U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)-– President Theodore Roosevelt’s Smith & Wesson #3 was sold for a total of $910,625 ($775,000 before buyers premium) at Rock Island Auction Company on December 9, 2022. The buyer’s premium is fifteen percent.
Theodore Roosevelt is the president most associated with personal arms and with promoting that Americans should be armed and trained in the use of arms. He became the President after the assassination of President Mckinley, the youngest president in US history. He was an early adopter and user of silencers.
The Smith & Wesson #3 was linked to President Theodore Roosevelt. From Rock Island Auction Company:
“Theodore Roosevelt was one of the most beloved and influential men in American history, and having documentation of the shipment makes this gun something incredibly extraordinary and valuable,” said Kevin Hogan, President of Rock Island Auction Company. “This is a crown jewel in fine arms collecting. Not only is it a rare chance to own a presidential firearm, but of a president who embodied the spirit of a nation. You don’t need to look further than Mt. Rushmore to understand his significance.
The Smith & Wesson New Model No. 3 revolver is chambered in a .38 Long Colt, the U.S. service cartridge at the time, but scarcely seen in this particular model. Roosevelt’s revolver also has distinct combat target rear sights – both features indicating that this revolver was intended to be carried into the war against Spain. Roosevelt instead famously carried a Colt double action revolver that had been salvaged from the wreckage of the USS Maine battleship, allowing this revolver to remain in excellent condition.
Documentation shows that the revolver was purchased from the descendants of James E. Amos, the bodyguard and valet of President Theodore Roosevelt. Amos was very close to Roosevelt and was by his bedside shortly before he died. He received the revolver as a present from Roosevelt’s wife Edith, after the former president’s death. According to Amos, “…while president, he often went armed. I have in my home now a large revolver that Mr. Roosevelt placed at the side of his bed every night while in the White House. It was given to me by Mrs. Roosevelt after his death.”
The pristine condition of Roosevelt’s Smith & Wesson New Model No. 3 revolver reflects the statement that the firearm served as a “nightstand gun.” The revolver would not have been used or exposed to natural elements, preserving its condition.
Rock Island Auction Company (RIAC) has become the premier auction house for firearms in the world. This is not surprising, as the United States is the premier country for firearms in the world.
President of RIAC, Kevin Hogan, believes collectible firearms are greatly undervalued in the United States compared to other collectibles. He cautions, however, that collectible firearms should be purchased to enjoy, as profits from collectibles are never certain.
Opinion:
Collectables are a way to hedge against inflation. With inflation roaring in the United States, smart money seeks ways to preserve value. If the republic is preserved, ammunition can always be used for recreation. If hard times ensue, there may be more dire uses of the product.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
If Bloomberg bought it, as you say, to destroy it, let’s hope the exorbitant money paid for it ends up in gun rights orgs.
While I understand the value of a weapon owned by a famous person and I understand that 38 long colt was the military caliber of that day, a model 3 Smith and Wesson in that caliber is rare indeed. All Smith and Wesson #3’s are accurate shooters but this caliber and it’s owner makes it a collector’s dream. I would own a model 3 in a heart beat. It would have to be in 44 special caliber because it has a higher sectional density than the 45 versions. It’s the best single action revolver made when it comes to actually… Read more »