This is a long shot. I’ve been unable to find this catalog online. Does anyone have a copy of the Weller & Dufty, Birmingham, 6 November 1985 sale catalog?

Thanks
Ken

There is a UK poster here who has them all from about 1972. He researched the old catalogues for Reilly's and help Steve Nash with old pin-fires. Handle is "Ivanhoe." (Dave). Haven't heard from him since about 2021.

Sample of entry he sent:

Gene,

Thanks. I sent him a PM. He hasn’t posted since Oct 2022.

Ken

I have an email address for him. Forwarding it via PM.

Thanks

I’ll try one more time. Anyone have access to these catalogs.

Thanks
Ken

It appears that when W&D closed Mike Scot (one of the partners) hung out his own shingle. He might be able to assist.

http://scotarms.co.uk/contact/index.htm

Sorry, Ken. Just had a look at my volumes and I only have 1981 and 1983, rather annoyingly from your point of view.

Tim

I sent "Ivanhoe" (David W.) a private e-mail as well but have received no response. I hope he is ok. His collection of catalogues was historic and I urged him a few years ago to see that they were preserved somehow. trw999, I could send you his name and address by PM, if you feel you could make additional inquires about his well-being.

Yes I found where they acquired the business when Weller and Dufty closed. I sent them an email and got a quick response. They don’t have any of the old catalogs.

Tim,

Thanks for looking.

Ken

Please do, happy to help.

Tim

Regrettably neither I nor Steve Nash, for whom he did research on pin-fires, have the address. He offered to send me some catalogues a couple of years ago but unfortunately I was in Africa and never sent my address. I do know that he sold some guns at Ryedale Auction so I assumed he was from up north somewhere. From correspondence with him both by email and here on the Reilly line (p. 57-62) he had pretty amazing sets of catalogues. - he said he had well over 1,000. These included Weller & Dufty from 1972, Evans & Partridge, Hampshire from 1990's to 2002, Nock Deighton Auctions from 1990's.

His name is David Wilton and apparently he may have been born in 1951 (based on his email address). I last heard from him in June 2022; Stephen in autumn 2022. He is a fine and knowledgeable man who went out of his way to help. If you can find him, please urge him again to have those catalogues preserved.

Sample text from Ivanhoe:

Some of these catalogs have not been thumbed through for the last 30 years.....when I see some of the guns and equipment that was sold then, for a pittance of todays money, I could weep! The Weller catalogs are 2 day affairs, with over 1,000 lots, and took place every 5 weeks! A vast amount of material, from every gunmaker in the nation! And from gunmakers etc abroad! There are even rare American guns occasionally!. They had a great cataloger in Doug Nye, who probably knew more about guns than any 3 of the London auction house "experts". Wellers proud boast was that they were not just catalogs, but reference books!

trw999, Lagopus, Gunman, Toby Barclay, etc. I just had a note from David Wilkins (Ivanhoe). He's had some personal and family medical problems which has prevented him from replying to our emails. He said all his catalogs are in boxes in his garage, unfortunately out of order. As soon as his back heals up though, he said they are headed to the dumpster unless a home can be found for them

This is really UK gun history I should think. If one of you all do not want to take them, I was thinking about sending him postage and asking him to send the lot over to me. However, it would be much more convenient to keep them in UK and perhaps one of the district archives would want to scan them. I'll send a note to Diggory as well.

Please let me know.

Gene Williams

Gene,

Thanks for your help in getting in touch with Dave. He found the catalog and gave me the information from the catalog. He is going to send me the catalog in a few days.

Ken

That's good news Ken. Glad to help. David told me that unless someone in UK speaks for these catalogs, he'll send them to me over here. Diggory expressed interest but no follow-up as yet.