John, you are lucky to have the Senior model as only about 40 were made. They stopped making them as they were too expensive to produce. At the time they were several times more expensive than a Number 1 (current price for a new number 1 is around 11,500). I have a friend who had a pair of Seniors in perfect condition which he sold for 14,000. Heaven knows what they would have cost new. A bargain but out of my league. I do like AyA's and have four. Never owned an Arrieta but would snap one up if I found one I liked at the right price. Lagopus.....
The AyA Senior is a murky subject, and part of the larger (and still more murky) subject of Spanish made guns with Beesley/Purdey self-opening actions and Purdey locks.
The King brothers do indeed report that they were told by AyA that Aya had made only about 40 Senior model shotguns. I have some reservations about that number, as the number of observed guns seems high for a total population of only 40.
Ignacio Ugartechea made some number of Beesley/Purdey self-opening actions and Purdey locks guns, and catalog those as Model 1040. I have photos of four of these, one of which has a proof year of 1950. The AyA Senior is visually identical in appearance to the Ugartechea model 1040. Franco had a set of three, and two of the four I know of are a numbered pair that showed up in a Spanish gunsmith's shop. It is reported that Ugartechea was required to destroy some as the result of a suit by Purdey.
Victor Sarasqueta also produced Beesley/Purdey self-opening actions and Purdey locks guns. I have photos of two such guns, one has the proof year of 1930. The Ugartechea model 1040 is identical in appearance to the VS guns.
Bottom line is we know at least three Spanish gun makers produced Beesley/Purdey self-openers, with the earliest known (to me) gun being from 1930 and the most recent from 1986.
Total number guns produced, all makers, all years, is unknown. Given that there is a known span of at least 56 years during which they were made, the total number may not be as small as thought. But it's unlikely we will ever know with any certainty.
