LC Smith 8 gauge up for auction

[Milton C Starr]

I love seeing American 8 gauges and you rarely see these pop up .
Wish I could find a picture of a LC Smith , Lefever and Parker 8 gauge next to each other .

https://www.proxibid.com/Firearms-Military-Artifacts/Firearms/C-L-C-SMITH-GRADE-2-8-GAUGE-SIDE-BY-SIDE-SHOTGUN/lotInformation/52114283#topoflot

[Bill Murphy]

They are all really big. You will need a big checkbook for any of them.

[Milton C Starr]

They are all really big. You will need a big checkbook for any of them.

How do they come up with the estimated price ? I thought it would be more than 2500-3500 , even if it sells for a bit more ive never seen a hammerless Parker 8 ga go that low .

Theres a few 8 ga Parker hammerless guns on GI but two of them are approaching the cost of a WR droplock 8 ga .

I seen a auction a few years ago for another LC Smith 8 ga I think it sold for under 4k . Do they not bring the cost of a Parkers ? I had thought they would go for more since so few were made . Then again a American 8 ga is a niche in a already niche market .

[charlie cleveland]

back in 1958 my dad could have bought a lc smith 8 ga for 250 dollars but passed it up and bought a e grade lefever 10 ga...i still have this gun but i always wished he could have bought the 8 ga....a few years back maybe 10 years i could have bought a nice lc smith 8 ga but the fellow asked me 18000 for it...i was bidding on a 10 ga lefver about 5 years ago it got up to 1500 and i said im not gona pay that well the guy said it weighed a ton...the other fellow bid 5 dollars more than i did it turned out to be a 8 ga ...my heart done a flip... charlie

[Milton C Starr]

back in 1958 my dad could have bought a lc smith 8 ga for 250 dollars but passed it up and bought a e grade lefever 10 ga...i still have this gun but i always wished he could have bought the 8 ga....a few years back maybe 10 years i could have bought a nice lc smith 8 ga but the fellow asked me 18000 for it...i was bidding on a 10 ga lefver about 5 years ago it got up to 1500 and i said im not gona pay that well the guy said it weighed a ton...the other fellow bid 5 dollars more than i did it turned out to be a 8 ga ...my heart done a flip... charlie

Charlie I had the money back in November to buy a 8 gauge lifter but I decided not to for some reason . Now im kicking myself for not getting it .

Charlie that reminds me of a post I seen on another site a family was selling a LC Smith 8 gauge at auction , come to find out it was a 12 gauge .

[Dennis E. Jones]

With a 26 percent buyers fee, the 3 percent merchants fee plus any sale tax it's going to be EXPENSIVE. The auction company's guarantee is so vague that if you got a lemon you would have to make lemonade and say "how sweet it is".

[Ken Descovich]

So if this is truly an 8 ga this is number 47.

[Milton C Starr]

With a 26 percent buyers fee, the 3 percent merchants fee plus any sale tax it's going to be EXPENSIVE. The auction company's guarantee is so vague that if you got a lemon you would have to make lemonade and say "how sweet it is".

I cant exactly remember but I seen a auction where it was either a Lefever or LC Smith 8 gauge sold for 40k but I think it was one of the higher graded ones . What would make such a gun a lemon ? Probably the most expensive fix on a vintage double would be unsafe wall thickness ?

[Milton C Starr]

So if this is truly an 8 ga this is number 47.

Are the other 46 that well documented or currently known ?

[Dean Romig]

How do they come up with the estimated price ? I thought it would be more than 2500-3500 , even if it sells for a bit more ive never seen a hammerless Parker 8 ga go that low.


One of the main jobs of any auction house is to entice folks to bid on an item so part of their strategy is to undervalue an item thus causing folks to think “Holy ****! now’s my chance to get one of these for way less than market price!”... and the bidding begins. Before long the item reaches market price.





.

[Rick Losey]

One of the main jobs of any auction house is to entice folks to bid on an item so part of their strategy is to undervalue an item thus causing folks to think “Holy ****! now’s my chance to get one of these for way less than market price!”... and the bidding begins. Before long the item reaches market price.
.

very true - how many times have you been to an auction and no one will bite on the first offered opening bid, so the opening gets lowered once or twice and then the bidding starts.

next thing you know- the same people who would not raise a hand to the original open are now bidding several times more than that to stay in the race.

[Ken Descovich]

James Stubbendiecks book L C Smith Production Records show the serial numbers of 46 8 ga guns and this gun is not listed. There are extra heavy barreled 10 ga guns that could be converted, I hope that is not the case here.

[charlie cleveland]

i watched and looked at lc smith 8 ga s for most of my life ...i counted every one i ever heard of...i would safely say there in no more than 60 lc smith 8 gauges ever made....charlie

[Milton C Starr]

i watched and looked at lc smith 8 ga s for most of my life ...i counted every one i ever heard of...i would safely say there in no more than 60 lc smith 8 gauges ever made....charlie

Arent the known LC Smith 8 gauges all listed as being made in 1897-98 a one year time frame ? The one in question claims to be from 1901 .

[Ken Descovich]

Milton if you are going to start collecting the 8 ga guns I would suggest getting the most up to date books available as in James Stubendiecks book if you are looking for L C Smiths. If you are going after Parkers get the latest and greatest Parker books.

[Milton C Starr]

Milton if you are going to start collecting the 8 ga guns I would suggest getting the most up to date books available as in James Stubendiecks book if you are looking for L C Smiths. If you are going after Parkers get the latest and greatest Parker books.

I have my eye on a 10 ga Parkers I may be able to pick up soon .

What would be some good Parkers books ? Are there any specifically about the larger frame Parkers ?

Actually Ive been trying to find info on grade 1 hammerless guns out of curiosity .

[Rick Losey]

The Parker Story 2 volume set is the best reference you will find

i am not aware of any books concentrating on just big bores for any of the makers

[charlie cleveland]

i know of a lc smith 8 ga made in 1916 and of one msde after 1918...charlie

[Jim DiSpagno]

A BigBore collector friend who passed about 5 years ago had 9 LC Smith8 bore guns and they have yet to hit the market. I’ll be one of the first to know when they tentatively do

[Milton C Starr]

i know of a lc smith 8 ga made in 1916 and of one msde after 1918...charlie

I wonder if Parker made any 8 gauges after 1918 ?

Are there records for LC Smiths that can tell what the gun is by the serial number like with a Parkers ?

[Ken Descovich]

Yes and no the 90,000 thru 99,999 serial number book is missing so there is no records for this up coming gun. The only thing that may help out on this gun is knowing the center to center dimension between firing pins, since I do not own a 8ga smith I do not know what that dimension should be, maybe someone could help you there.