*EXTRAORDINARILY RARE SET OF RIFLES THAT BELONGED TO FAMOUS TRICK SHOOTING COUPLE, H.B. & SARAH WILLIAMS.

*EXTRAORDINARILY RARE SET OF RIFLES THAT BELONGED TO FAMOUS TRICK SHOOTING COUPLE, H.B. & SARAH WILLIAMS. SN 47.233 & 219584. The following set of rifles, a spectacular Deluxe Engraved Savage Model 1899 lever action rifle and a fabulous Marlin Model 1897 Deluxe Engraved lever action rifle that belonged to Herbert B. & Sarah F. Williams, who performed together in a variety of wild west shows & shooting exhibitions throughout the late 19th century and into the 20th century. They performed under the stage names of “Wild Burt” & “Little Sure Shot” and allegedly performed for eight years with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, although this could not be verified through records of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. This is not an unusual occurrence as over the years Buffalo Bill employed literally thousands of different performers. Mr. Williams was born Dec. 31, 1856 in Georgetown, Mass. with ancestry to the Georgetown Indians through his great-grandmother. According to an obituary from the Quincy Evening News, Quincy, Mass. of Nov. 26, 1935, which states that he ran away from home at an early age and wound up in Wyoming and later joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West. The obituary states that he was the first man to be allowed by the government to take Indians from their reservation for show purposes. He later met Sarah F. Priddy whom he married and taught to shoot & ride. Also according to the obituary Sarah became so proficient that she once beat Annie Oakley in a shooting match at the St. Louis World’s Fair. Mr. Williams traveled the country giving shooting exhibitions for Peters Cartridge Co., Savage Arms Co. & Winchester Arms Co. and later worked for 21 years for the Standard Oil Co. Mr. Williams gave a special exhibition for Pres. Theodore Roosevelt in Washington & also worked with Thomas Edison. Sarah passed away June 1, 1938. ____ The rifles are as follows: 1) Ultra-rare Marlin Model 1897 Engraved Deluxe Birdseye Maple Lever Action Rifle. Cal. 22. SN 219584. Spectacular little rifle with 24″ oct bbl, Lyman ivory bead front sight & Winchester-style semi-buckhorn rear sight with adjustable aperture. Mounted with very highly figured birdseye maple with uncheckered serpentine pistol grip stock & crescent buttplate. Receiver, lever, hammer, buttplate & forend cap are all factory nickel plated. Receiver is beautifully engraved by Concrad Ulrich in #1 style with large vignette of a standing buck deer in a forest scene on left side with fine foliate arabesque scrolls surrounding & multiple borders. In the vignette, above the deer, are the script initials “SFW”. Right side of receiver has foliate arabesque scrolls, all with punch dot background & multiple borders. Top & bottom of receiver have matching engraving patterns with light border decorations. Top tang is marked “MODEL 1897”. Serial number was observed in usual place on bottom front of receiver, inside top tang channel of buttstock & inside buttplate. Accompanied by a Marlin Fire Arms Co. letter identifying this rifle in 22 caliber with 24″ oct bbl & pistol grip stock shipped March 4, 1901. Returned & repaired on Sept. 25, 1905 and on June 30, 1925. 2) Spectacular Savage Model 1899 Lever Action Rifle. Cal. 303 Savage. SN 47.233. This fabulous rifle has 24″ oct to rnd bbl with ivory bead front sight & Savage #21 windage & elevation adjustable rear sight. Mounted with spectacular French or Circassian walnut with fleur-de-lis carved & checkered schnable tip forearm & straight stock with raised checkered side panels & a nickel-plated crescent buttplate. Lever & trigger are also nickel-plated. Left side of buttstock has a silver inlaid panel, secured with six silver pins, bearing the elaborate script initials “HBW” for Herbert B. Williams. Receiver is unusually & elaborately engraved with foliate arabesque patterns on each side and top left edge of receiver with a small foliate pattern & border on receiver ring that are all bright blue. Entire balance of the receiver is hand stippled, very similar to the Crossman rifle. Bottom of lever has a series of small electropencil numbers. Serial number was observed in its usual place in front of lever boss as well as on rear end of forearm, in the wood under buttplate & also inside buttplate. Accompanied by a letter from Roe S. Clark, Arms Historian for the Savage, Stevens & Fox companies, which states that the records show this rifle was in caliber 25-35 with rnd bbl, fancy American walnut stock with Grade C checkering & engraved in Grade A-style. It was initially shipped Sept. 8, 1904 to Roberts Hardware in Utica, NY and was returned to the factory and subsequently shipped to H.B. Williams on Aug. 30, 1905. It is apparent that this rifle was returned to Savage to be re-barreled very likely because the orig 25-35 caliber was insufficient for Mr. Williams stage performance purposes.