32" vs 30"

[Bruce Day]

Xxxxx

[Dean Romig]

That's wonderful Bruce. Thanks for sharing.





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[Setter Man]

It would take a lot more than $5k to make me part with my 1-frame, 20/32 VHE, straight stock DHBP. The case colors are not original but I don’t care.

[Randy Roberts]

Originally Posted by Jay Gardner

It would take a lot more than $5k to make me part with my 1-frame, 20/32 VHE, straight stock DHBP. The case colors are not original but I don’t care.

I tend to agree with that as well. I forgot to mention in the first post where I cited those numbers that the V grade that sold for 5K was an O frame gun of 1919 vintage that weighs 6-11 oz. As you might have guessed it's in my safe. I believe the other one I referenced that was not sold here was also an O frame gun.

[Mark Kircher]

I was involved in a bidding war on Gunbroker a few years back for

1920 20 bore GH -0 frame-straight grip - DT- SFE - 32" "191XXX.

At auctions end I was high bidder at $7,800 If I remember correctly. I was able to renegotiate down to the $6500 range as the gun had a few issues not described in the listing. If pressed, I would have accepted it at the bid price as opposed to returning it. This gun was WELL Used but honest, save some poor stock touch up work.

I would have bought the pinned stock V grade gun that sold for $3200 on this board in a minute had I seen it in time.

The 25% premium is a good number to work with in my opinion. Higher condition guns perhaps even more.

[Bill Murphy]

Decades ago, I paid $450 for my old #2 frame 32" 20, serial number 153,333 at Atlas Sporting Goods in Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia. At the time, a normal 26" or 28" 20 gauge VH would probably have sold for $225. I would like to find that gun and purchase it today. Does that anecdote add anything to our conversation?

[Setter Man]

Bruce, once again you steal the show. Gawd, that’s a magnificent gun.

[Researcher]

Parker Bros. seem to have made more 32-inch 20-gauges then other makers. Possibly DuBray taking orders for guns for California duck club members pushed this. The record tabulations in The Parker Story show 221 VH-/VHE-Grades, six PH-/PHE-Grades, 43 GH-/GHE-Grade, 171 DH-/DHE-Grades, 13 CH-/CHE-Grades, 21 BH-/BHE-Grades (one of these was Clark Gable's), one AH-/AHE-Grade, six AAH-/AAHE-Grades and four A1-Specials. On top of these, there are guns like my GH-Grade that started life as a 2-frame 12-gauge but later went back to Meriden for a set of 32-inch, 3-inch chambered, 20-gauge barrels. One year at The Vintage Cup at Orvis Sandanona, when Kevin McCormack and I were doing the PGCA booth, we had a display that included 0-, 1-, and 2-frame 32-inch 20-gauges.

I have searched the A.H. Fox production records and only found 48 regular frame graded 20-gauges with 32-inch barrels, add that 26 of the sixty some HE-Grade Super-Fox 20-gauges have 32-inch barrels and still only 74 compared to all those Parkers.

[Kevin McCormack]

Researcher wrote:

I have searched the A.H. Fox production records and only found 48 regular frame graded 20-gauges with 32-inch barrels, add that 26 of the sixty some HE-Grade Super-Fox 20-gauges have 32-inch barrels and still only 74 compared to all those Parkers.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the breakdown of the Fox 20 gauges, Dave. Yes they are quite rare compared to other makers. I will have an AE 32-incher in my display at the MACA show in Timonium this weekend.

[Craig Larter]

Just to add to Dave's post, only 4 CE Foxes were made in 20ga with 32 inch barrels. One of these walked in to our booth at the Southern a couple of years back.