I am a doublegun.com outsider who is currently assisting my brother-in-law in researching the history, value and provenance of an heirloom Fred Adolph, Genoa, NY 20 gauge, side by side shotgun in its original wood case that has been quietly handed down through several generations of our family.
I'm here because in my research I came across an extensive 2007 thread on doublegunshop.com forum with information about Fred Adolph guns. One of the post’s contributors, Michael Petrov, who it sadly appears passed away in 2014, expounded on the history of Fred Adolph’s work. The extensive dialogue around Fred Adolph’s guns and history suggested there may be more enthusiasts with knowledge of this gun’s maker who might be able to assist our quest to establish its history and value. We’re hoping that with your collective and extensive experience with collectible firearms some of you might be able to shed some light on the importance and collectability of this particular gun.
We can trace ownership back to a great grandfather who lived his whole life in Auburn NY (1869-1937) quite near Genoa, NY but we have no paperwork related to original purchase. One intriguing clue regards the trigger guard which is monogramed in gold with the initials WBS.
While we have some experience with shotguns we are neither gun enthusiasts or collectors ourselves. This being the case, the family may consider putting this shotgun on the market, so we’re also researching what might be the best way to offer it for sale. We’re reaching out to a number of experts for appraisals, advice and suggestions if and when we do chose to sell it. But at this point we are primarily interested in educating ourselves before determining the next step.
Thanks for any help you can offer. We appreciate any knowledge or referrals you might be able to offer that could help us learn more about the importance and value of this particular gun. Thanks, Tim H and Tim F
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