The Castle of Arms Collecting
Last December, Rock Island Auction Company celebrated the grand opening of its new Bedford venue with the largest firearms auction in Texas history. As the world’s leading firearms auction house for 20 years running, the company has been no stranger to expansion, innovation, and risk-taking. While Rock Island Auction Company’s Midwest location has served as a successful hub for the arms collecting community over the last three decades, a truly international venue was needed to elevate the fine arms field to its rightful place on the world stage.
An industry trendsetter, Rock Island Auction Company has presented some of the most prestigious treasures in the fine arms pursuit and set countless records in the process. The arms of presidents, founding fathers, future emperors, and European royalty have crossed the company’s podium in recent years, helping the auction house more than double the annual sales totals of their next six competitors combined. The company’s expansion to Bedford, Texas represents an unparalleled investment in the future of fine arms collecting.
Building a Monument
From a humble startup venture realized by company patriarch Patrick Hogan to a business now approaching 200 employees and surpassing $1 billion in total sales, Rock Island Auction Company has remained steadfast in its mission to serve as a custodian of history and a protector of legacies. Pat Hogan’s son, Kevin, took the foundation his father built and continued to push new boundaries, setting his sights on establishing a new, international selling headquarters for the fine arms community.
Ideally located in the Dallas–fort Worth metroplex, the heart of a thriving Texas gun collecting culture, Bedford offered the kings of the fine arms field the perfect bedrock to raise a castle to their craft. Rock Island Auction Company’s new 90,000-square-foot venue, the finest brick-and-mortar auction facility of its kind, delivers a world-class attraction to the Lone Star State. The establishment will host blockbuster auctions, accommodate a wide range of memorable events, and advance the arms collecting discipline to new and exciting heights.
The Hobby of Kings and Collectors
Judging by the company’s groundbreaking $26.7 million inaugural auction event in December of 2023, Rock Island Auction’s investment in the Lone Star State could redefine the arms collecting landscape for years to come, and that’s welcome news for collectors, investors, and arms enthusiasts of every means and background.
Once reserved as a pastime for royalty and the wealthy elite, investment-grade firearms are obtainable today by any determined collector. Compared to other segments of the collectibles market, fine arms are a dramatically undervalued asset class with tremendous growth potential. The genre’s elevated performance in recent years presents a compelling opportunity for those seeking to diversify with a touch of history. With some of the scarcest and sought-after pieces finally hitting the auction block and a constant stream of eager new collectors entering the marketplace, the investment potential has never been higher.
The hobby of kings had long been lacking a castle, and it was only fitting that the world’s number one firearms auction house would construct a monument worthy of showcasing the epitome of the fine arms field. That destination is found at 3600 Harwood Rd., Bedford, Texas, an accessible venue that combines the latest innovations with Rock Island Auction Company’s Midwest hospitality.
Forging a Legacy in 2024
Rock Island Auction Company’s inaugural event in the Lone Star State drew an avid audience from far and wide as it shattered Texas records last December. Capitalizing on this momentum, the company has announced a May 17th through 19th auction, the first of three Premier Auction events to be hosted in their new state-of-the-art Bedford facility this year. The public is invited to visit and examine a breathtaking selection of legacy arms and museum-worthy masterworks hailing from pinnacle collections, with highlights including pieces documented to President Gerald R. Ford, Buffalo Bill, General George Armstrong Custer, and more.
Collectors have hailed the Rock Island Auction experience as “the museum you can touch,” a chance to actively participate in the fine arms discipline at its most exclusive and prestigious level. The next preview day event will be held Thursday, May 16th, the day prior to auction, with the doors open to the public at 10 a.m. Guests are welcome to inspect any of the thousands of items displayed in the venue’s 19,000-square-foot preview hall, connect with the history behind each artifact, and engage with a welcoming community eager to impart their wisdom.
Join the Arms Collecting Renaissance
As exciting as preview days are, the auctions to follow are even more exhilarating. Not only can attending events in person provide an unmatched sense of rhythm to a sale, there’s an indescribable thrill to live bidding at Rock Island Auction Company. The anticipation, the suspense, the rush of adrenaline as you snap up your bidder card at just the right moment to outmaneuver rivals and squeak out a victory as the hammer falls is an experience like no other.
For those unable to attend in person, the auctions can be followed live at rockislandauction.com. Bids can be faxed, emailed, phoned in, entered on the company’s website, and the public is encouraged to participate through the company’s exciting online bidding platform, Rock Island Auction Live.
In addition to three annual Premier Auction events, Rock Island Auction Company’s Bedford venue also hosts three Sporting & Collector auctions each year where collectors from every background can explore an unrivaled selection of vintage rarities, scarce sporting arms, and collectible militaria. More than a destination, the castle of fine arms collecting offers an experience unlike anything else in the field. Anyone who appreciates history, artistry, craftsmanship, and the evolution of arms technology through the ages is invited to make the pilgrimage to Bedford to celebrate the pinnacle of the fine arms discipline and forge a legacy of their own.