She was armed and now she’s loaded
In times of uncertainty, many people invest in precious metals. It seems to be a wise investment.
“It sat on a shelf in the closet for years, a rosewood case containing two Civil War-era revolvers with ivory handles. The guns had been a gift from a friend to Sharlene Perez’s late husband, but they held no sentimental value for her. So in June, she decided it was time to sell them.
She slipped the case into a sturdy Lord & Taylor shopping bag and took a taxi six blocks to meet appraiser Greg Martin in midtown Manhattan, N.Y. She knew that there were engravings on the barrels, that the grips were monogrammed and that an inscription on the lid of the case indicated that townspeople in Watertown, N.Y., had given the guns to William C. Browne, a local man heading off to serve as a colonel in the Civil War.
In her most optimistic moments, Perez hoped the guns might net $20,000.
Instead, she “about keeled over,” Martin said, when he told her the guns were Colt 1851 Navy revolvers and might be worth 10 times as much. He told her there would be an auction in Anaheim in September. He told her he would set the appraisal value at $125,000 to $250,000.
Her husband died in 1995, and she put the guns away until she saw a magazine ad for gun appraisals. That eventually led to her June meeting with Martin and Sunday’s auction a continent away from her home.
After months of nervous anticipation for Perez, Bradley began the count that would alter her life. From the starting point of $50,000, Bradley’s rapid-fire delivery matched the bids coming in. Within 20 seconds, bids climbed to $55,000, $60,000, $65,000, $75,000, $85,000, $95,000, $100,000, $110,000 and $120,000. Perez sat stoically, her hands held together.
Bradley never broke stride: “$120 is bid, go $130 . . . $120 is the bid . . . $130 is bid . . . $130,000 is now bid, go $140. . . .”
But $140,000 never came, and after 50 seconds, Bradley slapped the lectern and sold the set for $130,000 to a man bidding over the telephone.
Martin congratulated Perez.”
We congratulate Mrs. Perez and are glad her late husband was able to provide for her well in a market established by gun owners.
