doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Insane Auction Prices

Would someone kindly explain to me why a Parker Trojan(even fully restored),which by anyone's definition is an entry level hardware store model, would have a pre-sale estimate of $8,000 to $16,000?
Jim


http://www.icollector.com/Parker-16ga-Tr...ored-a_i8788407

High percentage of casecolors?

Somebody at the auction house doesn't know his business . . .

In re-thinking my statement, I think it is a typo . . . it should have been $800 - $1,600

In my opinion, all the things that were done to this gun, do not justify the appraised cost. I firmly believe that a reconditioned gun, unless a gun with a great provenance, should be valued at 70% condition. That applies to all guns, and again my opinion, that were embellished to look like a higher grade.

David,
I think I understand your position. But "estimated value" at an auction is nothing more than a "racing forum program" for the nose pickers and an the peanut gallery. The people that are actually considering buying the gun at hand either know it's value or are about to find out at auction. And we've all seen the "estimated value" either not been met or far exceeded in the actual bidding. It always comes back to; 'it's worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it'. I'm guessing that those auction catalog values are determined at a very cursory look by the auctioneer for anything of no particular significance.

Sort of a tangent, but do any of you recall that 20g Fox that was upgraded to an X grade straight stock on one of the auction sites a few yrs ago? It was listed at $5k (I think) and everyone poo-poo'd it. I'd love to have that gun for $5k today.

Chuck, you are right about the estimated prices most auctions list. But this ones has a starting bid of $6400.00. I too think the decimal is one off to the right.

Gun auctions are like any auctions, most times it is like a bidding frenzy, some will bid just because someone else bid, and so on until it is out of range.
One point is the Czar's Parker, does anyone know for sure that it was ordered for the Czar? I don't think so, it is only speculation. It could have been ordered for anyone in a high position. If I'm not mistaken, it was never written on the order form that it was for Tsar Nicholas II.

My point is that since this gun was re-stocked, re-checkered, re-blued, re-cased, does it deserve a starting bid of $6400. Blue Book 26 th Edition lists a 16 ga. at 90% @ $1825, maybe a few dollars more now.
Basically they are telling me it was a piece of junk to begin with and now they made it into Cinderella with both red shoes.

I won't be going to the ball.

I saw that Trojan at the auction yesterday and I could not believe the price. It could be a typo or there may be something special about it. It was nicely restored and the tag said "$2,000 worth of restoration" but that can't justify the price. It may be a 0 frame. Did Parker make a 0 frame Trojan?

The Trojan 12 gauge was made on the 2-frame, the 16 gauge was made on the 1-frame and the 20 gauge was made on the 0-frame and to the best of my knowledge there was no choice of frame sizes when buying a Trojan as they were all stock guns and only an extremely minute number of Trojans were ordered with any options.
There are Trojans out there that would command high prices both in original high condition and in perfectly executed refinished condition but in my opinion, this is not one of them.

Here's the other side of the coin, a WR 8 bore, estimated at $3,000-6,000K, hammer price $17,000 plus the commission.

Looks like they thought it was a shotgun, but it has a three leaf sight...

http://www.proxibid.com/asp/LotDetail.asp?ahid=3161&aid=25184&lid=7022614#topoflot

Probably a Paradox, and a nice one. At that price, I'll be ordering a three leaf sight for my Westley eight.