Becoming a Collector

What turns a hunting enthusiast or a casual sporting gun owner into an avid collector of antique and rare firearms? It often begins innocently, says Rock Island Auction Company (RIAC) president Kevin Hogan, with the flood of memory. You reach a certain age—it could be thirty or forty-five or sixty-five—and think back fondly on your father, uncle, or some other role model who guided your passage from childhood into adulthood. Maybe the journey involved your first quail hunt. Maybe you were entrusted with a family heirloom—perhaps a side-by-side Parker 16-gauge with sideplate engraving whose intricate game scenes and scrollwork kept you captivated for hours.

“They’ll come to me and say, ‘I’m looking