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Thread: Rare Diana 2 pistol missed at auction

  1. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Phil Russell View Post
    Agreed ... may seem callous but it is a cruel world out there. I have seen a few auction items that interested me before a 'heads up' on here and elsewhere and have quietly cursed. Some I have bought, others I have missed and have never known if I had paid more than if the 'heads up' had not been there.
    Mind you, on some occasions I have visited the auction (like to do that anyway) to see for myself and have seen the said item is in very very poor condition but then sell to 'the internet' at what I thought to be a far too high a price. At that time I have thought 'poor bu****, I wonder if they know what they have just bought?'

    Cheers, Phil
    Speaking as someone who once briefly worked at an auction house (not a gun one) many many years ago, and saw some slightly unethical practices at times, I am sometimes a little sceptical when “the internet” does that.

  2. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by WebleyWombler View Post
    I say keep stumm. If a collector is serious , he will have seen it. Remember the .25 BSA that went for £50 a couple of months back? We can all live in hope
    I do !

  3. #18
    micky2 is offline The collector formerly known as micky
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    Quote Originally Posted by Geezer View Post
    Speaking as someone who once briefly worked at an auction house (not a gun one) many many years ago, and saw some slightly unethical practices at times, I am sometimes a little sceptical when “the internet” does that.
    I have emailed auctions for information, like is it in working order. and have had reply's back of sorry not tested. and also for more photos, and been sent the ones that are already on their listing.

  4. #19
    micky2 is offline The collector formerly known as micky
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lakey View Post
    I do !
    Yes l got really lucky on that one.

  5. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by micky2 View Post
    I have emailed auctions for information, like is it in working order. and have had reply's back of sorry not tested. and also for more photos, and been sent the ones that are already on their listing.
    I’ve emailed a couple of times to ask if a rifle or pistol is smoothbore or rifled, and someone’s always gone to check. Picked up a rifled Diana Model 1 pistol recently because of this. Doubt they’d be bothered to take more pictures though.

    Matt

  6. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Garvin View Post
    Not like this one! The one on eGun is much more common. This one has smooth grips back and front, hence John saying it's rare.

    Just because something is rare, doesn't always mean it will be valuable, sought after or desirable? I think perhaps this Diana is a case in point?

  7. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by slug-gun View Post
    Just because something is rare, doesn't always mean it will be valuable, sought after or desirable? I think perhaps this Diana is a case in point?
    True enough. There can't be many specialist collectors of postwar pop-out pistols. But usually someone can be persuaded to buy something when they know very few exist, I suppose.
    Vintage Airguns Gallery
    ..Above link posted with permission from Gareth W-B
    In British slang an anorak is a person who has a very strong interest in niche subjects.

  8. #23
    ccdjg is online now Airgun Alchemist, Collector and Scribe
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    Quote Originally Posted by Garvin View Post
    True enough. There can't be many specialist collectors of postwar pop-out pistols. But usually someone can be persuaded to buy something when they know very few exist, I suppose.
    What makes something desirable is very subjective, and I don't think we can be dismissive of one person's idea of desirability simply because it doesn't fit in with our own perceptions. Desirability can come from the accepted monetary value of an object, from a sheer admiration for the object, from what memories the object evokes, or from the challenge it provides in completing a collection. It only takes two people to want a rare object for any of those reasons to make it financially valuable.


    Concerning this particular Diana pistol, it probably only fits into the category of 'completing a collection', lacking any other virtues. But to the collector with a particular interest in the history of the air pistol, it will be desirable, and he will not have to be 'persuaded to buy it', though he may need to be informed that it exists.
    Last edited by ccdjg; 14-08-2020 at 08:18 PM.

  9. #24
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    Apologies. You're right, I shouldn't be dismissive of pop-outs.

    I think I've been terminally scarred by owning nothing but a Gat for a couple of years in the '70s.
    Vintage Airguns Gallery
    ..Above link posted with permission from Gareth W-B
    In British slang an anorak is a person who has a very strong interest in niche subjects.

  10. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Garvin View Post
    Apologies. You're right, I shouldn't be dismissive of pop-outs.

    I think I've been terminally scarred by owning nothing but a Gat for a couple of years in the '70s.
    They’re not my thing (I prefer guns that aren’t rubbish and can actually hit things), but I can fully understand why some collectors get fascinated by pop-outs. They are an important part of the history of the sport.

  11. #26
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    Accuracy is a prerequisite for a spot in my air pistol collection...but there will always be three or four pop-outs in there, just from a historical importance point of view.
    I just make the target bigger!

    Matt

  12. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by ccdjg View Post
    What makes something desirable is very subjective, and I don't think we can be dismissive of one person's idea of desirability simply because it doesn't fit in with our own perceptions. Desirability can come from the accepted monetary value of an object, from a sheer admiration for the object, from what memories the object evokes, or from the challenge it provides in completing a collection. It only takes two people to want a rare object for any of those reasons to make it financially valuable.


    Concerning this particular Diana pistol, it probably only fits into the category of 'completing a collection', lacking any other virtues. But to the collector with a particular interest in the history of the air pistol, it will be desirable, and he will not have to be 'persuaded to buy it', though he may need to be informed that it exists.
    Agree 100%. My collecting interests always centered on airguns with different actions. Subtle differences in woodwork and/or rarity go unnoticed to me.
    Popouts like the Diana 2 are another action type to me and I have a popout which I never hit anything with😀, but it nevertheless has its place in my collection.
    A while ago I became aware of a peep sight for an airgun that is squarely in the hen's teeth category. The very instant I became aware of its availability, I realized that I would be in competition with others for it. I would not have known about it if there was no heads-up in the first place. I did not buy it, others beat me to it.

    Obviously spreading the word is only good if one is not directly interested.
    C'est la vie.

  13. #28
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    found a similar one in a drawer.

    Has Gecado markings though.Making the assumption that some Dianas got Gecado grips and vice versa?

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