On Tuesday 1 December, Bonhams Knightsbridge will host its Sporting Guns sale featuring some exceptional firearms from eminent names including Asprey and Purdey & Sons.
The first Asprey lot, expected to fetch £25,000-35,000, is a stunning pair of guns - a .222 Remington sidelock ejector rifle and a 28- bore (2¾in) sidelock ejector gun. A very collectible pair.
They are presented in a brass-mounted oak and leather case with canvas cover and makers accessories.
The set is in excellent condition and appears to have had little use.
The .222 (Rem) has a left lockplate carved with a fox, the right with a hare, the underside with a mink and partridge, all surrounded by best bold foliate-scrollwork.
The chopper-lump barrels with short matt sight-rib, engraved Calibre .222 Remington, with open- sight for 50 yards and leaf-sights for 100, 200 & 300 yards, the rib engraved Asprey, New Bond Street, London.
The 28-bore has the left lockplate carved with a woodcock, the right with a partridge, the underside with a pair of grouse, all surrounded by best bold foliate-scrollwork.
The second Asprey lot is a fine Portsmouth-engraved .470 sidelock ejector rifle.
The toplever is carved with a leopard, the fences carved with tribal masks on a matt ground, the left lockplate carved with a Cape buffalo, the right lockplate with a rhinocerous, the underside with an elephant, each on a matt ground and with trailing foliage, the underside also with Asprey London inlaid in gold and signed 'AP'.
The rib is engraved Asprey, New Bond Street, London, and with ramp-mounted bead-foresight with fold-away moon-sight.
Presented in excellent condition with in its brass-mounted oak and leather case with canvas cover and maker's accessories, the lot is anticipated to reach £30,000-40,000.
Asprey's presence in the sale also includes a fine pair of Portsmouth-engraved .410 (3in) self-opening sidelock ejector guns by Asprey, expected to fetch £30,000-40,000.
The toplevers, ribs and forend-tips numbered '1' and '2' in gold, the pinless lockplates with best bold foliate-scroll engraving, gold- inlaid cocking-indicators, double rolled-edge triggerguards, the undersides with Asprey London inlaid in gold, the trigger-plates signed 'AP', well-figured stocks, the chopper-lump barrels with game- ribs, engraved Asprey, New Bond Street, London, and self-opening compressors.
It is presented in its brass-mounted oak and leather case with makers accessories.
 Pair of Purdey's |
Another notable item within the sale is a fine pair of 12-bore self-opening sidelock ejector guns by J. Purdey & Sons (1937).
The toplevers and ribs are engraved '1' and '2', the fences and lockplates with best large scroll engraving, cocking-indicators, much hardening-colour, highly-figured replacement stocks with leather- covered recoil-pads, the chopper-lump barrels with game-ribs engraved J. Purdey & Sons, Audley House, South Audley Street, London.
They are presented in their leather motor-case, with J. Purdey trade-label and estimated to fetch £35,000-40,000.
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