G&D, Any Favorites?

[Craig Larter]

I really liked lot 61 a VHE 16a 28" straight grip in super condition, in my sweet spot for best quality era Parker guns and engraving 183477. I lost and it sold for $10200 for a VHE!!! Good for the consignor but that is BIG BUCKS in my world for a V graded. I did consider a bid but before I could hit the BID Button it went to the moon. That kind of money buys a 20ga DHE 20ga in decent condition.

I did win the Will Herevin Black duck lot 467 an early Charlestown, Susquehanna Flats maker. I have only hunted on the Flats a few times but needed a Cecil County decoy to remind me of the golden era of waterfowl hunting. Heverin made all his decoys by hand without the use of a duplicating lathe. Heverin made his first decoys about 1885. 99% of decoys from the Flats are divers and the great majority/most have been repainted. The huge rigs on the Flats were used for many years and need to be repainted by the market hunters and later by the guides for the well to do. Puddle duck decoys from this region are rare and even rarer in original condition.

[Bill Murphy]

Craig, speaking of Susquehanna black ducks, the lot #468 Bob McGaw black duck brought about four grand. What's with that? My McGaw canvasback from the A.J. Cummings spread was a gift from A.J. Junior, as a thank you for giving him a great Golden. The Golden was still going strong when A.J. died at 95 a few years ago.

[Craig Larter]

McGaw decoys bring very little money because his production was lathe produced in huge numbers. His pre 1929 hand chopped decoys sell for higher prices. Most production was divers and sell for a few hundred dollars, blacks made before 1929 bring good prices.

[Bill Murphy]

OK, Craig, here goes. A.J. and I had a long relationship that involved fooling with guns, drinking bourbon, and freeloading at some friends' Eastern Shore Dorcester County RSA. A.J.'s dad and his friends were serious Potomac River waterfowlers, headquartered below Washington D.C. at Fort Washington, Maryland where Henry Bartholomew, "Doc" and Nash Buckingham hunted canvasbacks. A.J.'s dad and his McGaw spread were discussed in a Decoy magazine article a few years ago. When we were in his basement recreation room, having an Ezra Brooks, we were a room away from an overflowing closet full of McGaw canvasbacks, and another room full of his extensive working gun collection. What a life we live.

[Craig Larter]

[QUOTE=Bill Murphy;445031]OK, Craig, here goes. A.J. and I had a long relationship that involved fooling with guns, drinking bourbon, and freeloading at some friends' Eastern Shore Dorcester County RSA. A.J.'s dad and his friends were serious Potomac River waterfowlers, headquartered below Washington D.C. at Fort Washington, Maryland where Henry Bartholomew, "Doc" and Nash Buckingham hunted canvasbacks. A.J.'s dad and his McGaw spread were discussed in a Decoy magazine article a few years ago. When we were in his basement recreation room, having an Ezra Brooks, we were a room away from an overflowing closet full of McGaw canvasbacks, and another room full of his extensive working gun collection. What a life we live.[/QUOT E]

Your a lucky man to have participated in the last days of the Susquehanna flats golden era of hunting. How sad it is that a once meca is now just a shadow of it's by gone days. We only have the wooden decoys to remind us of what was once was.

[ArtS]

I didn't buy any Parkers but did buy three guns I had been watching. I was watching around 40 guns in all just to follow the prices ( I tend to buy a lot of other types of guns than Parkers). I bid on 8 guns total, and only won the three. Two of the other five were guns I tried to buy and lost to the sytem as before. On these two, I was willing to bid several thousand more, but couldn't place a bid. This happens every auction. On the three I bought, I had placed bids at the level I was willing to pay, and they were started and bid up for me successfully. They were relatively inexpensive and I actually got them at good prices. The other two were much more expensive and I had entered minimum bids ahead of time. With these two and a couple of last minute alternate bids I was never able to complete a final bid before the hammer fell. Prebids execute quickly but internet live bids require a "bid" and then a "confirm bid" step. In 4 or 5 cases, I hit "Bid" then "Confirm" and they never registered before the hammer. The bid itself always made it because because I recieved messages that my "bid of X Dollars" was outbid, but I never recieve credit for the bid until it is too late. I have talked to other people who have the same experience. The bidding for the high value guns stretches to incredible lengths (as it should) but to make up for this given the time issues, the length of time per item goes to sometimes unworkable lengths on the lower valued items (and these are often not trivial amounts). In my case, the sellers lost several thousand dollars they might have realized on just two items. These were not think about it and bid too late; these were quick competitive bids with final calls of a few seconds. To put a blunt point on it, they are selling too many items in a fixed amount of time from the buyers viewpoint.

One change I believe they could make would be to go to a system that Cowan's auction used and uses. (He is the long time Cincinnati house who has been a Militaria and Weapons appraiser on Antiques Road Show for decades). They have merged recently with a large national chain but still do their own auctions. They hold regular weapons auctions which are two day events. The bulk of their lots are sold though a seven to ten day internet only auction on the first day and the significant items are sold live on the following day. The internet bidding allows the final bid haggling go on as long as necessary and the time of the live auctions is shortened. All the lots are available for review, and if someone wants to see an item in the first auction before bidding, they can review it the day before and place an online bid, if they are attending the live auction. I think this system would allow for equitable bidding on all the lots while maximizing income for the sellers and the house while cutting down on the length of the auction.

[Steven Wilson]

I was looking at the Parker .410 that was owned by Connecticut lieutenant governor Roy Wilcox. It was one of the first six made, all ordered together and used extensively at my club, where he was a 50+ year member. His hunting partner was Charlie Parker Jr (the only reason that batch was made) and the upland game back then was wild quail. In Connecticut! If someone here got it, I have some club history on it. The Hammonassett Fishing Association in Madison, CT. I was willing to go to 35-40K to return it to its original happy hunting ground. I was stunned how fast it went past 100K.

[edgarspencer]

Originally Posted by Steven Wilson

I was willing to go to 35-40K to return it to its original happy hunting ground.

I don't know where it's going, Steve, but it's been right here in CT all along. Pains me to say, only 10 miles away.