On May 1 in London, Bonhams will auction a 12-bore sidelock ejector gun by J Purdey & Sons that once belonged to King Ferdinand of Romania.
 King Ferdi's Purdey was part of a pair |
The gun was made in 1924 for the king, who was married to Princess Marie of Edinburgh, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Valued at up to £12,000 ($20,170), it forms one of the highlights of the Modern Sporting Guns, Rifles and Vintage Firearms auction.
The gun is the first of a pair, as confirmed by its makers.
King Ferdinand reigned during the first world war, and placed Romania on the side of the Triple Entente, rebelling against his German connections.
As a result, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany had him erased from the history of the ruling Hohenzollern family, to which he was related.
Most valuable lot of the sale is expected to be a fine trio of 12-bore sidelock ejector guns by Boss & Co, estimated at £18,000-25,000 ($30,175-41,910). Dating to 1907, the toplevers, rubs and forends of the guns are numbered 1, 2 and 3 in gold, with the makers confirming that No. 3 was rebarrelled by them in 1953.
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