Legendary lawman Wyatt Earp's Colt pocket revolver and Marlin shotgun are among hundreds of items that will be auctioned on Thursday, July 31, at J. Levine Auction & Appraisal in Scottsdale, Ariz. The high-end "Summer Quarterly Auction" will also include a historic 1884 Dodge City photo of Wyatt Earp and others bearing several famous signatures; life-size Dee Flagg sculptures of Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid, Jesse James and Daniel Boone; a W. Herbert Dunton oil painting; a Diego Rivera watercolor; and more.
The auction will also include fine European art, antiques, jewelry and other collectibles from multiple estates. Josh Levine, J. Levine's owner and auctioneer, said the Wyatt Earp guns and other items came to the auction house as a result of J. Levine's April 17 auction, which featured several Earp family guns and memorabilia, attracting more than 6,000 bidders from 49 countries.
"Our summer auction rivals our April auction and could be bigger considering it features such a diverse mix of rare historical items and museum-quality art and antiques," said Levine. "Interested bidders can check out our catalog online now to view the items, and if you can't attend in person, be sure to watch as we stream the auction live on our website."
Highlights are expected to include Wyatt Earp's 1877 Colt pocket revolver, serial #37318, as listed by former mayor of Tremont, Ill. The estimated value is $40,000-$60,000, and the item includes all authentication documentation. Wyatt Earp's 1895 Marlin Shotgun, serial #170869, as listed by the nephew of Wyatt Earp, Bill Miller, is estimated at $50,000-$75,000. It includes authentication documentation from the Tombstone Heritage Museum. A Wyatt Earp-signed Dodge City, Kan., photograph taken circa 1884 during the height of the cattle trade is estimated at $10,000-$15,000.
Dee Flagg life-size sculptures of Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid, Jesse James and Daniel Boone are estimated at $30,000-$50,000 each. Dee Flagg was a world-renowned wood carver who spent many years living and working in Scottsdale, Ariz. In 2003, an antique dealer bought a broken trailer at a storage unit auction for $75. It was found to be full of Flagg's oil paintings, wood carvings, sketches and more. A living relative of Flagg's disputed the windfall and it was determined that the two parties sell and split the proceeds. The current owner of Flagg's collection is Gary Martinson of Bison Homes/Bison Museum.
A W. Herbert Dunton painting titled "Elk in the Aspens" is estimated between $200,000-$250,000. The original 16-by-12-inch oil painting comes well documented with a letter of authenticity from Michael Grauer, a leading expert on Dunton's work. One of the founding members of the Taos Society of Artists in 1915, Dunton was best known for painting the untamed West before it disappeared. His paintings have sold for as much as $800,000, and a similar painting of mule deer sold in 2007 in Idaho for more than $400,000. A painting titled "Women in the Marketplace" by Diego Rivera will be estimated at $20,000-$30,000. Rivera was a famous Mexican painter and muralist married to fellow artist Frida Kahlo.
J. Levine Auctions are subject to a 15 percent buyers premium (18 percent for Internet and phone bidders). Live online bidding can be accessed through www.jlevines.com or through www.Artfact.com.
For more information, call 480-496-2212 or visit www.jlevines.com.
Photos courtesy of Noel Winters.