Teddy Roosevelt’s White House ‘nightstand gun’ fetches nearly $1M at auction
Luke Gentile
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The iconic White House “nightstand gun” belonging to former President Theodore Roosevelt has fetched nearly $1 million at auction.
The firearm, a Smith & Wesson New Model No. 3 Single Action Revolver, was a highlight of the Rock Island Auction Company’s December Premier Auction, where it sold for $910,625.
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Roosevelt’s gun was described to be in “fantastic condition” by the Illinois-based auction company, and its estimated value was between $800,000 and $1.4 million, according to a report.
“We’re thrilled any time a gun approaches that million-dollar mark,” Interactive Production Manager Joel Kolander said. “A few years ago, that was almost unthinkable, so firearms as a collecting genre has really come a long way.”
Roosevelt was gifted the gun by Smith & Wesson on May 12, 1898, which was the same day the future president went to San Antonio to train the Rough Riders, the report noted.
Roosevelt intended to carry the revolver into battle against the Spanish, but he ultimately decided to keep it on his bedside table, according to documents from Roosevelt’s bodyguard.
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The former president would keep the gun by his bed, which ultimately earned it its iconic White House nickname.