Morphy’s December 2025 Firearms Auction Highlights
The Morphy’s December 2025 firearms auction returns for a three-day live and online sale December 16-18 at the company’s Denver, Pennsylvania flagship gallery. The 1,343-lot selection includes expertly-vetted arms, armor, edged weapons, and military artifacts, many with important provenance — from premier sporting guns by Rizzini and Purdey to rare Class III NFA arms and museum-grade militaria. All forms of remote bidding are available, including absentee, phone, and live online via Morphy Live.
Inside the December 16-18 Sale
Morphy’s flagship gallery in Denver, Pennsylvania hosts the three-day live event, with all sessions starting at 9am ET. The fully illustrated auction catalog is available at auctions.morphyauctions.com. The 1,343-lot selection spans pre-Civil War Americana, classic European sporting arms, scarce NFA-registered automatic weapons, and a notable USMC militaria offering tied to one of the most decorated Marines in American history.
Featured Lots from the Morphy’s December 2025 Firearms Auction
Pair of Rizzini R1 .410 and 28-Gauge Side-by-Side Shotguns (Lot 1384)
Lot #1384 is a fabulous pair of Rizzini R1 .410 and 28-gauge side-by-side shotguns with 23-3/8-inch barrels. Both feature magnificent engraving performed by Angelo Galeazzi, including images of mourning doves and ducks, a rose-and-scroll motif, and more. Both guns were proofed in 1982 — the .410 with Italian superior proof marks and 3-inch chambers, the 28-bore with Italian standard proof marks and 2¾-inch chambers. The stocks are highly figured exhibition-grade walnut. The set is housed in a fine Nizzoli felt-lined leather case. Estimate: $150,000-$250,000
Pedretti-Engraved Purdey 28-Bore Over/Under Ejector Game Gun (Lot 1372)
Lot #1372 is a cased 28-bore J Purdey & Sons over-and-under ejector game gun with 28-inch file-cut vent rib barrels and Prince of Wales stock, with a beautiful program of blackleaf scroll and game-scene vignettes by master engraver Giancarlo Pedretti. Features include an engraved grip cap, single non-selective mechanical trigger on round bar action, auto-safety, hold-open top lever, drop points, single small front bead, “SAFE” engraved in gold by the beetle-style safety catch, and a gold-inlaid serial number on the bottom strap. Housed in a brass-cornered oak and elephant-hide presentation case with French blocked accessories. Estimate: $80,000-$120,000
Heckler & Koch MP5SD3 Registered-Receiver Machine Gun (Lot 1007)
Lot #1007 is a factory-original 3-position “S E F” selector Heckler & Koch MP5SD3 registered-receiver 9mm Luger machine gun. Per the “IE” proof code on top of the receiver, the gun was manufactured in 1984. It is marked “Made in W. Germany / HK Chantilly, Va” on the right side of the magazine well, and “HK MP5 SD” on top of the receiver. Currently fitted with a telescoping stock and an immediately recognizable screw-on factory silencer. Includes the original fixed shoulder stock, four original straight MP5 HK-marked magazines dated 11/67, an ID-marked 20-round magazine, a green three-cell magazine pouch, and an original H&K sight adjustment tool. NFA item — BATF approval required prior to transfer. Estimate: $50,000-$80,000
Rheinmetal MG42/59 Machine Gun — First Production (Lot 1006)
Lot #1006 is a very early German Rheinmetal MG42/59 machine gun imported and registered by Cadillac Gage (Warren, Michigan) and used to bore-sight vehicle turrets. Scarce configuration with a 20-inch barrel and factory-correct 7.62x51mm (.308) NATO caliber/bore using M13 disintegrating links. Marked with a very low serial number — 61-00001 — at the left side of the receiver, forward of the factory markings, with “RHEINMETAL GmbH/FRG CADILLAC GAGE WARREN, MICH” in electro-pencil. This is the first of the MG42/59s. NFA item — BATF approval required prior to transfer. Estimate: $50,000-$80,000
Ithaca Grade 7 NID .410 — One of Two (Lot 1392)
