Classic guns at Gavin Gardiner

Two pairs of 20-bore guns each sold for £37,500 (includes BP of 25%) in Gavin Gardiner Ltd’s live/online auction of Modern & Vintage Sporting Guns in April. A fine pair of 20-bore round action ejector guns by Scottish maker David McKay Brown beat the estimate of £20,000-£30,000 and were bought by a member of the trade. Signed in gold on the action base and with trigger plates decorated with scenes of ducks and pheasants in flight, the maker confirms that the guns were built in 1992 and appear to have had relatively little use.

A fine pair of 20-bore sidelock ejector guns by James Purdey & Sons that were built in May 1901 for Baron d’Erlanger also sold for £37,500 to a private collector.

The guns retained a high degree of original finish and remained in a very good and original unrestored condition.

Among the other highlights of the sale which comprised 256 lots of guns, rifles and accessories was a classic and fine pair of Preater engraved Holland & Holland 12bore Royal Deluxe self-opening sidelock ejector guns which realised £34,375 and was bought by a member of the trade, Ordered in 1973 and built in 1975, the guns with 28in barrels and 2 3/4in chambers, were engraved with fine game scenes within bold deluxe engraving and are typical of the deluxe series of guns that this engraver is renowned for. Ken Preater worked almost exclusively for Holland & Holland since apprenticing as an engraver in the 1950s. Specialising in game scenes and bold scrollwork, he soon became Holland & Holland’s chief engraver and was responsible for much of the work on the Products of Excellence Series and many of the unique commissions that Holland & Holland undertook in the 1970s and 1980s – these guns would cost well over £300,000 if ordered new today.

Another interesting example in the sale was a scare and historic 12-bore ‘superposed’ B25 over and under ejector gun by F.N. Browning which fetched £6,250 against an estimate of £1,000£1,500 and was bought by an overseas collector. The gun which was impressed with the serial number ‘6’ is likely to have been completed in 1930 and is one of the earliest known examples of the classics Browning B25 known to exist.

Serial number ‘0’ is apparently still retained by Browning and serial number ‘1’, which was shipped to Browning’s ammunition plant, has recently been discovered in Australia. This example came to the UK after WWII and this is the first time it was being offered on the open market.

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