Rare Ed Brown 9mm, WWII Militaria Bringbacks & May Auction Preview

Caller Robert: Ruger Vaquero Claros, the John Wayne Colt, and What's Coming in May

Robert from the Valley called in with some genuine auction enthusiasm. He picked up two Ruger Vaquero Claros through telephone bidding in the last auction – the same style of single-action .45 he runs on his property, where he once lost one off an ATV and spent two weeks combing the ground before he found it. The Claros are newer production, so losing one hurts a little less than burying the old SSAs with synthetic ivory grips.

He also put a fine point on what made the previous auction exceptional. The Mexican-rigged Colt revolver with the full rig went for $21,000. A John Wayne-connected handgun brought $29,000. Robert watched the whole thing twice. Jeff’s response to the compliment was simple: wait until May. The catalog is about half built at this point, and Jeff describes what’s coming as stuff that will curl your hair – lot after lot of rare, serious material. Two of the biggest consignors haven’t even delivered their guns yet. Big Joe is heading to Northern California to pick up one collection, then swinging back for a longtime friend’s collection on the same run. May is going to land somewhere around 700 lots.

Beyond May, three more large collections are already staged and waiting: a 400-gun collection, a 150-gun collection, and a 175-gun collection, all queued up the moment the crew returns from End of Trail. Jeff’s projection is that before March is out, they’ll be booking December. Anyone with guns to consign should be making that call now.

Walther P22: A Solid First Pickup for New Shooters

James from West LA called in considering a Walther P22. Jeff confirmed he bought one for his wife – got her the teal, sometimes called Tiffany blue, because she liked the color. He kept the plain one for himself. Both have been reliable and fun. For a compact .22 semi-auto, the P22 has a good track record as a first handgun and a training pistol. James also asked about the Springfield Echelon, a 9mm striker-fired pistol that neither host had hands-on time with yet, so that one went without a recommendation either way.

What's Coming to the May Auction: Ed Brown, Snipers, and a Non-Com Sword

The May catalog is shaping up to be one of the strongest the house has put together. Two large military surplus collections arrived simultaneously, and the depth goes well beyond the standard Enfields and Mosins that fill most surplus lots.

The centerpiece so far is an Ed Brown 9mm pistol – a 2011-pattern gun that the Ed Brown company built only in a small handful. Jeff thinks it’s designated something close to ZAV9 or VAS9, but the catalog listing will have the exact designation. The only comparable sale they could find on record went for $15,000. This one is unfired with an extra magazine.

On the militaria side: two Mosin-Nagant sniper rifles, one believed to be Polish and one Russian. An Enfield sniper, all-correct, in its original wood case. A Japanese Type 97 sniper rifle with the original scope – a piece of glass that Jeff describes as genuinely horrendous by any optical standard, but historically complete and intact. And a non-commissioned officer’s sword with bringback papers attached, meaning the chain of custody from the Pacific theater to the current owner is documented. That combination of the artifact and its provenance paperwork together is what separates a collectible from a conversation piece. Every lot in May, Jeff says, is going to be a knockout.