Milestones Oct. 26 and 27 Premier Fall Firearms event held at their spacious suburban-Cleveland gallery attracted strong bidding and scores of above-estimate prices across many arms genres. The 1,271-lot sale closed the books at $1,418,000, inclusive of buyers premium. The line-up of long arms was well-stocked with sporting shotguns and rifles by Winchester AH Fox, Remington, Parker Brothers, Ithaca, Marlin and other manufacturers. A top entry was a Griffin & Howe classic Mauser 98 custom sporting rifle issued in 1945. Built with a 25-inch barrel and chambered in .270 WCF cartridge, this substantial gun was expertly engraved by Joseph Fugger, an Austrian-born artist who was Griffin & Howes engraver in New York from 1927-60. The decorative program chosen for this rifle included foliate scrollwork with oak-leaf vines and detailed vignettes of whitetail deer, bighorn ram, and a bull moose on the floor plate. The makers records showed that the gun was special-ordered by Harold Erdrich in 1944 before returning home from WWII combat, hence the gold-inlaid monogram HE. Its Serial No. 1771 corroborated the timeline and the fact that it was the third rifle G&H shipped in 1945. It sold within its estimate range for $10,530. A 1903 British M1888 Lee Metford MK1 .30-caliber rifle with British proofs throughout was doubly-dated, with 05 on the left side of the socket and 1906 on the cartouche to the right side of the stock. As further provenance, matching serial numbers were visible on the receiver, barrel and rear sight. According to Milestones catalog, a gun of this type is hard to find in untouched condition, a fact that was not lost on bidders, who pushed it to a winning price of $6,150 against an estimate of $1,200-$1,800. Another fine WWII-era firearm was a rare IBM Corp., line-out M1 Carbine Type 1, in 30 carbine caliber and with a Parkerized finish. It was manufactured in 1944 and assembled by AUTO ORDNANCE. The letter N was visible on its flip-style rear sight and flat side bolt, while AO was stamped below the serial number and P on the middle of the barrel. Further, it was Underwood 2-44 dated over a flaming bomb. It sold for $4,797 against an estimate of $2,000-$2,500. Manufactured in 1934, a very rare Colt Bankers Special .22LR six-shot revolver featured Colts two-line company address and patent dates on its right side and caliber/model markings on the left side. The distinctive Colt Rampant Pony was shown behind the cylinder release with VP marked on top of the trigger guard. Desirable matching serials appeared on both the frame and crane. The gun sold well above estimate for $3,936. There was plenty of bark left in a ca. 1890s British Bulldog revolver, likely made by Forehand & Wadsworth, in .38 S&W caliber with a 2.5-inch barrel. Small but mighty, it was accompanied by capture papers stating it had been taken from the German town of Bad Lausick in 1945. Markings included BRITISH / BULLDOG on the top strap and matching serial numbers (3227) on the butt and cylinder. Presented in a velvet-lined book-style display case, it was chased to $1,353 against a $300-$500 estimate. Many excellent knives had collectors on the edge of their seats, especially those made by the New York company Case. The present market for Case productions is very strong, with as many as 18,000 members currently active in the Case Collectors Club. Among the auction lots that found favor with bidders was a set of four Case XX 5111 L folding knives with attractive stag handles, offered in a colorful Case-logod factory box. The selling price was $2,398 against an estimate of $800-$1,200. Also, a sought-after Case Hunter Model 61215 switchblade knife with mint handles and sized 4 7/8 inches when opened with a full blade could not be faulted. Its action was deemed superb and its blade seats described as very deep and centered. This knife folded for the day at an above-estimate $2,275. All prices quoted in this press release are inclusive of buyers premium, as detailed on Milestones website. For more information, call 440-527-8060 or email info@milestoneauctions.com. All images courtesy of Milestone Auctions.