doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Purdy percussion muzzle loader

Gentleman has has been almost a year since my last posting. I would be the first to omit that my knowledge of shotguns is 1 out of 10. I have recently picked up a Purdy muzzle loading shotgun, the best i come come up with is a a manufactored date of 1837-1839 caliber is 14 gauge, everything is original except for a small repair to one hammer. The wood is in very good condition with no cracks or repairs. The metal is in my opinion very good for a 170 year old gun. There is a small dent on the rib, the barrels have no visable dings. The wood is dark but does not apear to have ever been redone. My questions to those who can answer is, what is the value? where is the best place to try and sell this type of gun? auction? set price? I'm located in Canada I don't believe it would be difficult to export this age of gun. Any help would be great, sorry for the poor photos.

What a lovely gun!
It appears to be in quite good condition, too.
We've learned from Rocketman that a fair market value for British breech loading sporting guns of the late 19th to mid 20th centuries can be a function of brand, grade and condition.
There appears to be no similar table of information for the earlier muzzle-loading era though; you do have a top name, in a high grade and good condition; Cased? Provenance? Single, or originally one of a pair? Worth at least a few thousand, I'd have thought, perhaps 1/3 to 1/2 of a breech loader, all other things (ie name, condition, grade) being equal...
RG

I don't have a price on this type of gun. My work is market research and organization. Not a lot of comparables, but I may find some. If Small Bore is around, I'd bet he can come up with a fair estimate. Off hand, I'd guess that a bigger auction company would give this the exposure it needs. I'm guessing a lively discussion is about to follow. Hav you looked in "The Early Purdeys" for information on this or similar guns?

Very nice gun.

As I have said my knowledge of sotguns is very limited, i have to rely on others for informatiom. A friend did look it up it a shotgun book and found a photo of what appears to be the same gun, but acourse no value was indicated. Glenn

I fully agree with cadet & Rocketman. What you have is a premier name on an early gun in very good condition seldom seen for sale on this side of the pond. You might want to research previous auction results from Bonham's, Holt's,Gavin Gardiners, Christie's & Southby's in the U.K. Many more have been sold there than over here. Congratulations on your acquisition!

George

I thought I would show some of the details of these gun,

Please send us the ser # and we can do more for you. I own quite a few Purdey's of that period which can be off substantial value depending on all of what is mentioned above and possible provenance.

Serial number is 1107 any help would be appreciated

gguthrie,

Lovely gun. Oh!, what stories she could tell could we but hear her. Real quality shows, even after 1 3/4 centuries. My, how I would love to put her through an afternoon on a dove field with some FFg and 1 oz. of 7 1/2's.

Thanks for posting the great photos. Hope you are successful in your endeavor.

Stan

This dates to around 1840 from teh style. The nipples have been replaced.

In the UK you can get a very good quality, clean percussion gun for £2,000, the Purdey name adds a premium because of what Rocketman refers to as Brand Value. This has some wear and repairs - value in the UK is £1,500. You may retail it for £1,750 on a good day. The serial number will date it accurately.