Greetings all:
I have the opportunity to purchase 2 side-by-side doubles off of a friend. They were field used by his father-in-law for many years. One is an Ithaca .12 Gauge serial number # 189485 (not sure what model as I am not that familiar with doubles). The barrels state "smokeless powder only". The other is a Fox, Model B .16 gauge with the only visible serial type number being HJ.
The Ithaca locks up tight with lever right of center. Safety is solid, bores are good. Wood is well worn.
The Fox lever is center, safety is very worn, bluing is going and wood is worn, bores are good.
What should I look for in terms of value and safety with these guns. I want to give him a fair price but also have a safe pair of guns for the field (mainly grouse hunting). Generally, are these worth is and can they be salvaged.
Any helpful tips are greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

First off, welcome to the forum!

I'm not especially knowledgeable on the value of those two brands, others will be along shortly who can answer to that. One thing to check on any double is the tightness of the action (being "on face"). An easy way to check that is to remove the forend and see if there is any side to side wiggle. They should have none. If they do, its fixable by a knowledgeable gunsmith. My Smith said about $400 for my English double guns.p

Welcome to the forum EGreis. The Ithaca you are thinking about buying is a Flues model built in 1909. From your description, we don't know what grade it is, so it would be impossible to provide a value estimate. Pictures of both guns would help a great deal. Also, it is unclear what you mean when you say the safety is very worn on the 16 ga. Fox model B. Does this mean the gun can be fired with the safety on, or does it mean that the bluing is worn off the safety?

Other than that, both sound like well used shooters. But without photos of the guns, it would be hard to know what they are worth, or whether they need work, or if refinishing would be a worthwhile option. A good way to get an idea of the value is to just watch the same guns in identical gauge and overall condition on Gunbroker or some of the other firearm auction sites. Look at completed sales, and see what they actually sell for to get an idea of what they are worth. The sale price of guns in higher condition, and the reserve or starting price of guns that do not actually sell will tell you nothing about the true market value.

Thank you for the warm welcome claycrusher! Very much appreciated. Thanks also for the advice on what to look for on the doubles in terms of what to look for. I will be sure to follow your instruction when I look them over again.

Thanks for the kind greeting Keith! Thanks for the info on the Ithaca.
I didn't know it was that old. I would say it is a lower grade.

The safety on the Fox slides up and down with no resistance and seems, as a result, like it would kick off very easily in the field. I haven't tried a dry fire. It would definitely need smithing.

Unfortunately I don't have any photos of the arms at present. Both were definitely well used utilitarian field arms. I will keep an eye on gunbroker per your suggestion. Thanks for all the great info.

And don't forget to check the ribs for looseness.