22 March 2017
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Funken engraved shotgun realises £13,000 at Holt's
Rare sporting shotgun beats estimate at Holt's auction.
Holt’s Auctioneers’ recently sold a fine and rare Funken-engraved 20-bore ‘superposed exhibition grade’ single trigger over-and-under shotgun made in 1960 by Browning Arms Co. for £13,000, against an estimate of £9,000-11,000.
The gun features in Ned Schwing's book, ‘The Superposed Browning - John M. Browning's Last Legacy.’
Holt’s Auctioneers’ Chris Beaumont commented, “Having a gun for auction that has been featured in a key reference book is a pretty rare thing and it’s a great confidence inspirer to the buying public, having already been marked out as something special to the world. Even better when the book is a 20-year old publication and the gun in question has been hidden away all this time. We’re really pleased this one topped its estimate and did it proper justice.”
The gun features 28in nitro barrels with a 5mm ventilated matt top-rib and ivorine bead sight, the over barrel gold-inlaid on the left side 'BROWNING ARMS COMPANY ST LOUIS MO. & MONTREAL P.G. SPECIAL STEEL - 20 GA-SHELLS 2 3/4" AND 3"', and gold-inlaid on the right 'PATENTS NO2.203.378 - 2.233.66 MADE IN BELGIUM', with 3in chambers and bored approximately 1/4 and full choke, the action with a hold-open toplever, manual safety with integral barrel selector switch, gold-washed trigger, the blacked action finely carved in relief with art nouveau scrolls and designs and with central depictions of pigeon in flight, highlighted in gold and rose gold, signed in gold 'F. Funken', the fore-end decorated en suite, 14 1/4in. highly-figured semi-pistolgrip stock (rechequered) including trademarked buttplate, weight 6lb, in a leather case.
Holt’s Auctioneers’ next auction in London is on Thursday 22 June 2017.