NRA SILVER MEDAL AWARDED BUFFALO BILL’S 1897 FACTORY ENGRAVED MARLIN RIFLE & WILD WEST SHOW ARCHIVE

NRA SILVER MEDAL AWARDED BUFFALO BILL’S 1897 FACTORY ENGRAVED MARLIN RIFLE & WILD WEST SHOW ARCHIVE

24-4698
Cal. 22 S, L, LR.
S# 194721

The Stagecoach Museum of Shakopee, Minnesota was founded in March, 1952 by the Klavestad family. It originally housed a small restaurant as well as the gun collection. The gun collection featured many historically significant firearms including a John Brown sharps rifle & pieces with provenance to Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie Oakley & Calamity Jane among others. The many rare firearms of the museum are documented in the book “The Stagecoach Museum Gun Collection” published by Ray S. Saign, Richard Donaldson & Fred Fiet. Pictured on page 21 of the book is the Marlin 1897 engraved & gold finished rifle. The caption states “Purchased from William F. Buffalo Bill Cody in St. Paul Minnesota in 1911 by Mr. Claus Klavestad for his son, Osborne, while they were attending Cody’s Wild West Show”. In addition to being pictured on page 21, this rifle also appears on the inside cover along with Annie Oakley’s Stevens rifle which sold for $516,000 in a 2020 auction along with some ephemera displayed on same pages This high grade Marlin 1897 is cal. 22 S, L, LR. S# 194721. Bbl. 24″ octagon to round. Rocky mountain front sight w/ filler in rear dovetail. 2/3 length tubular mag. Action has style No. 10 factory engraving. Circular vignette on the left side shows a woodland scene w/ white tail buck. Balance of action has arabesque scroll engraving w/ fancy borders. Action & forearm cap are gold plated. Forearm & S curve pistol grip stock of fancy walnut have hard rubber buttplate & grade D checkering.

UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: “TEN BEST ARMS AWARDS” plaque from the 1997 NRA show won by this Marlin rifle. Plaque includes description of the rifle & a silver NRA medal. Brass Stagecoach Museum tag No. 130 as pictured on the rifle on page 21 of the Stagecoach Museum Gun Collection book. Affidavit of provenance of purchase from Buffalo Bill Cody by owner of Stagecoach museum, Osborne Klavistad and his father. Marlin factory letter confirming configuration.

ASSOCIATED BUFFALO BILL MEMORABILIA CONSISTING OF:
1.) Lithograph poster of Buffalo Bill in his Wild West Show clothes mounted on a white horse w/ flaring nostrils & flowing white mane. The colored poster is captioned “BUFFALO BILL’S WILD WEST” at top & “SELLS FLOTO CIRCUS” at bottom. Image size 40″ x 26 1/2″. Poster is in a board frame w/ plexiglass front. (Pictured inside cover of Stagecoach Museum Gun Collection book with rifle.
2.) Two framed 13.5” x 9.5” original watercolor painting illustrations by Robert Prowse (1858-1934) for BUFFALO BILL NOVELS # 34 (1919) and #142 (1923)
3.) 1902 color Illustrated “COL. W.F. CODY /BUFFALO BILL / HISTORICAL SKETCHES / AND PROGRAMME” 9.5” x 7.25” (pictured inside cover of Stagecoach Museum Gun Collection book with rifle)
4.) 43’ 34” color sheet of scenes from Buffalo Bill show, dated in pencil Aug. 1891
5.) 4 framed items including covers from Buffalo Bill weekly publications, 9.5” x 8” original Robert Prowse watercolor illustration with Indian & cowboys
6.) 8 copies of different editions and venues of “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” Programs, 1902-1918
7.) 4 different issues “WILD WEST WEEKLY” 1913-1914
8.) 3 different issues of “BRAVE and BOLD WEEKLY” 1909
9.) Group of books. Titles include: “Life and Adventures of Buffalo Bill” 1927, 2 different editions of “Buffalo Bill Wild West Annual”, “A Peep At Buffalo Bill’s Wild West”, “Buffalo Bill’s Wilder Westen (German Language Edition)”
10.) Assorted magazine articles, and post cards.

PROVENANCE: Formerly on display at the Stagecoach Museum.

STATUS: CURIO