Four years ago last June, for about a week, I had in my hands a Fox 20 ga. XE in original condition. I had posted photos in a thread back then. The gun was owned by the now 105 year old friend of my wife. The owner lived by herself on a remote barrier island on our coast until she was in her 100s. It was her father's gun. She kept the gun loaded behind her bedroom closet door and her family was concerned about her shooting someone who didn't need shooting. The family, no longer hunters, had tried to sell the gun locally but was told the gun was unsafe to shoot and a local gunshop offered $750 for it. They wisely declined. I knew the gun was worth a lot more, but the value was up in the air. Not many 20 ga. XE’s had been on the market recently. I knew better than to try to buy it as I was in a “no win” situation had I done so. The son took my advice and had Jim Kelly check it and obtained a Callahan letter (glowing letter as the son lived near him and he had a hands on with the gun). The son had it professionally photographed and I wrote the copy for the Gunbroker ad. The gun was started at a penny with no reserve. The auction was dog eat puppy and the hammer fell at $24,001.00.
