Included in this auction is the Confederate Revolver Collection of Don & Kathlee Bryan considered the finest of its type to exist in the world today. This extremely fine Dance Navy Revolver is inscribed to Texas Confederate Cavalryman, Charles Hill, Company H, 35th Texas Cavalry. It is in fine to excellent condition and is one of the many prizes of the Bryan Collection. It carries a presale estimate of $100,000-150,000. (Courtesy)

An East Texas based collection of some of the world’s rarest Colt pistols is set to be part of an auction that will bring in an estimated $14 to $18 million.

The collection belonged to the late Dr. Robert G. Cox, a beloved physician from Palestine.

Dr. Cox moved to Palestine in 1954 and began practicing medicine. He was known for his tendency to make house calls.

“He was just a wonderful, father husband and physician. I think he was very caring, not only at home, but as a physician,” his son, Robert Cox, said. “He frequently made house calls when house calls were the norm for small town doctors.”

Cox recalls his father taking him to gun shows as a child and instilling him with a love of firearms and hunting.

Dr. Cox also was a rancher, avid pilot, expert marksman, passionate hunter and fisherman.

His famed Colt collection consists primarily of New Line style pistols made in the 19th and early 20th century. His expertise was so highly regarded that the authors of the Book of Colt Firearms approached him to write the chapter on New Lines and House Pistols.

Dr. Cox began collecting the Colts in the 1960s after parting with a collection of Winchester rifles.

“He started by collecting Winchesters, which were very popular at the time, and he amassed a very fine collection of Winchester rifles,” Cox said. “In the late 60s, he turned that collection over and sold most of them, but then developed a keen interest in these Colt New Lines.”

Many of the pieces in the Cox Collection have their own story, such as a Colt New House, which Dr. Cox cherished.

The New House is a spur trigger with pearl grips, inscribed, “Presented to Wm. J. Collins by his friends, June 18th, 1893.” The New House is expected to sell for as much as $8,000.

“He only put them on exhibit once or twice in his whole career of collecting, that had to be in the early 70s,” Cox said. “We’ve held on to the collection for almost 30 years; of course, these guns really haven’t been seen by the public for almost 50 years.

“I know there’s a big interest in all of these guns because they’ve been out of the gun collecting community for over 50 years.”

Another favorite of Dr. Cox was a rare Colt Sheriff’s Model SA Army Revolver with a 3-inch barrel. The Sheriff’s models are rare, but the 3-inch barrel makes the gun particularly noteworthy, according to the auctioneer James D. Julia, Inc.

The family has held onto the collection since Dr. Cox passed away in 1988. They recently made the decision to sell the collection, hoping someone else would appreciate the guns as much as their father had.

“I do have a little emotional attachment to it – my brother and sister as well,” Cox said. “I think they need to be cherished by other collectors that would get a kick out of not only showing, but exhibiting these guns.”

Cox said the guns sat idle for nearly 30 years. At the end of the day, though, the family feels it is time to let someone else enjoy the collection. He described his father as a very giving person, who would have wanted others to have the opportunity to see the Colt collection.

James D. Julia will host the auction on March 14 and 15 in Fairfield, Maine. Buyers also can submit proxy bids.

For more information, visit jamesdjulia.com/division/gun/

Twitter: @TMT_Cory