Gun lovers decommission for Sotheby's sale
Decommissioning of a different kind is taking place in Dublin today as gun enthusiasts hand over their arms to Sotheby’s for a major sale in London in December.
Sotheby’s expert Gavin Gardiner, who is also offering free valuations and advice, believes that vintage sporting rifles worth up to €30,000 could be hanging in dusty gun cupboards in farmhouses around the country.
Mr Gardiner, head of Sotheby’s sporting guns department, expects to see up to 30 clients by appointment today and secure about a dozen entries for the December sale of sporting guns.
He said: “I expect some people will just bring along an old gun they inherited in the family just to have it valued for curiosity sake.
“There is a good gun tradition in Ireland going back generations and I know there are some fine rifles out there from the big London makers.”
Mr Gardiner said hand-built guns from famous London manufacturers like James Purdey & Sons or Holland & Holland are in much demand among collectors.
“Purdey only builds 60 a year and each tailor-made to order,” he said.
“Demand for guns and ammunition is growing from collectors across continental Europe, the US and other foreign markets.”
