doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com One Pricey CE Grade Fox 20 ga, Over 8K and running

Nice gun but what am I missing here?https://www.gunauction.com/buy/14447396

Small bore C grade Foxes are pretty rare. Maybe 300 or so made. Of that 300, probably a handfull have 30" barrels. Supply and demand. One CE 20 gauge Fox sold a few weeks ago at a Buy It Now price of almost 10K. It was in better shape then this gun, but it didn't have those 30" barrels.

Think about it, Guys are dumping 5-6K (or more) into upgrading Sterly's. Supply and Demand at it's finest.

Yep. I asked Gournet what the engraving cost was to upgrade a Sterly to a C grade and it was over 3K and that was a while ago. That doesn't include sculpting the breech balls, safety reshaping, remarking barrels, etc etc. Nor upgrading the wood. You can burn through 6K in a hurry.

And after all of this money, it will still remain an upgrade, not near the value of an original in my opinion, I'm sorry, a "rusty original".

rapidfire

That is "patina"!!!

Or, as Headrick out in Missouri would call it "rust."

3k for Fox CE engraving? That's gotta be a joke, right? Not knocking anyone's CE, but that seems ridiculous for that level and type of engraving. It's been awhile since I chatted or have done business with Geoffroy, but I'd like to ask him what it would cost to replicate the engraving on my Lancasters, or my Churchill BLE....both guns having far superior engraving than any production Fox. I'd seriously be curious to know what he'd say. I'll even throw in my Scott Excellentia for good measure. Yikes.....what, that would probably cost 8k??

Yet the narrative still persists that no one is interested in these obsolete old doubles, and prices will inevitably drop. While there are better long term investments than old guns, they continue to go up in value unless you make the silly mistake of buying high and selling low. And the observations about what it would cost to reproduce many of these old relics at today's labor rates are quite valid and ensure that they will continue to hold value for years to come.

Keith,
There will likely be a market for higher grade small bore gun for some time to come. But, make no mistake, the market for standard doubles in 12 gauge is already beginning to erode. As is the market for John Deere two cylinders, Ford model As, hit and miss engines, wringer washing machines, Belgian A5s, and other stuff from a bygone era.
I doubt the talent exists to produce a mid 1960s vintage Japanese 35mm film camera anymore. But, that doesn't mean values are going up on the existing ones any time soon.


Best,
Ted

If one goes to Gournets web site he shows a number of different engraving jobs and associated costs. That will give one an idea of what the really good engravers are charging these days. There are many engravers who charge more the Gournet out there as well. I've done a couple of different Custom Foxes over the years. Supply and Demand works for engravers as well.