Rock Island has a multi-day auction coming up, with a couple of interesting guns scheduled the 14th, including a Holland and Holland in .30 Super they are estimating at $4-6k (as if) and an "A. STRICKER GR. LICHTERFELDE". in 8.15X45, which I never heard of, that they don't think will do much.

Just informational, I have no connection.

I wonder why the put 4 - 6 on the Holland ?

I would have thought they knew more about guns
than that.

quote:

Originally posted by 505G:
I wonder why the put 4 - 6 on the Holland ?

I would have thought they knew more about guns
than that.

Bait. Same reason Teddy Roosevelt's Drilling was first estimated at $4k or so, then $12-15k and brought $95k at Guernsey's Harrisburg auction. I did the same thing in reverse on a chair I bought at that auction, a folding rocking chair that belonged to Annie Oakley that they messed up the listing on. I listed it on eBay at $10k, then dropped the price $500 about once a day until one guy got nervous and offered $7600. Since I paid $500 I took it

Some neat drillings at Rock Island too.

A couple of years ago I thought I would try Rock Island out selling a Rigby rifle for me. When I contacted them they said that the rifle just wasn't worth enough for Rock Island to bother with and that they would not take the commission. I called and asked for their number one guy for British rifles. He estimated a couple of thousand was all it was worth but that it probably wouldn't get enough people interested in it to even do that. I am no expert, but as we spoke it became clearer and clearer to me that knew little to nothing of British guns and rifles. So, I sent the rifle to someone else and they had no trouble selling it for $17,750.

Rock Island Auctions is not the biggest selling action house in the country by accident. I know their main writers over there (just across the Mississippi from me) and some of them know a lot about guns and some don't. Their prices are estimates, clearly stated in their catalogs (which are excellent references BTW) and may or may not reflect what things will bring at auction. That is why it is an auction and not a sale. They will take anything there and I am puzzled why they did not take your Rigby. If you wanted to set a reserve on it; well, it sells for what is sells for. As for pricing things as bait, they don't do that either; they just can't be 100% sure on values; again, it is an auction and the prices in the catalogs mean nothing.

Fellas:
The Holland .300 has poor bores, I was told--frosted and pitted. Rock Island does have great firearms and their catalogs are pure eye candy. Julia is an equal but from a seller's standpoint, Julia does not charge a commission to the seller for high end guns.

I have had a bit of dealing with RIA and am not impressed. When putting my bore rifle book together I asked for bore rifles they had sold for inclusion in my book. Julia did so, too, and send detailed files and great photos of over 20 bore rifles. RIA sent a file with 25 rifles. Two bore rifles, shotguns, bolt actions, etc... In their current catalog, lot 103 is the incorrect caliber, lot 1108 is a rifle but is listed as a shotgun, and there are many more typos. A friend bought a single barrel 4-bore that was listed as a shotgun and a double! (It was a smooth bore for ball).

This past June a polite young lady called to see if I would consider (again) putting my riles up for sale (see below). When I mentioned my only interest in bidding was for double rifles from the UK she send me a file of 12 doubles I would be interested in. One was a cheap double, the others were shotguns and bolt actions. Go figure?

I asked RIA to sell some of my rifles in the past. The estimate was so low I passed. My 4-bore is for sale now and RIAs estimate was 1/3 to 1/2 of offers I already have.

They have great rifles but their staff (at least some) need a bit of training. 4-6K on the Holland is way off, even with pitted bores.
Cheers, gents.
Cal

The H&H went for a tad over $20000.00