I guess its value has greatly diminished due to the impending loss of lead shot here in UK ,as well as the thinning of the ranks of those who read its owners books and articles .....all of which are rapidly becoming things of the past.
Carl Russell has had this listed on his for awhile. Very nice Atkin. I love an Atkin and this is one I would love to own. I went to Holt's site and did not see this Atkin listed.
A bargain for someone if it goes within that price estimate. He wrote extensively about this gun in Shooting Times magazine and had it made, in his opinion, as the ideal Game Gun. If I had the spare cash at the moment I would consider leaving a bid. Sadly , new vehicle may take precedence. Lagopus…..
27” barrels don’t help it’s value. Funny thing is that 30 years ago short barrels were the rage and long barrels were very hard to move. Just think what this gun would cost to have made today. 50,000 pounds? Twice that? And here it might bring just a few thousand. I think there are going to be a lot of bargains over the next few years for those with cash and a place to shoot lead shot.
Sometimes I get this wrong, but, I seem to recall this gun as having had a major problem that was repaired, leaving it not quite GT’s gun. Barrels? Sleeved? Restock? I can’t remember. But, if it is anything I listed, above, especially sleeving, it isn’t worth the price being asked now, much less what was being asked, before. Gough Thomas ordered this gun late in life, and, as he clearly explained, it was intended to be his last gun, and featured many compromises that would help to keep an old man (that he planned on being someday) in the game, so to speak. The length of the tubes and the weight of the gun, being the most obvious of those.
AG & L recently built some replicas of it which were £50k .Saw one at their shooting ground,looked a nice gun!!!
The new Atkin GT gun being produced has 29" barrels and a tad over 7 lbs. New AGL. It is bespoke so I guess you could order it with 27" barrels and less weight.
Ted,
The gun at Holt's does not mention sleeved or thin barrels. Holt's generally lists those items. Holt's doesn't have bore measurements out yet. GT had an issue he didn't like with the gun on initial delivery and Atkin corrected the issues quickly. If you have more information, please post.
The gun has either been up for sale, or changed hands several times since GT's ownership. That may in itself be either people 'speculating' on a famous gun, or maybe the gun didn't meet their expectations?
It's likely that the low estimate is not an "estimate of value" at all, but a ploy to get more bidders into the arena, to get the actual sale price higher, the same principle as penny auctions.
The gun was most recently at Bonham’s last winter where it had a 10-15k sterling estimate, but drew no bids. Bonhams. Nick Holt Released a video of himself examining the gun, however I cannot locate it at this point.
"27” barrels don’t help it’s value. Funny thing is that 30 years ago short barrels were the rage and long barrels were very hard to move."
Bespoke gunmakers used to advise the client that barrel length should harmonise with his height. Some still do. A less diplomatic gunsmith I used to know put it more directly to a 5 foot 2 guy who wanted a 30 inch barrel A302 auto: "you are a stumpy little guy, with that gun you will look real funny".
Interesting story on Stanbury's Webley & Scott, Ted. The article mentions that the gun was out of proof when the current owner bought it. I wonder why? Not because of bore diameter. Could it have had original 2 1/2" chambers, later lengthened to 2 3/4" without reproof? 2 1/2" chambers and 1 1/4 oz proof would be very unusual. And the gun was made in 1921, but chamber length wasn't a required proofmark until 1925.
Not because of bore diameter. Could it have had original 2 1/2" chambers, later lengthened to 2 3/4" without reproof? 2 1/2" chambers and 1 1/4 oz proof would be very unusual. And the gun was made in 1921, but chamber length wasn't a required proofmark until 1925.
It may have originally been proved at .719 (13/1) which would have gone out of proof at .728. Current quote bores in the article are within correct range for a nominal 12 (but not a nominal 13/1 - That would be my most likely explanation.
The gun is similar in specification to a 'live pigeon' type gun -. and these frequently started life with 2 3/4 chambers, 1 1/4 oz proof.
The gun in question, is pictured on the dust cover of G.T.Garwood's [Goff Thomas ] ,"Gun Book," Records show it is gun #3512,made in 1948, actioned by the late Bill Mealy, and engraved by Harry Kell. It is a self opening hammerless ejector. It was or still is a splendid example of a best London gun.
So a 10K bid is 13k with house vig and vat is $18,119.40. With 27” barrels that might be full retail these days. Some are thrilled by the celebrity history and some could care less. With 30” barrels I expect it would have bought more.
I think it was truly an an outstanding gun. I have a 1927 spring opener that I would have to get 20K for if I wanted to sell it. Henry Atkin's are fantastic guns.
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