OK- one man's opinion- over past 25 years, I have sold a few shotguns (no rifles or handguns) privately- I have contacted a few fairly well known Auction houses, but was never quite satisfied with the terms they offered, nor their seemingly "Lo-ball" appraisals, vis a vis photos I submitted-- To be fair, I never sent a shotgun to either James D. Julia's, or RIA, the two major gun auction houses I am familiar with.
I would rather "discount" a shotgun I have had for sale a %- then give that to an auction firm-- Granted, if you have a rare firearm you wish to sell, may I suggest you get good detailed photos and an accurate description and post it here first, asking the membership for their appraisals- Also be advised, that the current market for selling "high end" shotguns is very soft--
FYI, as I do NOT, at this point, know the make, vintage, grade and gauge of shotgun you wish to sell- my experience has been mainly with Parkers and L.C. Smiths- If you have a matched pair
of English made double guns, that's way beyond my "comfort zone"- but there are many others that post here who are highly qualified to advise you, should that be the case in point.
One other factor-- many of us that were buying heavily into, let us say, Parkers a decade ago, have aged, and the younger generation with "deep pockets" want Perazzi, Piotti, Hartmann und Weiss or Ferlib- for their "investment that you can use and have appreciate- Fewer serious bird hunters extant, as compared with those who buy "high dollar" shotguns for clays.
Hope this helps you somewhat- RWTF