____These rifles are accompanied by a binder of compiled information regarding Wild Burt & Sarah “Little Sure Shot” Williams along with numerous copies of photographs of Mr. Williams & one of Mrs. Williams. There is one orig cabinet card of Mr. Williams in his stage costume holding a Model 1873 Winchester. Several other poses show him holding a variety of firearms. In addition there is a copy of Mr. & Mrs. Williams’ wedding invitation, newspaper articles & a copy of his business card. There is also an early computer printout identifying these rifles as having belonged to Mr. & Mrs. Williams, which states that Mr. Williams won the Savage rifle in a pistol competition on top of the old Madison Square Garden. It also states that the Marlin rifle was given to Mrs. Williams by the Marlin Corp. This information was provided by their great-grandson, Charles Williams. He also states that his great-grandparents performed as exhibition shooters for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West. There are also several show bills advertising both Wild Burt & Little Sure Shot. In addition there is a signed & notarized statement from Sharon M. Potter who states that she is the great-granddaughter of Herbert B. & Sarah F. (Priddy) Williams and certifying that her great-grandparents owned these two rifles. CONDITION: 1) Very fine. Bbl & magazine tube retain 96-98% strong orig blue, slightly dulled & turning plum on magazine tube. Receiver, lever & hammer retain about 95% strong orig nickel with some minor flaking & discoloration. Buttplate retains about 88-90% orig nickel with some discoloration. Forend cap retains 30-35% nickel with balance a blue/brown patina. Stock has a hairline through buttplate toe screw, otherwise wood is sound with minor nicks & dings with forearm retaining about 90% orig varnish & buttstock 95-96% orig varnish. Mechanics are fine, strong bore with light pitting in grooves. Firing pin is missing. 2) Extremely fine. Bbl retains 96-97% glossy orig blue with heavy crusted oil under forearm. Receiver retains virtually all of its orig finish with some slight thinning on edges. Stock has an early repaired hairline back of top tang, otherwise wood is sound with light nicks & scratches and retains virtually all of its orig factory varnish. Lever retains most of its orig nickel finish with some bubbling & pimpling. Buttplate retains about 60% flaked orig nickel finish with flaked areas a dark patina. Mechanics are crisp, bright shiny bore. 4-33760 JR58 (60,000-100,000)

Auction: Firearms - Fall 2008

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	2132	$57,500.00	EXTRAORDINARILY RARE SET OF RIFLES THAT BELONGED TO FAMOUS TRICK SHOOTING COUPLE, H.B. & SARAH WILLIAMS. SN 47.233 & 219584. The following set of rifles, a spectacular Deluxe Engraved Savage Model 1899 lever action rifle and a fabulous Marlin Model 1897 Deluxe Engraved lever action rifle that belonged to Herbert B. & Sarah F. Williams, who performed together in a variety of wild west shows & shooting exhibitions throughout the late 19th century and into the 20th century. They performed under the stage names of “Wild Burt” & “Little Sure Shot” and allegedly performed for eight years with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, although this could not be verified through records of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. This is not an unusual occurrence as over the years Buffalo Bill employed literally thousands of different performers. Mr. Williams was born Dec. 31, 1856 in Georgetown, Mass. with ancestry to the Georgetown Indians through his great-grandmother. According to an obituary from the Quincy Evening News, Quincy, Mass. of Nov. 26, 1935, which states that he ran away from home at an early age and wound up in Wyoming and later joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West. The obituary states that he was the first man to be allowed by the government to take Indians from their reservation for show purposes. He later met Sarah F. Priddy whom he married and taught to shoot & ride. Also according to the obituary Sarah became so proficient that she once beat Annie Oakley in a shooting match at the St. Louis World’s Fair. Mr. Williams traveled the country giving shooting exhibitions for Peters Cartridge Co., Savage Arms Co. & Winchester Arms Co. and later worked for 21 years for the Standard Oil Co. Mr. Williams gave a special exhibition for Pres. Theodore Roosevelt in Washington & also worked with Thomas Edison. Sarah passed away June 1, 1938. ____ The rifles are as follows: 1) Ultra-rare Marlin Model 1897 Engraved Deluxe Birdseye Maple Lever Action Rifle. Cal. 22. SN 219584. Spectacular little rifle with 24″ oct bbl, Lyman ivory bead front sight & Winchester-style semi-buckhorn rear sight with adjustable aperture. Mounted with very highly figured birdseye maple with uncheckered serpentine pistol grip stock & crescent buttplate. Receiver, lever, hammer, buttplate & forend cap are all factory nickel plated. Receiver is beautifully engraved by Concrad Ulrich in #1 style with large vignette of a standing buck deer in a forest scene on left side with fine foliate arabesque scrolls surrounding & multiple borders. In the vignette, above the deer, are the script initials “SFW”. Right side of receiver has foliate arabesque scrolls, all with punch dot background & multiple borders. Top & bottom of receiver have matching engraving patterns with light border decorations. Top tang is marked “MODEL 1897”. Serial number was observed in usual place on bottom front of receiver, inside top tang channel of buttstock & inside buttplate. Accompanied by a Marlin Fire Arms Co. letter identifying this rifle in 22 caliber with 24″ oct bbl & pistol grip stock shipped March 4, 1901. Returned & repaired on Sept. 25, 1905 and on June 30, 1925. 