Isn't that a little extreme.....if it was true Jones would be where Purdey was and Purdey would be where Jones is...Don't think people didn't know quality back then just like some do now.
I don't think it is. Shops were run by masters or people who knew masters. The Brit trade had a host of outworkers who make better money than inworkers by being better at some specialty. Any shop could get best work done by paying for it. Any shop or seller could have gotten out a best gun with his name on it. The trick was to get the commissions for best work. Purdey's built a reputation for best work over a long time. Also, they made themselves socially "necessary." Buying best work was vastly easier than establishing an upscale shop in dog-eat-dog market.
Salesman William Evans learned the marketing game well while at Purdey's. Even so, he was not quite able to lead his own shop into the same lofty social circles as Purdey's. He bought in and resold a fair % of best guns, but not near the same % as Purdey's made in their own shop.
I'm convinced that there were no secrets in the trade as to what designs, materials, and workmanship were necessary for a best gun. This was known. The secrets were in how to get customers to order and pay for best work. And, yes, I think most Brit customers really bought the name, not necessarily the gun.
