Hello gents. UK auctions tend to be in the third month of each quarter, so may not match up with any plans with the CLA Game Fair in 2010. Holts currently indicate the following dates -
Forthcoming Sale Dates:
Thursday 25th March 2010
Thursday 24th June 2010
Thursday 23rd September 2010
Thursday 16th December 2010
and also remember that some have viewing days/evenings before the sale which allows you ample time to check out what is for sale. I attend each the Holts viewing evenings with keen interest each time they come around.
If it helps, the CLA Game Fair is not only superb fun to attend, but actually has a significant number of quality gunsmiths in Gunmakers Row. Although auctions will afford the opportunity to see, handle, purchase (!) anything from a £10 broken stock to a £120k trio of Purdeys, the Game Fair (in my limited experience) is likely to have more numbers of "affordable" English guns on sale. I purchased my own EM Reilly 1870 hammergun at this years Game Fair which was not something I was intending to do after 12+ months of auction watching!!
Final option - Holts have their auctions real time online so if you get up early, you can catch the sale from 02.30 PST! You can even now bid online which is a viable option when coupled with Diggory's inspection service.
