This ?art II? of the personal collection of ROBERTHOWARD represents the second half of what has long beenconsidered among the most comprehensive and fi nest collection ofhistoric antique American fi rearms ever assembled, combining an unprecedentedlevel of rarity with quality in every phase of it.Part I of this collection, sold by Greg Martin Auctionsin April of 2006, achieved much acclaim for the auctionhouse for its expert cataloging and marketing program, simultaneously garneringsignifi cant favorable notoriety for the popularity and stature ofthe fi eld of American antique arms collecting in general.Considerably more than a noteworthy accumulation of antique weapons, theHoward Collection has long represented a unique assemblage of thosefi rearms, an extraordinary collection carefully created and constructed tocomprise only the very best conditioned examples available of thebroad spectrum of models sought. The essential major prerequisites forinclusion, ?arity? and ?ondition,? were set for himselfby Mr. Howard from his earliest, formative days as acollector. And thus have those qualifi cations remained the watchwordsand signature of this inveterate, discriminating collector and the veryessence of this remarkable collection. As with the earlier halfof the Howard Collection (Part I) the exceptional assemblageand vast selection of historic American fi rearms cataloged hereincludes a great many specimens seldom, if ever, made availableto the collector, including numerous examples that are considered thevery ultimate in their respective fi elds. The Colt Walkermilitary issue revolver and the fi ne Texas Patterson Coltcertainly represent the apex of that famous gunmaker? line; and,there could hardly be dissent in observing that the mostimportant specialty fi eld of collecting early American military singleshot handguns is equally represented by two of their greatestrarities, the famous ?orth and Cheney? fl intlock martialpistol and the historic Revolutionary War ?appahannock Forge? flintlock Light Dragoon pistol. Those just-named handguns are merely?peners,? but typify the discriminating taste of the fellowwho spent much of his life in search of thefi nest and rarest examples of American fi rearms fromthe periods of the American Revolution through the early 20thcentury... and which are to be seen illustrated and describedin this catalog... affording the collector an equally rare opportunityfor acquisition! Bob Howard, as he is more familiarly knownamong the wide world of his fellow antique arms enthusiasts,connoisseurs and students, has long been considered among the well-deserving, towering pillars of perseverance and stability in his pursuitof these historic collectibles. The resolute, deliberate pace he maintainedin his intensive... and often exciting quest, mirrors that whichhe continued throughout his many faceted careers in the military,fi nancial, business and professional worlds... in all of whichhe was to be found at the top in hisclass! After active service in WWII as an offi cerin the U.S. Army, serving in the Normandy Campaign,he returned to the practice of law in Texas, pursuingthat fi eld until the mid-1960s when the bankingindustry captured his fascination. Eventually, he not merely participated inthe organization and purchase of major banks in his homestate but ultimately owned control of and served as chairmanof the board of an important Texas state bank, alsonurturing side interests in agriculture, farming and timberlands. Intensity andlevels of accomplishment achieved in each of those respective careersis well-refl ected in similar intensity Bob displayed inthe assembly of his incredible collection which is now beingmade available to the American arms collector. (A morecomplete bio-sketch of this remarkable fellow is to befound in the earlier ?art I? catalog of theRobert Howard Collection... which Greg Martin Auctions proudly presents as:?he Largest Private Collection of American Firearms Ever Offeredat Auction.? Norm Flayderman Ft. Lauderdale, Florida FOREWORD