New Frontier's Aug. 28 Auction Features Important Old West Artifacts

CHEYENNE, Wyoming – Cheyenne’s historic Old West atmosphere will be in full force at New Frontier’s collectibles show and auction August 27-29.

The Cheyenne Firearms & Western Collectibles Auction, hosted annually by New Frontier, features 391 lots that includes a fantastic mix of modern items and historical artifacts, Old West memorabilia, Native American items, antique advertising and art. There will also be collectible and modern firearms focused around the lifetime collection estate of Mike Olson that includes his amazing 1895 Winchesters, horsehair bridles, art and bronzes.

The show and auction will be at the Laramie County Event Center at Archer.

Show hours, all Mountain Time, are from 12-5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 27, with dealer setup from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28, with the auction beginning at 2 p.m.; and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 29.

One of the highlights of the collection of Olson, a well-respected Marine Corp veteran, is a special-order .45-.90-caliber Winchester Deluxe 1886 rifle, manufactured in 1903, that was personally owned by legendary firearms expert and author Elmer Keith (1899-1984). Keith was instrumental to the development of the .357 Magnum (the first magnum revolver cartridge) as well as the later .44 Magnum and .41 Magnum cartridges. Estimate: $8,500-$12,500.

Legendary firearms expert and author Elmer Keith’s personal special-order .45-.90-caliber Winchester Deluxe 1886 rifle, manufactured in 1903, is an auction highlight from Olson’s collection; estimate: $8,500-$12,500.

Courtesy of New Frontier

Perhaps no other firearm in the auction is more closely associated with the outlaw days of the American West than the Colt 1877 .38-caliber Lightning revolver carried by ruthless outlaw and gang leader Bert Casey (died 1903). Its backstrap inscription reads: “R.W. ‘Bert’ Casey El Reno, O.T.” Described in a Guthrie, Oklahoma Territory newspaper as “the most dangerous and unprincipled bandit of present day, always killing when an opportunity presented itself,” Casey was finally stopped by two of his own former gang members, who were deputized and promised a prison pardon if they could apprehend or kill him. Casey was unceremoniously buried in the Boot Hill section of Guthrie, Oklahoma, but his historically significant Lightning revolver has survived in excellent condition. Estimate: $3,000-$5,000.

Another highlight from Mike Olson’s estate is this historical Colt 1877 .38-caliber Lightning revolver inscribed on the backstrap for ruthless outlaw and gang leader R.W. “Bert” Casey of El Reno, O.T. (Oklahoma Territory). Estimate: $3,000-$5,000.

Courtesy of New Frontier

Other auction highlights include a pair of rare and highly desirable double-mounted spurs by Phillips & Gutierrez (active in Cheyenne 1917-1918), estimate: $4,000-$6,000; a phenomenal pair of turn-of-the-century Native American (Plateau) gauntlets, fringed and fully beaded with images of Indian chiefs and horses, estimate: $4,500-$7,500; a Heiser-Keyston silver-mounted salesman’s sample saddle with tri-tone tooling and silver engraving, estimate: $2,000-$4,000; a tanned cowhide bow case and quiver with bow and four arrows, estimate: $6,000-$9,000; and a Resistol 3X hat worn by John Wayne in the 1962 MGM film, How the West Was Won, estimate: $2,000-$10,000.