2) Spectacular Savage Model 1899 Lever Action Rifle. Cal. 303 Savage. SN 47.233. This fabulous rifle has 24″ oct to rnd bbl with ivory bead front sight & Savage #21 windage & elevation adjustable rear sight. Mounted with spectacular French or Circassian walnut with fleur-de-lis carved & checkered schnable tip forearm & straight stock with raised checkered side panels & a nickel-plated crescent buttplate. Lever & trigger are also nickel-plated. Left side of buttstock has a silver inlaid panel, secured with six silver pins, bearing the elaborate script initials “HBW” for Herbert B. Williams. Receiver is unusually & elaborately engraved with foliate arabesque patterns on each side and top left edge of receiver with a small foliate pattern & border on receiver ring that are all bright blue. Entire balance of the receiver is hand stippled, very similar to the Crossman rifle. Bottom of lever has a series of small electropencil numbers. Serial number was observed in its usual place in front of lever boss as well as on rear end of forearm, in the wood under buttplate & also inside buttplate. Accompanied by a letter from Roe S. Clark, Arms Historian for the Savage, Stevens & Fox companies, which states that the records show this rifle was in caliber 25-35 with rnd bbl, fancy American walnut stock with Grade C checkering & engraved in Grade A-style. It was initially shipped Sept. 8, 1904 to Roberts Hardware in Utica, NY and was returned to the factory and subsequently shipped to H.B. Williams on Aug. 30, 1905. It is apparent that this rifle was returned to Savage to be re-barreled very likely because the orig 25-35 caliber was insufficient for Mr. Williams stage performance purposes.____These rifles are accompanied by a binder of compiled information regarding Wild Burt & Sarah “Little Sure Shot” Williams along with numerous copies of photographs of Mr. Williams & one of Mrs. Williams. There is one orig cabinet card of Mr. Williams in his stage costume holding a Model 1873 Winchester. Several other poses show him holding a variety of firearms. In addition there is a copy of Mr. & Mrs. Williams’ wedding invitation, newspaper articles & a copy of his business card. There is also an early computer printout identifying these rifles as having belonged to Mr. & Mrs. Williams, which states that Mr. Williams won the Savage rifle in a pistol competition on top of the old Madison Square Garden. It also states that the Marlin rifle was given to Mrs. Williams by the Marlin Corp. This information was provided by their great-grandson, Charles Williams. He also states that his great-grandparents performed as exhibition shooters for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West. There are also several show bills advertising both Wild Burt & Little Sure Shot. In addition there is a signed & notarized statement from Sharon M. Potter who states that she is the great-granddaughter of Herbert B. & Sarah F. (Priddy) Williams and certifying that her great-grandparents owned these two rifles. CONDITION: 1) Very fine. Bbl & magazine tube retain 96-98% strong orig blue, slightly dulled & turning plum on magazine tube. Receiver, lever & hammer retain about 95% strong orig nickel with some minor flaking & discoloration. Buttplate retains about 88-90% orig nickel with some discoloration. Forend cap retains 30-35% nickel with balance a blue/brown patina. Stock has a hairline through buttplate toe screw, otherwise wood is sound with minor nicks & dings with forearm retaining about 90% orig varnish & buttstock 95-96% orig varnish. Mechanics are fine, strong bore with light pitting in grooves. Firing pin is missing. 2) Extremely fine. Bbl retains 96-97% glossy orig blue with heavy crusted oil under forearm. Receiver retains virtually all of its orig finish with some slight thinning on edges. Stock has an early repaired hairline back of top tang, otherwise wood is sound with light nicks & scratches and retains virtually all of its orig factory varnish. Lever retains most of its orig nickel finish with some bubbling & pimpling. Buttplate retains about 60% flaked orig nickel finish with flaked areas a dark patina. Mechanics are crisp, bright shiny bore. 4-33760 JR58 (60,000-100,000) Auction: Firearms - Fall 2008 Please Note:* All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

.red{fill:#B50938;} .white{fill:#FFFFFF;} .blue{fill:#005596;}