Pistol Auction... AAAARGH!

[robinghewitt]

Closing seconds on an 18th Century transitional revolver by Hollis and Sheath, put in my overwhelming bid with 20 seconds to go and trembling fingers, count to 20, refresh the page, no more bids, must be mine for the bargain price of GBP234 :thumbsup:

But no :shocking:

There's an auction extender to prevent sniping and the auction has 2 more minutes to run.

Wait two minutes, auction now shows 0hrs 0mins left, why isn't it congratulating me??? The it shows "Auction closed" and sends me an email to say I hadn't won after all :curse:

The auction clearly stated, "NO RESERVE, WINNING BID TAKES IT" so I'm on the 'phone and the lines are just about melting between me and them. :curse: :curse: :curse:

Turns out it's a mistake, a glitch in the software, there was a reserve even though it didn't show and wasn't intended, a remenant of it's last time around when it didn't make it's asking price. All seems okay, my check has been sent.

I am amazed I got so heated, I seem to remember I said, "Hi, I'm just about to blacken your good name on every gun chat web site between here and Timbuktu"

Well, it got his attention ::

best regards

Squire Robin

PS: Dear Mods: I didn't have a clue where to post this, move it as you will :thumbsup:

 

[robinghewitt]

Oops! meant 19th century

 

[WRussell]

Good save, Robin. Do send photos when you take your first clay pigeon with it ::

 

[Doc Arroyo]

Well hell, I'll say it............

Congratulations Squire Robin.

and good on you for sticking to your guns!!!

 

[WV_Hillbilly]

Congratulatins are in order-- you will keep us updated I hope...?

Likewise, I think you were correct in pouncing on them as adamantly as you did... methinks maybe you should've been named "Squire Felis Leo"

That's a great find!

Shoot Safely!
WV_Hillbilly

 

[robinghewitt]

It may turn out to be a hunk of junk, but it's a good name and these things usually go for twice this price which is why I was so disappointed when it all seemed to go tits up at the last moment.

The antique gun market seems to be depressed, how is it on your side of the pond?

 

[robinghewitt]

Hey I just moved up to .50 caliber on my postings :thumbsup:

 

[WRussell]

The antique gun market seems to be depressed, how is it on your side of the pond?

Depressing, as in not much showing up (of course I'm only looking at flint pistols).

 

[robinghewitt]

I think most people are sitting tight, putting off selling and waiting for better times

 

[SAJones]

I'm a bit out of the active antique arms arena now that I'm in outback Idaho, but from what I have seen it is still a growing market, except old muzzleloaders are somewhat stagnent. Krags, for example, have doubled in price at a couple recent shows, but a guy had a decent Allen & Thurber single shot for $300 at one two months ago. My cousin bought a Remington 1858, in good condition, for $500 last year. I do agree that premium pieces are hard to find; I've seen few good civilian flintlocks over the past several years, but many military ones.

Not muzzleloaders, but I collect US swords: a common 1812 Starr in fair condition sells (not asked) for as much as a good 1850 Foot Officer's sword within the space of 6 years. I think the on-line auction sites contribute to this inflation.

 

[rayb]

..... I think the on-line auction sites contribute to this inflation.

definitely. one local dealer has started selling lots of stuff over the internet. simetimes even us locals jokels get to see the items before they are sold off somewhere else... but not always..

i have tried to support the local dealers and not the chain stores, but this kind of thing sort of soured me on that shop...

but i'll still go in & look occasionally, you never know what mght turn up...

:m2c:

rayb

 

[WV_Hillbilly]

It may turn out to be a hunk of junk, but it's a good name and these things usually go for twice this price which is why I was so disappointed when it all seemed to go tits up at the last moment.

The antique gun market seems to be depressed, how is it on your side of the pond?

In my particular radius of likely surveillance; antiques of ANY sort bring inordinate sums of cash--though perhap never going to the owner, or the most deserving--probably some nefarious "middleman".

Items such as the one you've found seem to evade my eyes somehow until they manage to make it into pawn shops--which of all the possible places to find a genuine antique firearm--charge the most astronomical prices of the lot.

Estate auctions would be the best place, at least in my locale, to pick up a gun of that type. However, there's usually some less than honourable type--one of the heirs to the legacy--that wants their money more quickly; and so these guns somehow get sold off, or come up missing before the auction date... VERY strange. A large problem (for me) is that most of these are "graded" by apparently referring to some hallowed (though un-named) reference--that oddly enough, I've yet to find a copy. Most of the guns that I DO get to see are priced much higher than their actual condition would indicate to the typical buyer.

I have a very good friend who owns an "antique store" & gun shop. Typically the guns are all long guns that do not go back further than the American Civil War (which is a hobby of the owner). Since I am mostly uninterested in many of them--those pieces are generally affordable. BUT, if a more modern military gun does come in as a trade, etc... it isn't overly graded or priced out of reach either. One of the better things about this seemingly coarse fellow (who is a very wise and even-handed elderly gentleman), is that he will allow bartering and trades, swaps of "just about anything" useable, to be used in lieu of currency. I have bought things outright for cash from him on occasion, but he is more than equitable in the swaps we have made.

My answers did deviate somewhat from your actuacl question, (not too much), though I hope that this extra bit of detail gives you a better picture of what at least one other person has to deal with across the Atlantic.

Regards, and Shoot Safely!
WV_Hillbilly

PS PM me sometime and I can relate some further interesting tales and deals--as these may not be of interest to the average person to clutter the forum with them.