any experiences with auction houses that have fine, old arms for sale? I'm speaking of the kind that offer catalogs on upcoming sales with Daniel Frasers, Mantons, Purdeys, etc? I've been following Double Gun Journal & Ross Seyfried's writings too long...I've got a bug for something nice. I don't have the money yet but I want to research current prices and what is coming available.

Do guys get on mailing lists or how does this work? Most of these guns circulate among a pretty small circle of influence. I'm not in those circles yet. Thanks for any help.

I think you have to buy catalogs and meet the conditions set forth therein. I bought an item from Rock Island Auctions and that is what I had to do. You can get some idea from the web site what is available but you can only get details from the catalog. That is my experience.

"Gun List" lists the major upcoming gun auctions. Lately there have been some really impressive collections coming up for auction. I've attended 3 big gun auctions, lots of antique auctions. Overall, I think you can get some pretty reasonable buys at auction but often there are 2 bidders determined to out do each other. You're not likely to "steal" anything at auction, despite what some people may say. Never impulse buy or bid on something you haven't looked over thoroughly and don't go over your predetermined maximum bid.

Most of the larger gun auction houses charge $25-
-$35 for their color auction catalogs. Many of the upcoming auctions are advertised in the Gun
List. I would strongly recommend attending the
auction preview to view the gun(s) in person. This is especially true when you are considering
the purchase of a high end gun. Remember that when you purchase a gun at auction you own it unless there is a problem with the gun or there was some error in the description. Better to purchase from a dealer or person that will give you a three (3) day inspection period. And yes
there are bad Purdys and H&Hs. But I have never seen a Boss that I did not like.

Well, if your north of the Yukon River you can rule out going to many of the auctions in person. I have dealt with all the auction companies over the years and they have good and bad points. The good part is most are online now with a complete description and if you need them, many will send better pictures and answer questions via email. Normally the only thing that is guaranteed in an auction is what is printed in �BOLD� in the catalog. Different auction companies specialize in different things, Little Johns for Colts & Winchesters. For hi-end shotguns Christies, Bonhams and Sotheby�s all of England. If you can give me a better idea of what you are looking for I can try to help.

PS: If you into doubles you need to check out http://www.gunshop.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi

[ 03-20-2003, 21:50: Message edited by: akguy ]

Thanks for the replies. I wish I could say exactly what it is I might want. There are many interesting makes out there. I guess a strong interest of mine would be older single shot rifles of Brit or Euro origin...also fine damascus shotguns are interesting (also from across the pond). Most of the stuff I'm interested in is pre-war...uh, make that previous to World War I. Guns that are cased with accessories warm the heart eh? Some of the blackpowder arms are wonderful too (Mantons, Rigbys, Purdeys, Whitworths, etc). I guess I'm not looking for anything on the K-mart rack.

As mentioned, there is no chance of making it to the auction in person. Most of the auctions I'm interested in are not in the U.S. anyway.

Yukon,

If you're interested in overseas auctions, the big ones are Sotheby's, Christie's and Bonham's all in London. You'll find their auction calendar on their web sites. The next Sotheby's auction in London is 4/9. Here's a link to their web catalogue

http://search.sothebys.com/search/collArea/BrowseCat.jsp?source_indicator=E&event_id=26004

You can request copies of the results of recent auctions from any of the auction houses. They're more than willing to help you out.

This should get you started with your research. Good luck

That's helpful Stu. I looked through all of the Sotheby's catalog and found some interesting things. That Daniel Fraser single shot is very nice but I prefer something besides 303 caliber. I couldn't find any guns on the others but I will bookmark these sites. Thanks again.

Any more advice or info?

The Danl Fraser is very nice. It has a pretty nice price estimate against it as well
I've spoken to some of the resident specialists at these auction houses. They will often tell you quite a bit more about an item than what is listed in the catalogue. If there is any lot that appeals make sure you ask them what else they can tell you about it.

The auction catalogues are usually not posted on the web sites until quite close to the auction. However I think you can do a lot search for past sales. That might bring up some more pictures. Also you can always get copies of past catalgues sent to you. On the Sotheby's site they were for sale at around �10 (?). However I work near the local Sotheby's in Zurich and they sold me a catalogue for only chf10 (us$7.50). Not a bad price for all those nice pictures.

[ 03-27-2003, 12:18: Message edited by: Stu C ]

Yukon,
I looked at that Danl Fraser side lever on the weekend and I have to say it's much nicer than even the photos show. I've fallen for falling block actions.

I don't have a huge amount of experience with the overseas auction houses, but have done a few things. Useful tidbits would be to make sure to add in the buyers premium into your calculations and be prepared for a rather slow delivery and hefty shipping charges. I believe that the shipping charge on one gun was about 300 USD.

If you get a post 1898 firearm, you will need to get a ATF form 6 done--I am currently 8 weeks into getting my latest one processed--hopefully it will be in soon. Normally they take about 4 weeks. Then there will be a fee for whoever recieves the gun plus possible customs fees.

Though the items were described accurately by the auction house, it is not like seeing them in person.

Unless the gun is rather special or you get a steal, it really can be a losing situation.

Stu you need that gun! Thanks to everyone for the comments.

Yukon,

It sold for �6000 pounds, a little over $9000.
Just a tad out of my reach for now

http://search.sothebys.com/jsps/live/lot/LotDetail.jsp?sale_number=W03885&live_lot_id=20&go.x=8&go.y=8

That's an interesting sale price as the forend was chipped according to the description. For me, that would take a chunk off the value (no pun intended).