Gun collection auction brings hundreds to Saline County

SALINE COUNTY - Hundreds of people gathered in Harrisburg Saturday morning hoping to buy a piece of one of the finest firearms collections in southern Illinois.

The auction of the late Ray Wallace's gun collection brought people from across the state and across state lines. Wallace, of rural Harrisburg, was a longtime gun dealer known throughout the region. Wallace passed away on Oct. 6, 2019.

His collection varied from antique flintlock shotguns to modern semi-automatic pistols and everything in between. A running joke among friends was that "he had at least one of every gun ever made, possibly two."

In addition, some of Wallace's antique automobiles were auctioned.

The auction, conducted by Dennis Wilson, owner of Wilson Auction Co. of Harrisburg, was held at the company's large auction house at 25 Veterans Drive in Harrisburg. Demand for the auction was so great that trucks and cars filled the parking lot, spilled over to both sides of Veterans Drive, and filled adjacent parking lots nearby.