doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Julia's Auction, your thoughts

Here is the scoop on the Boss.It belonged to a friend of mine, he offered it to me for 36K a couple of months ago. I have been looking another English Best, was looking a Woodward. He brought the Boss to the club and showed it to me before he was sending it up to the auction.I was a little short. Talk about a mistake, I should have went to the bank.

I was interested in the fate of a pair of Lancasters. Damascus hammerless, very good condition, barrels cut from 30" to 28", so minimal choke left. I thought the 2500-3500 estimate was low. They ended up going for something over $8,000 when you include the hammer fee. The provenance reports that they sold for about 3,000 pounds, including hammer fee, 20 years ago. So a little inflation there, but not much. I thought about bidding, figuring I might snatch them for $5K or so. But I also thought my chances weren't very good.

And that wouldn't have been a good investment? I've made a few deals like that, but I've also bought high and sold low. It is tough to make money with these guns, I agree. But, it's fun when you do, esp on the big money guns.

Depends on which guns you "invest" in.Doubles, now are not good investments, Colt wheel guns (Pythons especailly) as well as S&W have gone through the roof !.
Then again if you wanted to "invest in guns RGR in 2008 (or SWHC) would have been a smart one:

I think the Corbett (Elmer Keith) India/tiger double rifle, .450/400 Jeffrey went for $264K. But with that kind of history/provenance you knew that gun would go high.

Sure there were exceptions, but overall looked like a downward trend in regard to English shotgun prices. Looks like a buyers market to me at least at auctions.

I didn't think that Boss would go for that much. I thought $35,000 or so...

I know of a few similar Boss pigeon guns that have traded hands over the last couple years. I think the nicest one went for $38,000. It was comparable to the one at Julia's, but the bbls were reblacked.

I think the seller got real lucky. The two right guys wanted that gun. Now there's only one who's willing to pay that much for a SxS Boss pigeon gun in that kind of condition.

And guns are a gamble, not an investment...

Everyone's a genius in hindsight and who knows what the future holds? But I doubt it will bring us tons of new people interested in fine British shotguns.

BTW: Talk to the guys who ran up the prices on smallbore Flli Rizzinis a couple years ago. The market for those had dried up and the prices have collapsed.

OWD

Investing in guns is not done by paying retail. Profit is made on the buy, not on the appreciation. Appreciation is just icing on the cake.

Good point eightbore!

With the Fed printing money like crazy and holding the interest rate as essentially zero while inflation continues there isn't much out there going to make your investments grow that well anyway. Might as well have something you can enjoy rather than watch the interest rates, inflation and taxes diminish your savings. Yes I know the stock market is up - but only because there is no other place for most to try to make some money.

Correct,

the "move up buyers" in the double gun market-like the ones in housing,are either trying to keep their job or living on the parents couch not looking to drop 5k on a double.
IMO the demographics don't support buying double guns-mid priced, for "investments" unless you can buy them cheap and flip quickly to a smaller and smaller market and growing supply as we baby boomers start head for the nursing homes.