WEAPONS FROM COUNTRY'S OLDEST MILITARY SCHOOL TO BE SOLD IN CORDIER'S WINTER FIREARMS & MILITARIA AUCTION

Founded in 1836, Carson Long Military Academy in New Bloomfield, PA, was the oldest continually operating military boarding school in the United States. On December 8, Harrisburg, PA auction company Cordier Auctions will be featuring the school’s private collection of firearms, militaria, and related accessories in their winter Firearms and Militaria Auction.

The school’s collection will include a mid-19^th century PA long rifle by renowned gunsmith John Shuler of Perry County, PA.  Shuler’s guns gained a popular following in the mid-1800’s for their quality and reliability.  In total, over 50 lots of match rifles, shotguns, and edged weapons including two samurai swords will be offered for the school, which celebrated its final graduating class in June of 2018.

Cordier’s winter Firearms and Militaria Auction will be held over the course of two days. On Friday, December 7, Cordier Auctions will be offering hundreds of uncataloged lots of ammunition, reloading supplies, and other firearm-related material to live and absentee bidders. The second day of the sale will cover more than 400 lots of cataloged firearms and collectibles in addition to the Carson Long collection.

Among the top lots of the sale are an FN FAL semi-auto military-style rifle, which was a free-world favorite during the Cold War, and a Winchester 1873 rifle marked “59 Atlanta Police” on the receiver. The Winchester includes documentation from the Cody Museum, and both firearms are estimated to sell for $4,000 to $6,000.

A handsome blued steel Francotte Knock About shotgun with silver engraving is expected to be another top seller with a pre-sale estimate of $1,500 to $2,500. The firearm was manufactured in Belgium for the New York company Von Legerke and Detmold, which was founded in 1882 and purchased by Abercrombie and Fitch in 1928.  The engraving depicts the Lockwood family crest and motto, as well as hunting scenes of dogs and birds.

Unusual finds, such as a Mauser broomhandle pistol marked “Made in Germany” in Chinese script, an antebellum Colt pocket revolver, and a WWI Purple Heart medal with documentation, are also expected to draw heavy attention from collectors.