BEDFORD, Texas, June 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new world record has been set for the most expensive rifle ever sold at auction. Rock Island Auction Company offered Henry rifle serial no. 1 in its June 27th “The American Sale” where it brought a realized price of $5,875,000. The gun’s intersection of historic provenance, significant arms design, rarity, and high condition all helped push the new record. The gun’s $5 million hammer price matched that of the highest firearm ever sold, the Colt Single Action Army revolver that fatally shot Billy the Kid.
Serial no.1 of nearly any make is desirable to collectors, but especially so for the Henry rifle. When its design was improved in 1866 it became the vaunted Winchester rifle, however the serial number range never restarted. In many eyes, Henry rifle No. 1 is the first Winchester, eventual maker of “the gun that won the West” that helped settle the American frontier.
“It’s the most important lever-action in public circulation and collectors absolutely rose to meet this moment,” said RIAC President Kevin Hogan. “It’s only appropriate that the first Winchester made history today, just as it did 165 years ago.”
The gun was originally presented by the maker, New Haven Arms Co., to Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, who was Lincoln’s right-hand man and instrumental in the Union’s Civil War victory. Stanton was even at Lincoln’s deathbed and when he passed and famously stated, “Now he belongs to the ages.”
Stanton was presented serial no. 1, Lincoln was presented serial no. 6, which currently resides in the Smithsonian, and Secretary of the Navy Gideon Wells was presented serial no. 9, currently housed in the Autry Museum. The trio is known to fine arms collectors as the “Lincoln Cabinet guns.”
The previous world record for a rifle was set in 2016 by RIAC. It too was a Winchester serial no. 1, but a Model 1886. That version, unembellished and in 95 percent condition, was presented to Capt. Henry W. Lawton for his role in the capture of Chiricahua Apache leader Geronimo.
Other items of note were Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf’s Gulf War-carried pistol that brought $411,250 and a gold sword presented to Lt. Col. Armistead, who commissioned and raised what would become the original Star-Spangled Banner, which achieved $323,125.
About Rock Island Auction Company:
Rock Island Auction Company, purveyors of the world’s finest firearms, has led its industry since 2003. Founded in 1993 by CEO Patrick Hogan, RIAC’s current Bedford, Texas, venue has become the world selling headquarters for fine and historic arms, hosting all the company’s in-person auctions. Led by President Kevin Hogan, the company lives by its mission statement to “Elevate firearms collecting. Sell with Passion.” Best known for selling headline-grabbing arms, RIAC’s multiple auction formats cater to collectors of every experience level.
For more information, please visit www.rockislandauction.com or call 1-800-238-8022.
Media contact: Joel Kolander, (309) 797-1500 or jkolander@rockislandauction.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7740c3ea-a42f-4f2f-bf0c-32ab718ab5fb
