.577 Holland and Holland underlever hammer double rifle in a new made oak and leather case with new Ivory handled accessories sold for $16,000.00 in the April 2016 Julia Auction. Just sold for $7,000.00!
I sold a .577 3" BPE Holland back action sidelock top lever hammerless double rifle in a period case with accessories made for the Nizam of Hyderabad (gold inlayed on the rib)in the same auction for $28,500.00. It just sold for $13,000.00!!! Prices have really dropped.

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Shameless attempt to promote items at auction.

NDG

GaryD007
Thanks for sharing the pricing info
Mike

Pick your reasons. Covid economy. Buyers market. Declining interest in double rIfles. Too many potential buyers are emptying their safes. Soft market. All the above.

I feel the double shotgun prices are falling too. I feel reasons are because the auction houses have kept increasing the pre auction est for years and they also have been inching their kicker price up. When I started 10% was high and now 15% is low. To me that makes a big difference. With the 10% they get from the cosigner they are make at least 25% on a sale. Then if you use another bidding service it goes up from there.
I live in Alaska and a big name auction House tried to charge me $350 to ship the gun to Alaska. $75 will get any gun shipped priority, insured mail to my house.
So my feeling are the auction houses are getting way to greedy.

Soft market for sure but I have been selling guns. Lower quality and condition is really slow. I have moved some really nice guns for strong money lately though. Lots to choose from on the market and very little young blood in the game. I have very few clients under fifty.

Not a true "promotion" IMO- rather a detailed account of varying price levels over past 4 years. Did anyone get the catalog in the mail, as I do? I noticed a strange BAR 1918 in the Class 3 sector- the muzzle and gas tube area looked "buggered up" to me. Wonder what it sold for- ditto the Singer 1911-A-1. RWTF

Because most clients under the age of 50 do not have the disposable funds to spend on a luxury gun today. Wonder what the Czar's Parker and Teddy Roosevelt's A.H. Fox would fetch today- ditto the Westley Richards .577 rifle owned by Ernest Hemingway.RWTF

That is 1/2 the reason, the other half is they have zero interest in history. Talk to a younger person for a few moments about the history related to a gun and they get glassy eyed and are looking for an exit sign.

Everything is disposable these days. I just saw that "Fast Times at Ridgemont high" just turned forty. When was the last time you saw a TV repair man? The world is changing and it is not waiting around for us sentimental old codgers.

I just had a oven go on the Fritz after two years. To repair 400 bucks is the estimate (new circuit board and labor). You can buy a new one for $600. Yep, no one fixes anything any more. They just throw out and buy new.

Nudge I have no interest in promoting an auction. I bought my first double rifle in 1971, a W W Greener 8 BORE double rifle that I paid $750.00. My brother and I have owned over 140 English double rifles and some single shots over the years. I have NONE left. I still watch the auction houses and Gunsinternational to see what the prices are. We used to buy and sell at The Ohio Gun Collectors, through Shotgun News, Gunsamerica, now Gunsinternational and also some auctions. Most of the people I dealt with have either passed away or sold their collections. With age and health problems and grand children I would rather have the money in the bank!

Gary;

At the Holt's auction last week a Luciano Bosis .470 NE boxlock double rifle (Lot 1257 practically new) did not even sell at the estimated range of UKPounds 8,500 to 12,500. An A.W. Wolf made Richter engraved 9.3x74R (made in 1991) only brought UKPounds 3,200.

I agree with Bob. The buyer’s premium at Rock Island is 18%, with a 3% discount for cash. Tack on an additional 8.5% for sales tax if you’re an IL resident. I tried to buy a couple guns in the Rock Island auction. But my SOP is to figure the top dollar I’d pay, then back out the buyer premium and tax, if applicable.

They charge tax on most sales. read the fine print. There is a list of states. I got caught when it first happened.

15% is bargain compared to the British auctions, 20-27.5% is the hammer overseas.

I believe RIAC is 15% on both sides. that is 30% of the total.

I'm not sure what the British houses charge the seller but buyer fees are far higher.

Ouch. Quite a drop. Lots of thoughts already shared on possible reasons why. I'd add a few --

1) Rock Islands' auction listings are never as well supported by the necessary clear pictures needed to reach top dollar as someone like Julia/Morphy. This is particularly irritating with doubles, where they never seem to picture the top of the action or the watertable and barrel flats

2) In uncertain times when the market is this volatile, many are holding off on larger purchases, particularly antiques

Re the idea that interest in older firearms isn't passing to the younger generations, I generally agree, but it's not black and white. I've been collecting for 30 years and it has seemed that various sub-categories of firearms run up in price as they get hot and then contract. But over the long haul, rarity and quality gain value.

At the end of the day, this is for fun, not money.

You are right about the uncertain times! A friend of mine owned the .577 3" BPE Holland and I had seen it a few times. He had probably one of the largest big bore English double rifle collections in the world. Last time I was at his house he had 14 eight bore double rifles and 4 four bore double rifles, along with many other English double rifles from .360 BPE to .600 Jeffery nitro. I think he saw the writing on the wall about prices falling and sold off his entire collection!