Bugelspanner spares valuation

[peter.H]

I have a Oscar Will Bugelspanner in pieces that I want to sell,and need some idea as to what it’s worth,it would be a good source of spares or as a project. The barrel is a .25 stamped Original,and has open sights,the cylinder has a good piston and washer plus it’s two springs,the stock has a few woodworm holes,they have been treated.The stock is fitted with the trigger guard come cocking leaver and the rod,I think all that’s missing is the trigger unit.I need to put a price on it before I can advertise it for sale,so any ideas would be a great help.

[flatrajectory]

Difficult to price Peter as they very rarely come up for sale. Also, do owners of such rare rifles actually shoot them...???
I know I would but there are lot of collectors out there who would not dream of actually firing their precious items.....
What do others think.?

Pete.

[ccdjg]

I would say that a very poor one, with some missing or broken parts and no finish to speak of would sell for around £150 (that's what I paid for one from eGun), and a typical complete but well used one for about £300 (again that's what I paid). However, a very good condition, early one with the fancy trigger guard could reach £400. These guns are really wall hangers and are disappointing to shoot (only intended for darts and mainly used for fairground entertainment). They are often regarded mistakenly as precious antiques, and admittedly they were introduced in the late 1800's they were still being made almost unchanged in the 1950's. So the chances are that you could have something not very old. Can you post a pic of the trigger guard or describe it, as this would help date and value the gun?

I would have said that restoring it would be a better investment than selling it for parts, especially if you have an early example, but you are missing a crucial and difficult chunk to replace, unless you are good at metal work. If you can't make a repro' trigger unit yourself then the cost of getting one made would mean that selling for spares would be more profitable. You could for example get £20 for the volute springs alone.

[peter.H]

Many thanks for the above information,I've been told that it's a latter model because it's stamped Original,I bought it with the intention of rebuilding it,but I have limited engineering skills,and I would need the parts in order to get someone to copy them,I will try to get a few photos put on so perhaps someone can say whats missing.