Francis, I am looking forward to seeing you at the Lapeer shoot, and having a chance to shoot with you and the rest of the MI boys again

I am not going to respond to any more messages on this thread. As most people know ,what I feel about this auction company I can not speak about in public (even though it makes my blood boil) so I will leave it at that.

There was a few years back a fellow named Tommy Thompson who, after many years of searching and hundreds of thousands of dollars spent, discovered the resting place of the S.S. Central America off the coast of the Carolinas. As soon as he began to bring up the gold coins the insurance company vultures swooped in to make their claims. The Federal Admiralty Courts, wisely, declared what Tommy found was lost and abandoned and awarded him full rights. Insurance companies collect their premiums religiously but are not so religiously inclined to pay their claims, even when totally just. Nash and his family were compensated for the loss at the time, we presume at the fair market value at the time. I don't know what the dollar figure was but twenty years or so later Burt Becker wrote that he could not build a replacement for Bo Whoop for less than $750.00. Nash sold Bo Whoop II to Dr. Chubby Andrews for X dollars. What would it be worth today if it was to come to market? I have no dog in this fight and I'm not going to be a bidder, but if every family descendant could lay claim to something an ancestor lost or sold at the "then" price we all might be coughing up some of our prized guns.

Just My Humble Opinion......George

Good point.

What would be the case if Mr. Buckingham were still alive? I would bet there would be a call to return the gun to him for a nominal sum given his status and history with the gun.I think that someone with deep pockets would ,indeed ,buy the gun and return it to him as a gesture of of good will towards a sporting icon.I realize this is all moot but I still think this whole thing opens up some serious ethical questions.

All very well thought out points of view here-
 

Not trying to compare apples to avocados here, but IMO, a way far simpler situation re: The Czar's 12 bore A1-Special- even if his family hadn't been killed in 1917, after the Revolution, Lenin, Stalin and others of that evil ilk would most likely not been interested in a firearm made in America for a fallen Czar, the last of the Romanoff line. Had they laid claim to it, and by some 'fluke" obtained it, Stalin (Man of Steel) most likely would have had it melted down ina foundry and made into a tanks or Mosin-Nagant rifles--

Very few Gentleman/Sportsmen/Writers have had the influence on generations of American outdoorsmen that the late Nash Buckingham did. He lived and wrote and shot and judged field trials in way different times then we see today, unfortunately.

I hope that whoever ends up with this AH Fox, in itself a fine shotgun even without the stamping on both barrel breechs that might indicate it is "Bo-Whoop", will consider donating it to either the DU Museum in Memphis or perhaps to the Cody Museum, in honor and in memory of "Mr. Buck"--

And in closing, Eric- your "restraint" on this thread is admirable. In my case, there was no written agreement with Julia, but I'm "old school" I guess, I believe a man's word is his bond, and like to be able to do business with a handshake--most likely that makes me a bit of a dinosaur I suppose. And as the lawyers wisely note- a verbal contract is NOT worth the paper it was NOT written on- so, you move on, and chalk it up to experience.

I'm glad our host Paul and Co. has a three day event set up in April- I may get a motel room for Friday night, so I can shoot Friday, socialize, and be set for Saturday- If that jibes with your plans- perhaps some of us can get together for dinner Friday night- I have about a 3 hour drive each way from West MI--no big deal--but worth considering-

Hope we will have some BP events too- I'm presently working on a older Grade 1 12 ga. LC Smith with Chain Damascus barrels-=nothing like the smoke and smell of BP in the early Spring air-sorta gives a man a reason for living--:rolleyes:

The Julia catalogue arrived today and there is a four page spread on Bo-Whoop with a great picture of Mr. Buck and a dead Canada goose in his right hand with Bo-Whoop in the crook of his left arm. There is a very complete history as well. IT WILL BE INTERESTING! Jim Julia warrants clear title in the description.

Best Regards, George

Do they say how they will "warrant" the gun ?

"Do they say how they will "warrant" the gun ?"

Thirty seconds or thirty feet whichever comes first.....:rotf:

Robert & Eric: What the catalogue says & I quote: "James D. Julia will guarantee clear title to the buyer of the gun now and in the future."

I believe that says it all.

Best Regards, George

thanks George.

Well, this mean absolutely nothing.

Problem is that modern insurance companies rarely "disappear". There is always a value in policy holders and premiums they pay, so when there is trouble in the business, state regulators step in and sell assets to another insurance company. Kind of like what is going on with failing banks now on Federal level. The sign changes on the brick, rest stays the same.

Well, if someone has ~200K to spent on an old gun, they have much
better lawyers on retainers than I could ever efford.