Trigger Happy
Happy Trails for all at auction featuring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans gun collectibles.
By: Meghan Saar 11/03/2009
Since presentation firearms are one-of-a-kind and presented in recognition of an individual, they usually garner much more on the market. For instance, a 20-gauge Winchester Model 21 in excellent condition with factory letter dating the shotgun to 1948 hammered in at this same auction for $5,500, roughly $35,000 less than Dale’s 20 gauge, despite the former being made in the higher-valued Pre-Custom Shop days.
Beyond the different gauges and serial numbers, the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Model 21 shotguns are exactly the same. The gold-plated single trigger has engraved on the rib “Custom Built by Winchester for Roy Rogers,” while the stock has “Roy” engraved over “Grand American” on the steel grip cap and “Dale” engraved on a brass presentation plaque on its lower section. Overall, 98 percent of the shotgun is engraved in a vine and floral pattern with seven gold factory inlays. The notable inlays include: a ring-necked pheasant in flight flushed by Roy’s hunting dog Sam; a cowboy firing a shotgun in front of a trap house; and the couple’s famous TV companions, their German Shepherd Bullet and Roy’s palomino horse Trigger.
By the time Roy and Dale received these presentation firearms, they had retired from show business to Apple Valley, California. When they arrived in Florida, the media pressed them to no avail about their plans to launch Roy Rogers Western World, which was to complement Disney’s proposed project west of Orlando (Disney World would open in 1971). The next year, 1967, they opened their museum at home, moving it to nearby Victorville in 1976. This, in effect, left the Western World project in the dust. In 2003, after the passing of Roy (1998) and Dale (2001), the family moved the museum to Branson, Missouri.
After six seasons in Branson, the Rogers family made the difficult decision to close the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum this October due to a declining audience and an uncertain economy. For those who have visited, the museum was a trip down memory lane. The Jeep Nellybelle. Dale’s first photo session. Studio costumes. Pictures from Roy’s early days with the Sons of the Pioneers musical group. Parade saddles. Fan mail. The couple’s personal firearms and gunleather collection. And, of course, Roy’s beloved Trigger, stuffed and rearing up on his hind legs, rounded out the lifetime of Happy Trails experienced by the King of the Cowboys and his Queen.
The top bid at auction was $370,000 for Winchester’s “1 of 1,000” Model 1873. Rock Island Auction’s total sale hammered in at nearly $7 million.
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