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

Day one of Holts is complete. Prices seem fairly good but there were fewer guns day one this time that really caught my interest. A couple of the percussion doubles did and odds and ends but it’s increasing shipping cost I have reduced the total number of items I’m willing to bid on but have raised my price point for bids. It cost about the same to bring in a modestly priced gun as it does a higher priced one so instead of looking for a couple of 500-1,000 pound guns I sought out a couple 1,500-2,000 pound guns. I was not alone it seems.

Only had two guns I was interested enough to bid on and both sold for above my bids Sadly one with a 2,000 estimate went for 100 above my 2,800 max bid. But in real life had I bid 3,100 it most likely would have sold, to the same other bidder, just at a higher price. Being there and seeing guns in person is such an advantage. The other went for well above my limit so that’s an easier loss. Hope others fared better. There is always tomorrow and the real main event.

I only bid on one thing, the full length Rigby oak and leather rifle case, I'm not shocked I did not win it. I'll bid on a few in the sealed bid auction coming up.

Picked up my first 8 bore…I think. It went from my max and I won’t know until I get my invoice…or not!

Oh I hate when that happens, I still remember loosing out on a ten bore percussion rifle that I thought I had won. I hope your luck is better than mine was.

Some of the pairs went for very nice prices. Anything with 28” or less barrels seems a very hard sale. Styles and trends are so fickle. No bird I’ve shot knows or cares if my gun had 26”, 28”, 30” or 32” barrels.

I hear you, I currently have a 25" and a 29" barreled SxS and shoot both just fine.

I blew all my money at Rock Island the other weekend so just have to sit and watch lol

Well what did you win at Rock Island?

To my mind the two most significant values of the 21 Sep 2021 auction are Lot nos. 1470 and 1471. Alex Henry 12 bore best quality London pattern SLE of 1936 (Birmingham made IMO) and Cogswells & Harrison 12 bore SLE "Extra Quality Victor" of 1926. If these two guns sell within the Holt's estimate some buyer is going to be very pleased.

At each Holt's sale I try to pick out guns and rifles to watch that are indicators to me of what the market is doing and what the buyers know and do not know about quality guns and rifles today. Very, very few gun fanciers know the value of a Extra Quality Victor or for that matter have ever even heard of one.

The subject Alex Henry is a superb gun and its workmanship appears to be the highest quality that Birmingham could produce---which is equal to what London could. It is like new.

https://auctions.holtsauctioneers.c...++1470+&refno=++167063&saletype=

https://auctions.holtsauctioneers.c...++1471+&refno=++168725&saletype=

Stephen Howell

Sold for 300&500 over high estimates. Still a lot of gun for that money. Then add another grand plus to Holts and then a grand to import them. That 4,000 pound buy gets to be 5,200 pounds, $7095USD and $1,000 to import. Call it $8,000. Made late pre war II it might have a lot of miles left in it, so still a value. But the numbers do get larger than expected.

A few years back, a now passed on friend of mine picked up a cased Alex Martin very similar to the Henry listed above a for song. I imported it for him and it was a real beauty, lots of original condition, great barrels, cased. I think by the time he had it in hand he was in for about 4300$. Great guns too.

Owenjj3, which eight gauge did you score on?

I think the Cogswell is especially interesting , being Number 3 of at least a trio. The man purchaser with the interesting history knew what he wanted.

I struck out on all my bids.

I might should have bid on the H&H 2" double.

I put in a very modest bid on the converted Horsley .410 single, originally a Horsley patent action Rook rifle.

It went for 4 times the low estimate.

I wonder what it would have made if still in its original calibre and configuration?

At the time it was converted Rook rifles were “on ticket” and relatively valueless. Still, converting it to a shotgun may have saved most of it from complete destruction.

Which one? The Royal or the Dominion?

Ken

Dominion

The Boss single…maybe.

SKB, I won the Cashmore Nitro trap gun at RIA. Went for a good bit over the estimate, but I really love it so kept bidding lol