Two revolvers belonging to former President Ulysses S. Grant went up for auction at Rock Island Auction Company and managed to bring in $5,170,000 in the end.
These were Remington New Model Army revolvers that Grant was given by Otis Nelson Cutler and William C. Wagley, these individuals were thankful that Grant was successful in taking over Vicksburg during the American Civil war and this was likely a thank you to Grant for securing trade on the Mississippi.
These revolvers have beautiful engravings on them and both have a set of ivory grips that on one side have a bust of the President on one side and an eagle on the other.
This pair of Remington New Model Army revolvers was presented to Ulysses S. Grant by Otis Nelson Cutler and William C. Wagley, Mexican-American War veterans and businessmen involved in cotton trading during the civil war, likely as a gratitude for the capture of Vicksburg that gave the Union full control over Mississippi river and made trading along the river safer. The backstrap inscription on the revolvers reads: “FROM YOUR FRIENDS / O.N. CUTLER. W.C. WAGLEY”. The ivory grips are carved with raised relief eagle, flags, and Columbian shield motifs and the bust of General Ulysses S. Grant. Grant’s major general rank on the grip carvings along with the fact that the Remington New Model Army revolvers were introduced in 1863 suggests that these revolvers were likely gifted to Ulysses Grant at the end of 1863 or the beginning of 1864.
This pair of revolvers remained in the Grant family for decades but then changed multiple hands and after over 150 years of being in personal collections was first displayed to the public at the Las Vegas Antique Arms Show in January 2018. And now this treasure of American history found a new home.
Rock Island Auction Company thought that these pistols were going to sell for anywhere between $1,000,000 and $3,000,000 but they ended up going for $5,170,000 in the end. There is no real price tag you can put on a piece of history like this, the new owner has an incredible piece of Americana that can only be described as priceless.
You can watch the auction unfold as it happened in the video below:
