The opulent sporting arm was a presentation from the Marquis de Lafayette.
BEDFORD, Texas, July 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The name Simón Bolívar has commanded record-breaking prices at auction. This August, an ornate presentation flintlock belonging to the South American revolutionary expects to draw similar excitement during Rock Island Auction Company’s August 15-17 Premier Firearms Auction. Believed to be the final Bolívar-owned arm remaining in private hands, the piece was a gift to El Libertador from his North American revolutionary counterpart, the Marquis de Lafayette.
Presented from the Marquis de Lafayette to Simón Bolívar, this historic flintlock is believed to be the last Bolívar-owned firearm in private hands.
The two men shared a great mutual respect for their roles as distinguished freedom fighters. While Lafayette rose to prominence during the French and American Revolutions, Bolívar led the way in liberating six countries from Spanish rule, causing Lafayette to dub him, “the George Washington of Latin America.” It was this shared passion that inspired Lafayette to send Bolívar presentation firearms, a set of pistols and this long gun.
The presentation sporting arm is an 1822 product of Parisian gunsmith Baucheron Pirmet. Silver accentuates the piece from the front sight bead to the numerous silver furniture pieces depicting scenes of the Calydonian boar hunt from Greek mythology. Engraving and bright gold provide tasteful highlights, and the bottom of the stock is wonderfully carved into the shape of a boar’s head.
For decades, little was known of the lavish gift. With Bolívar’s health failing, his famous mistress, Manuela Sáenz, presented it to his business partner and confidant, Ricardo Illingworth, in whose family it remained for decades. It comes to Rock Island Auction from the highly touted Norman R. Blank Collection, a grouping long recognized for its antique and high art European treasures. Housed in his collection since 1962, this auction marks the first time the gun will be publicly offered.
Other elaborate French arms of Bolívar have achieved impressive prices at auction. In 2016 a lavish pair of pistols also from Lafayette to Bolívar realized $1.8 million, and in 2004, a pair of his flintlock pistols earned $1.6 million.
“It’s such an extraordinary piece of world history,” says RIAC President Kevin Hogan. “The man changed the world around him, and what’s most interesting, perhaps, is that this isn’t a military arm. It’s a fine sporting arm, one that he would’ve used hunting. So it presents a much more personal perspective of this great liberator.”
The three day August auction will also offer an original Frederic S. Remington painting and a screen-used firearm of Steve McQueen.
About Rock Island Auction Company:
Rock Island Auction Company is the world’s no. 1 firearms auction company, and has been since 2003. Founded in 1993 by CEO Patrick Hogan, RIAC’s current Bedford, Texas venue has become the world selling headquarters for fine and historic arms, hosting all the company’s in-person auctions. Led by President Kevin Hogan, the company lives by its mission statement to “Elevate firearms collecting. Sell with Passion.” Best known for selling headline-grabbing arms, the company’s multiple auction formats cater to collectors of every experience level.
For more information, please visit www.rockislandauction.com or call 1-800-238-8022.
Media contact: Joel Kolander, (309) 797-1500 or [email protected]
SOURCE Rock Island Auction Company
