I'm watching/listening to the Holt's auction via the online bid platform Invaluable. I keep seeing lots with an opening bid of say 7,000 but the auctioneer says there is a commission bid of 8500 so that a where he starts the bidding! Odd... you could likely get a better price by bidding online even with paying the 5% charged by Invaluable

On a side note, both today and yesterday at Gardiners, pairs and triples of nice sidelock ejectors were going cheaply! A pair of Evan's for 2,900! Or 4,000 for a pair of Grant sidelevers

Lots of bargains to be had this side of the pond at the moment. Guns not making what they should. Even adding on your import costs now is a good time to start searching. Lagopus…..

What I gather on the absentee bidding is that when the auctioneer has competing absentee bids for an item he starts the floor bidding at the highest contested absentee bid. He does not bid the maximum amount that the absent bidder will pay, but only up to the next uncontested increment. The subsequent floor bidder may still bid against the absentee bid held by the auctioneer.

Also note that the sterling is down due to Brexit concerns.

Did anyone get lucky today??? I picked up a nice sidelock yesterday at Gavin's auction for a song.

Owen, was it the Atkins? If so, wish I had seen that earlier - you might have had to pay more, ha.

Dan, Guilty as charged!

Congrats! Looks like a beautiful gun with many practical attributes (2 3/4 chambers and a nice 15 inch LOP on the stock). Post pics when you get it in hand.

I purchased the Reilly side-lever 16 gauge. The above explanation of competing bids might explain why Gavin started the sale of the Reilly at £1,600 rather that a hundred or so below the estimated minimum per most of the rest of the auction. I'll still ask him. A lot of guns didn't sell and there were what seemed to be bargains.

Explanation why I bought the Reilly: I only keep a few doubles in the house; I'm not a collector; all are shot regularly; I gave away my 16 bore Saint-Etienne Gerest Berthon to my Dau-in-law and needed a 16. I'd decided on a side-lever and was looking for 30" steel barrels. This Reilly met everything I wanted and it was a Reilly to match my 12 bore (and I've done a lot of research on Reilly's so it's appropriate). The specs were very interesting:

30" Whitworth steel barrels, 2 3/4" chambers, true cylinder & 1/2. Broad file-cut rib; dolls head extension; built on a Scott Climax action; side lever, backlocks, crystal indicators, Perkes patent ejectors, nitro re-proof. Side clips to the fences. It's heavy for a 16 bore, 6 lbs 9 oz. Gavin said it was built to "pigeon specs" (but I've never heard of a 16 ga pigeon gun). The LOP is only 14" but I'll be adding a 3/4" old style pad. The stock looks "plain" and may need some refinishing.

SN 27553 per my chart on the Reilly line would have been dated Autumn 1885. The interesting thing is that like 27854 and 27570 it has "Paris" on one barrel. I've opted to keep the last rue Scribe gun as SN 27340 around end of July 1885 for reasons that can be read on the Reilly Chronology line.











The interesting thing is that the specifications for 27533 are almost identical to Terry Buffum's 27854 sold a couple of years ago except Terry's was a 12 bore. I let the price Terry's sold for sort of guide me in this auction but really I just plain wanted the gun.

Terry's gun. #2 of a pair ================================================================
27854
http://www.amoskeagauction.com/110/133.php

serial #27854, 12 ga., 30" barrels with bright excellent bores choked full and full. This shotgun is built on a W. & C. Scott crystal indicator action with side clips and with each lock being engraved "E.M. REILLY & CO. / LONDON". The markings on the tops of the barrel are difficult to read but appear to be the E.M. Reilly & Company name and London address on the left barrel and a Paris address on the right barrel. The shotgun was part of a set and is numbered "2" in gold on dolls head rib extension and engraved on interior forend metal. The barrels are Birmingham nitro proofed for 2 3/4" shells with 1 1/16 oz. loads. The minimum wall thickness is generally .0245 with one small area that gets to .023. The action and locks show near full coverage tight English scroll engraving with a nice round flower panel on top of action. The barrels retain about 95% evenly thinning restored blue finish overall. The action and locks show an even gray patina and remain very smooth and free of pitting. The checkered straight grip walnut buttstock and splinter forend rate very good plus as refinished long ago. The gun features a 14 5/8" length of pull over checkered butt and shows drops of 1 1/2" and 2 3/8". The gun locks up tight and points beautifully. A neat crystal indicator sidelever Reilly Ejectorgun. (17147-176) {C&R} [Terry Buffum Collection] (1500/2500) SOLD FOR $2,300.00

Is it possible to have a pair, one 16 ga, one 12 ga, ...one with a "1" the other with a "2"?.... because 27553 and 27840 sure look identical, even down to the description of the engraving on 17840.

Since this was my first international auction, I would like to offer a couple of more comments (and these will sound really naive to you fellows):

1) Gavin sent me a pretty complete description of the gun. Nevertheless I asked a well-known expert to take a look at the Reilly, stipulating that I needed the info a couple of days before the auction. I receive his report at 0400 hrs on the morning of the auction. My bid was already in. He is very well known but it looks like he's fallen into a habit of providing late reports. I'm going to make a point of this with him - that if he gets a bad reputation, it's going to hurt his business. PM me if you want the name.

