Discovered outside of UK waters, its marked date supports the possibility that it may have come from a ship used for what was essentially legal piracy. At auction, it sailed to $61,660 against an estimate of $12,000-$18,000.



A historical treasure of the American Old West, a silver-plated Colt .45 Single Action Army Revolver was presented to Territorial Mounted Policeman Apolonio A Sena in 1911 by citizens of Las Vegas, New Mexico, in gratitude for his role in capturing kidnappers of two-year-old boy. It was shipped on May 25, 1911 to Simmons Hardware Co., St. Louis, Missouri, for the Gross-Kelly Company in Las Vegas, who commissioned the gun. Its inscription read: PRESENTED TO A A SENA BY CITZENS OF LAS VEGAS, NEW MEXICO. The gun was accompanied by a briefcase containing factory letters, copies of relevant newspaper articles, books, and other literature. Its line of provenance included Charles Schriner and the collection of the Y O Ranch, in Kerrville, Texas. It sold within its estimate range for $56,580.



A Japanese (Edo Period, 1603-1867) three-barrel, swivel-breech .40 smoothbore palanquin matchlock pistol, equivalent to a Western coach gun, was nearly identical to two examples shown in Stone's Glossary which were donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Morphy’s firearms expert noted in the catalog description that he is aware of fewer than five other guns of this type over and above those depicted in Stone’s Glossary. Such guns are virtually unknown outside of institutions. The auction example, in mechanically fine condition, sold for $26,400 against an estimate of $10,000-$20,000.



All collectors of outdoorsmen’s edged weapons know the name Bill Scagel (1873-1963). Scagel was a Michigan bladesmith and knifemaker whose style had a profound impact on the cutlery trade, influencing it for more than a century. At their September auction, Morphy’s offered a scarce handcrafted Bill Scagel hatchet or camp axe that displayed the maker’s renowned Kris stamps and W SCAGEL / HANDMADE in small lettering on the reverse cheek. The 12 7/8-inch hatchet had a large, distinctive pommel that was created from a shaved antler. The piece had been obtained at Scagel’s property by John Gordon Breland, a retired Muskegon, Michigan policeman who did carpentry jobs for Scagel, including the expansion of his home/workshop. A lifelong hunter, Breland acquired the hatchet from available stock at Scagel’s premises. Together with its leather scabbard, it sold for $20,400 against an estimate of $10,000-$15,000.



The firearms advertising category was led by a desirable Winchester Repeating Arms Co., Double-W cartridge board. Of a type that Winchester distributed to dealers around 1897, it was numbered 245 on verso. The display itself included 200 shells, 13 bullets and 9 primer tins in an attractive arrangement. It handily exceeded its $20,000-$30,000 estimate to settle at $41,820.

To discuss consigning a collection or an individual item to a future Firearms & Militaria Auction at Morphy’s, please call Dan Morphy personally at 877-968-8880 or email info@morphyauctions.com. All discussions are kept strictly confidential and there is never an obligation to consign. Online: www.morphyauctions.com.