Indiana antique gun collectors come to Eiteljorg for show March 12, 2010

Wes Cowan from Cowan’s Auctions will be on hand for appraisals of
public’s antique firearms
INDIANAPOLIS—For one day only, March 13, guests will be able to attend a special show organized by members of the Indiana Antique Arms Collectors Association at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art. The show will focus on pre-1898 weapons and accessories that document episodes in American and Western history. Powder horns, edged weapons, firearms and other items tied to military, target shooting, hunting and gunsmithing heritage will be featured. Wes Cowan, of Cowan’s Auctions, “History Detectives” and a featured PBS appraiser, will be on hand to offer appraisals of antique firearms, historical militaria, and Western artifacts. Appraisals are free with admission. The Antique Gun Collectors Show is being held in conjunction with the current exhibition, Pistols, Dazzling Firearms.
Pistols: Dazzling Firearms explores handgun decoration in America
Pistols: Dazzling Firearms, created by the Autry National Center’s Museum of the American West, explores the history of handgun decoration in America through exceptional pieces representing more than 160 years of work by master engravers. Visitors will see pistols once owned by George Custer, Annie Oakley, “Wild Bill” Hickok, Presidents Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy, Gene Autry and Tom Mix. Some of the guns are richly inlaid with gold, silver, platinum and precious and semi-precious stones. Some have silver, gold, pearl or ivory grips. Others feature carefully wrought and engraved panels with historic scenes.
“Meet” Annie Oakley and see master engraver at work all in the gallery
It has been said that famous sharpshooter Annie Oakley could split a playing card edge-on and put five or six more holes in it before it touched the ground. Museum guests can meet the woman dubbed “little sure shot” in the exhibition gallery, as a live interpreter interacts with visitors and performs vignettes illustrating Oakley’s fascinating life. Oakley knew the entertainment value of a dazzling pistol—she always made sure to perform using highly-decorated firearms like the mother-of-pearl and gold Smith and Wesson seen in the Pistols exhibit. The blinged-out hardware would catch the light and make her performances even more exciting for viewers.
Guests to Pistols can also learn how handgun engraving is done from masters in the art.

Mike Dubber, master engraver from Evansville, Ind., will be featured in the gallery. He has worked on firearms for Norman Schwarskopf, Juan Carlos King of Spain and Pope John Paul II.
The exhibition runs through April 18.