At Malvern today I spotted a row of rifles on a table, and on getting closer realised they were ex-fair Cadets, An interesting chat with the lady selling, and a look around showed she had quite a bit of fairground stuff, all apparently from the same source, a retired guy in Southend.

The Cadets were all the same prefix (BC) and were rough as hell, having obviously had hard lives, and been used till they packed up, not one would stay cocked and all had various stock damage and splits etc. Amazingly all had the original sights, and all had the brazed on brass cork attachment, and original chain to the stock with a huge wing nut at the other end, and looked for all the world as if they had been chucked in the van at the end of the last fair they were used at back in gawd knows when.

Besides these were the original, nicely sign written but a bit tatty around the edges boards, maybe 3 x 2 feet with "The packet must be knocked clean off the shelf to win a prize!" written on them, apparently the "targets" were empty packets of Wild Will's or whatever brand cigarettes which were shot at with corks, these guns had not shot pellets, and a glance up a few bores later I could not even say if they were smooth or rifled as all were filthy and full of cobwebs.

I ummed and ahhhed...One rifle and sign would have made a nice display but the guns were in dire straights, and the asking price (£50 per gun / £35 per sign) meant that in the end I walked away.

Thing is though, I will probably never see the like again, so now am wondering if I did the right thing

Please re-assure me

Also saw a heavily patinated highest possible (£500), Mk1 target Webley pistol (£?) and the usual suspects, came home just £5 poorer but with a nice 1950's bakelite and glass cased engineering inspector's head band type binocular magnifying viewer.

ATB, ED