2). I still am wondering about the propriety of Gavin's gavel. Almost all the guns leading up to the Reilly began the bidding at a couple of hundred pounds below the lowest estimate. The Reilly was very near the end of the auction assessed at £1200 - £1800. Before putting it up, he talked to his assistant, mentioned it was a "very interesting gun." then, "I think we'll start this lot at..oh... £1600. £1650. Sold. It took 5 seconds and gaveled at my high bid. There may have been another £1600 absentee bid but the way it was done doesn't create a lot of confidence. I will ask him about this. Maybe he was just tired after 321 lots. But I've dealt with London carpet merchants at auction and have healthy skepticism about them. Perhaps it's a London thing?

Anyway, I got the gun I wanted even if it is a little expensive and its not going anywhere so all's well that ends well.

Hey Argo,

The chunk of metal that splits the "Nitro ... Proof" in half in the flat photo, looks just like the cocking lugs on my Beesley built Lancaster self-opener (ca 1894). They were known as the "Wrist Breakers".
With the sidelever and ejectors, I think the gun uses the Beesley patent, cock on close, action.
This is the action Beesley sold to Purdey probably not long after this gun was built.
The gun is cool.

Toby or Lagopus can hopefully add more.

All Best,

Joe in Charlotte

Thanks Joe: I was wondering about that thingy.
-- 1880, 16 Nov - Beesley patent 31 - Sidelock hammerless action marketed by Purdey

I'll add the water table and it is interesting. At 6lbs 9 oz for a 16ga, at least I won't be having the crap kicked out of me. None of the screws are indexed...lots of work I suspect but if it shoots well, I don't really care. Gene Williams

Six nine doesn't sound like pigeon specs to me, Gene. Beautiful gun, tho'. Congrats. I hope you shoot it as well as it appears to be made.

SRH

Agree Stan. First off it's a 16 bore....and why take a pop gun to a pigeon shoot? It also has cylinder and 1/2 chokes....not the full ones you talk about. Gavin must have been referring to the flat rib, heavy weight (for a 16), 30" barrels, and side clips on the fences. That's the only thing I could figure out from his note. Anyway it's not your standard 16. We'll see what it looks like in a couple of months.

I've bought a lot of firearms from Holt's with absentee bids. Almost 100% went to my top bid. Just saying.

That's nice to know Mike and IMHO it's not an accident. Useful info for future absentee bidders.

As mentioned the gun has been Nitro re-proofed with 2 3/4" chambers & for a 1 1/16 oz load. Bores are 16/1 which could mean they have been enlarged. It is also noted the Not for Ball is visible on both barrels from original proof, which should not be present on a cylinder bore.

Six-nine while not a true lightweight can be a very nice handling gun. I have a couple of 16's which go six twelve which handle nicely with 28" barrels. That cyl &* half combo is to me. a very desirable choke combo.

Lovely gun, Enjoy it to the fullest.

Exactly. I watched close to a dozen lots with commissions yesterday start FAR higher than the starting bid listed. Did all have competing commissions? Perhaps, but I'm suspicious given the frequency it happened! I thought they would have q bit more integrity than that, perhaps they do, but its mighty suspicious. So Invaluable for now on for me

I think you guys might be mistaken. The last gun I bid on at Holt's with an internet bid was in Sept. and I had Dig do an inspection on it. The live bidding started out at the top range of the estimated bid, my bid was nearly 1 K higher. I watched the live audience bid it up the whole time I was in the lead, then someone called on the phone and out bid me. I think the estimates lead many folks to believe they are going to get a steal. The good stuff can still bring a decent amount, especially if it is scarce or in very good shape.

Possible SKB, but on Invaluable you see what the starting bid should be, but you hear the auctioneer state commission bid at X (hundreds to several thousand above starting bid!) And start it from there. All of my examples were in relation to starting bid on Invaluable.

Dig did an inspection for me and it was complete and very helpful- he pointed out a good deal of worke needed to be done and recommended not to buy it. I saved a good bit for the £50 fee! I do wish it was earlier as his site suggests as it made absentee bids nearly impossible. But as I now will be using Invaluable, it doesn't matter as much. I'll be using his service again next time I'm tempted by a catalog lol

I do not think invaluable see's all the bids, just those submitted through the service they offer. I believe the higher starting bid is pushed by internet bidders with Holt's starting at the highest contested bid. I could be wrong but that is how it seems to me.

I am not sure why Dig has been getting back his condition reports so late. I agree that it sure makes it harder.

Morning Steve, in the case of the Reilly, I will continue to be suspicious about the bid progression and the gavel. It was late in the day when lot 321 came up. Gavin was tired. But as I mentioned the start/finish process lasted 5 seconds. Why start it at..."oh...£1600"? Why not...."Oh..,£1,200"?

Anyway, having dealt with carpet wallah's in London, I sort of expected this. It doesn't matter all that much to me because I really wanted the gun. But, in hindsight I think it would be better to use invaluable and pay the commission. Just my $.02. Gene Williams