Annie Oakley’s shotgun, used more than 100 years ago by the famous female sharpshooting westerner, drew in $293,000 at an auction over the weekend in Dallas.
The shotgun is a 16-gauge Parker Brothers Hammer, and it was sold through Heritage Auctions, The Daily Mail reported. The winning bidder wasn’t identified, but the bid was accepted on the phone.
“If you wanted to own an Annie Oakley artifact, this is as good as it gets,” said one auction house spokesperson, to NBC.
Ms. Oakley was only 25 years old when she became the top attraction in Buffalo Bill Cody’s traveling show of the Wild West. Her biggest trick was shooting a card from its millimeter-width side, and then shooting at the split papers as they fluttered to the floor — from 90 feet away, The Daily Mail reported. She traveled with the show for 20 years, performing in Europe for the likes of Queen Victoria and Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II.
And in one especially dramatic show, she actually shot the cigarette that dangled from the Kaiser’s mouth, The Daily Mail reported.
A gold charm she wore also sold at the same auction — for $250,000, NBC said.
“Annie Oakley is remembered as an incredibly talented trick shooter,” said Tom Slater, with Heritage auctioneers, The Daily Mail reported. “She was so popular that arguably she made Buffalo Bill’s show famous, not the other way around. … [She] was named Little Sure Shot by Native American chief Sitting Bull, who also toured with the show.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.