Lot #1392 is an Ithaca Grade 7 NID .410, among the rarest of finely-embellished American double guns. Serial-numbered 448950, it is one of only two .410s made by Ithaca in this grade. This very specimen was famously stolen in 1928 while on display at the Isaac Walton League in Omaha, Nebraska, and sold shortly thereafter — eventually returned to its rightful owners and remained with the family ever since. The receiver retains 98% of its gold-wash finish; the barrels retain 98% of their factory-blued finish. Conveys with a copy of an Ithaca factory letter confirming October 1927 manufacture and shipment to Ithaca’s then-marketing director John Boa. Estimate: $30,000-$50,000
Conrad Ulrich-Signed Model 1866 Winchester (Lot 1241)
Lot #1241 is a fabulous Conrad Ulrich-signed Model 1866 Winchester rifle in .44 Henry Rimfire, manufactured 1871, factory-engraved and of exhibition quality. The blued rifle-length octagon barrel is marked toward the breech with a second-style two-line address. Drift-adjustable German silver-blade front sight and ladder rear. The gilt-finished brass frame is signed on the left side of the upper tang with three of Ulrich’s discreet boxed C F ULRICH touch marks. Highly-detailed engraving includes imagery of a Native family with a crocodile, a buck and doe in the woods, a saddled horse, Western animal vignettes of a charging bison, standing grizzly bear, and skulking cougar. Estimate: $30,000-$40,000
Gustloff-Werke Volkssturmgewehr 8mm Kurz Semi-Automatic Rifle (Lot 1115)
Lot #1115 is a rare late-WWII production Gustloff-Werke Volkssturmgewehr 8mm Kurz semi-automatic rifle, of a type used primarily by German conscripts pressed into service as a final line of defense. Documented and illustrated in Weaver’s Desperate Measures, the rifle is one of approximately 10,000 manufactured under contract for the Volkssturm — few have survived. The barrel was tastefully extended several inches (to 16¼ inches) to meet US import requirements. Estimate: $20,000-$30,000
USMC Uniform of Major General Smedley Darlington Butler (Lot 2234)
Lot #2234 is the USMC uniform of Major General Smedley Darlington Butler (1881-1940), one of only two Marines to be awarded two Medals of Honor, and the only officer to claim the title. Butler was one of the most decorated US Marines of all time, with an active-duty career that began in the Spanish-American War. He received 16 medals, including five for heroism, and the Marine Corps Brevet Medal. This unlined summer uniform was made by a Chinese tailor and bears Chinese inked letters to the inside — believed to have been made during Butler’s 3rd Brigade’s China Expedition. Its cloisonne ribbon bars were unquestionably made in China, likely Shanghai, and correspond to Butler’s awards. The uniform (including undershirt and tie) remained with Butler’s family through the early 2000s before entering the collector community. Estimate: $15,000-$25,000
Colt Single Action Army .38 WCF — Bledsoe-Engraved (Lot 1186)
Lot #1186 is a Colt Single Action Army .38 WCF revolver manufactured circa 1919, displaying full-coverage cattle-brand engraving by Weldon Bledsoe. The cattle brands are shown against a punchdot background with scrollwork accents. The gun is further embellished with nickel plating and gold wash on the ejector rod housing, cylinder, and hammer, and is mounted with two-piece Colt mother-of-pearl grips with a Rampant Colt medallion on each side. Estimate: $15,000-$20,000
Auction Details
The Morphy’s December 2025 firearms auction will be held December 16-18 at Morphy’s flagship gallery, 2000 North Reading Road, Denver, Pennsylvania 17517. All three days start at 9am ET. All forms of bidding will be available, including live online via Morphy Live, plus absentee and phone bidding.
For more information, contact Morphy Auctions toll free at 877-968-8880, or email [email protected]. Online: www.morphyauctions.com.
About Morphy Auctions
Morphy Auctions is one of the leading auction houses in the United States for antique and collectible firearms, militaria, and Americana. Headquartered in Denver, Pennsylvania, the company conducts firearms and militaria sales multiple times per year at its purpose-built gallery, with all forms of remote bidding available through Morphy Live and the major auction platforms. The Morphy’s December 2025 firearms auction continues a track record built on quality consignments and historically significant lots that has made the firm a destination for serious collectors of fine firearms, edged weapons, and military artifacts.
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