Cannons–yes, big old heavy cannons used in wars of past centuries–are going to be a large part of an online and on-land James D. Julia auction of major firearms collections on Oct. 7-9, 2014. Almost all of the cannons are from the collection of John Morris, who founded Springfield Arsenal in Lorton, Va., in 2003 to sell military collectibles. Now most of his cannons, collected over the past 30 years, are sitting in Julia's storehouse in Fairfield, Me., awaiting the auction. Morris's cannons weigh a total of about 25 tons. If you bid on and buy, for instance, a 2-ton cannon, you'll have to arrange the shipping yourself–and it won't be cheap. But even if you don't want to buy a cannon, you might want the printed catalog and price list as a reference book ($39, shipped U.S. priority mail; email firearms@jamesdjulia.com, 800-565-9298). There are few places to find color photos of so many cannons with descriptions that include manufacturing information and history of use.

Photo Credit Courtesy of James D. Julia Auctioneers, Fairfield, Maine