Duane Beckett
For any militaria collectors, Centurion Auctions is about to run a two-session wartime military memorabilia sale in Tallahassee, Florida. The sale runs on March 14 and March 15, 2026, with live online bidding for collectors across the country.
According to Centurion’s auction page, the sale spans 815 lots and covers material from the Civil War, Indian Wars, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf Wars, and other conflicts from history.
LiveAuctioneers reported the first auction begins March 14 at 11:00 a.m. EDT, while the second opens March 15 at 1:00 p.m. EDT. The catalogs frame it as a broad militaria event, not a niche single-era sale, which is part of why this one stands out a bit from the usual sale.
Why it’s interesting for collectors
What makes this sale worth a closer look is the range. Centurion says buyers will see named groupings and archives, uniforms, medals, patches, insignia, flags, headgear, field gear, personal effects, ordnance, paper ephemera, letters, photographs, posters, equipment, and optics, plus a significant WWI aviation collection. That’s a wide range for militaria collectors to work through.
One of the more compelling lots is the Civil War to WWI father-and-sons medal grouping, estimated at $3,000 to $5,000. LiveAuctioneers notes the set is tied to Captain James Julius Benkard, a Civil War Army captain, and says two of his sons later served in the Spanish-American War and WWI. This is the kind of lot that feels less like a pile of objects and more like a family record in metal and cloth.
Another top listing leans into rarity. The WWI French Sauterelle grenade launcher carries a $4,000 to $8,000 estimate, and as LiveAuctioneers put it, the piece is “exceedingly scarce.” The listing says it was shipped back from France by a U.S. service member and still bears painted location markings reading “New Haven, Conn” on the bottom. That sort of detail is catnip for serious militaria buyers.
Another top lot, one that I want myself, is a WWI poster showing “I Want You for U.S. Army” and Uncle Sam. It has an estimated value of $4,000 to $8,000 and is in the March 15 session. LiveAuctioneers notes it has been professionally adhered to an acid-free canvas backing, is stamped for the Lynn, Massachusetts Post Office, and shows light wear and small edge cracks.
Who are Centurion Auctions?
Centurion Auctions describes itself as auctioneers and appraisers specializing in the appraisal, evaluation, marketing, and sale of firearms and wartime military memorabilia. According to the company’s site, it is a veteran-owned business headquartered at 1668 Capital Circle SE, Tallahassee, Florida.
The company’s own pages show it handles both firearm auctions and militaria events, with regular online catalogs and bidding access through partner platforms. That gives it a cachet when it comes to auction provenance. If they say it’s something, then you have their credibility to fall back on.
How to bid
Centurion’s bidding guide, buyers can leave absentee bids or pre-bids, bid live online during the webcast, and arrange to bid by telephone.
For live online bidding, the process is straightforward. Centurion notes you should register ahead of time, log into your bidder account before the sale starts, open the online catalog, and click “Enter Live Auction Webcast.”
Tips for collectors looking to bid
For anyone thinking of bidding, here are some useful bits of information:
- Online sales can move quickly, and Centurion warns that they can average 70 to 75 lots per hour. So don’t risk grabbing a drink or a bathroom break if your lot is coming.
- Don’t just budget for the hammer price. Buyer premiums vary, with LiveAuctioneers reporting a 22.5 percent addition to the sale price. Additionally, Florida sales tax rules matter in this sale.
- Centurion does not offer LivePayments or LiveShipping, so if you win something at the sale, you’ll receive an invoice via email and will have 7 days to pay.
Finally, buy what you love and don’t follow trends. You may end up paying at the wrong end of a trend and watching a high-cost item lose value as trends change.