Apart from the extreme rarities mentioned by Brian, there were some other interesting results.
One of the biggest surprises was the very rare ca. 1876 first version Eureka, which sold for the incredibly low price of £75, whereas the less rare later version sold for a more realistic £220. Someone got a fantastic bargain with the early model. Equally surprising was the nice condition Pope, which failed to reach its reserve – a real bargain missed.
The Boone pistol fetched £110, which might surprise American collectors. but you have to take into consideration that it is very rare in the UK (but nowhere near as desirable as a first model Eureka to my mind.) The incredibly rare little Bulldog pistol went for a realistic price of £400 - when are you going to see another? The not quite so rare Haenel 50 made a hammer price of £380. But if you wanted a couple of bargain classic vintage German pistols, you could get a very nice condition pre-war Diana 5 for £35 and a BSF S20 for £45 . And to show that pop-outs can sometimes sell well, a bundle consisting of a Diana 2 and a Milbro Typhoon reached £140 - undoubtedly because of the great rarity of the latter.
Unfortunately the auction house would not post pre-1939 air guns , which technically they could legally do, so I was unable to bid on any of the bargain basement items. The only real ones I regret missing out on are the Eureka and Pope - real antiques, almost 150 years old, and in great condition.