The "Annie Oakley...One of my Favorites!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading in my local newspaper about Morphy Auction House, located at 2000 North Reading Road in Denver, PA, selling a rare shotgun once owned by sharpshooter Annie Oakley.  The historic firearm was made in 1888 by Charles Lancaster Gunsmiths of London and sold at auction for $258,000.  You know...when I was a kid, I loved watching western shows on TV.   I would tell my mom and dad that those people were real cowboys and cowgirls and they never believed me.  They tried to tell me they were actors and actresses who played the role of cowboys and cowgirls.  Well...now I have proof!  Lancaster's LNP headline said that Annie Oakley was a real cowgirl sharpshooter who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.  Too bad my mom and dad are no longer alive so I could show them the morning newspaper!  The 1888 12-bore, double-barreled, hammerless model shotgun was the highlight of the Denver-based auction house's September 5-7 firearms and military sale.  The buyer of the rifle was a private collector who wished to remain anonymous.  The rifle was a very special gun in that it was known to be one of her favorites, and therefore most-used guns.  It's well known that she cared much more about the reliability and quality of her guns than their artistic appearance or factory engraving. It's evident from the gun's numerous old repairs that Annie preferred to have it refitted and maintained than to replace it with any of the numerous other guns she had received over the years.  Charles Lancaster saw Oakley show off her sharpshooting skills at a gun club in England and said the petite markswoman seemed to be struggling with a shotgun that was too heavy and affected her performance.  He later presented her with four shotguns, one of which was the firearm that was sold at the Morphy auction.  It was said that Annie used Lancaster's 1888 shotgun during the 1889 Paris Exposition where she appeared with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.  As a young boy, I watched just about every TV show that had anything to do with the Wild West and guns.  I'm sure I had the chance to see Annie Oakley more than once during that time.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.