hi harry it will affect value but i may be able to help when i come over in october! i work with a company that makes this type of handle and will see if i can get you direct replacements. Bw matthew
I have a BSA Centenial rifle which I bought new in 1983 for the then huge price of £230. I can still hear my dad's words now "wot tha spendin' that much on a bluddy air rifle for?". The rifle came with a 4x40 scope, PH mounts, an arrestor block(?), Deluxe padded gun case and the usual BSA target holder, pellets and oil bottle.
Over time the plastic handles on the gun case seem to have "perished" for want of a better word, and have gone brittle and snapped off. My 2 questions are,
a) Has anyone else noticed this happening?
and
b) Will it adversely affect the collector value of the gun?
The South of England has 2 good things, the M1 and the A1. Both will take you to Yorkshire.
hi harry it will affect value but i may be able to help when i come over in october! i work with a company that makes this type of handle and will see if i can get you direct replacements. Bw matthew
Hi. Sold mine, mint, with intact vgc bag, scope, mounts, certificate, black and gold sew-on patch, original pell-pack, lube tube, targets and target holder for £450 secure posted, and have seen examples without the extras, other than the Centenary scope and certificate go for £300. If you can get the Centenary bag/slip professionally repaired then, I would do, but if you can't, leave as is, rather than do a Heath Robinson . The handles splitting is not an uncommon problem. Atb: G.
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Done my bit for the BBS: http://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread....-being-a-mod-… now I’m a game-keeper turned poacher.
hi totally agree with gareth. See if you can get the case down as i can take it to'a master saddler i know well who is superb be about 15 pounds. In the meantime i will match handles off my own centenary case to save time. Perhaps gareth can help me as mine is'missing the oil, pellet trap, instructions and targets - any ideas where i can get these please! Thanks matthew
Don't worry Garreth, if it can't be done properly it will be left as is. I'm surprised yours didn't fetch a bit more than £450. I'd have thought the sheer rarity of them would have elevated the value a bit more than that. I think the only accessory mine's missing is the oil bottle.
Can you remember if the authenticity certificate on yours was embossed with the company stamp on the gold circle? Mine isn't.
The South of England has 2 good things, the M1 and the A1. Both will take you to Yorkshire.
Hi Harry. Yes, could've got more, but was selling to a known good guy and (without wanting to sound like a tart ), felt it was worth dropping a few quid to see it go to a good home . Think your certificate may be a replacement mock-up unfortunately, as yes, mine was as described . Atb: G.
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Done my bit for the BBS: http://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread....-being-a-mod-… now I’m a game-keeper turned poacher.
Hello,
Just sold two mint ones – a 0.177 & 0.22 with consecutive serial numbers for £1200.
Sam
The certificate is definately 100% as supplied with the rifle. It was bought (specifically ordered in) in 1983 from Guns and Ammo on the Whicker in Sheffield, now long ago absorbed into Arthur Turner's.
I always thought the quality of some of the accessories supplied with the Centenial let down what could have been a superb package.
The South of England has 2 good things, the M1 and the A1. Both will take you to Yorkshire.
Hi Mathew, no ideas where to get them unfortunately, other than maybe via J.Knibbs/Airguns International, but will have a dig and see if I have a photo of the complete kit that I could post, so as to give you a guide as to what to look out for on your travels . Atb: G.
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Done my bit for the BBS: http://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread....-being-a-mod-… now I’m a game-keeper turned poacher.
The oil bottle, pellet trap and targets were the standard items that BSA included with all their guns at that time, so should be common enough. When did BSA stop issuing these items as standard?
Opening the box on a new BSA was always an experience, they were really well presented.
The South of England has 2 good things, the M1 and the A1. Both will take you to Yorkshire.
Hi again Harry. Actually, reading that, am not surprised yours is both different yet Kosher, as BSA were/are not afraid to resort to the aforementioned Heath Robinson approach, in the face of adversity, then or now . Ha ha ha. Off now then to find that photo for Mathew. Atb: G.
Last edited by Gareth W-B; 13-09-2009 at 01:40 PM. Reason: house keeping.
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Done my bit for the BBS: http://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread....-being-a-mod-… now I’m a game-keeper turned poacher.
The BSA 'Centenary' certificate should look like this, with the embossed circle in gold, the border imprinted in gold and the 'Certificate' and 'Piled Arms' symbol above the date, also imprinted in gold. The black writing and the signature are all surface printed.: Centenary Certificate
Last edited by Troubledshooter; 13-09-2009 at 03:14 PM. Reason: Better Image
F.a.o. Mathew & Harry ... Photos of my Centenary, and kit (as was) below for your ref (please note the cert same as David's as posted above ). Hope this is of some help and interest. Atb: G.
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Done my bit for the BBS: http://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread....-being-a-mod-… now I’m a game-keeper turned poacher.
Hi Gareth,
Many thanks for the trouble you have gone to for the photographs. Graham M has just been down on holiday with us and has volunteered the pellet trap having seen this thread. I remember the same trap and parts on my first airgun a BSA Meteor S!
I have just spent a gloriously sunny afternoon zeroing in a BSA Superstar with thumbhole stock. Three different scopes, two different sets of mounts and still it had the grouping of a nail gun! As a last ditch effort I took the Sportsmatch mounts and Scope off my Original 45 which groups 1/2 inch at 30 yards. Ran perfectly.
The two other mounts were brand new Hawke and BSA 1 piece!. I guess you get what you pay for. Salutory lesson here. I am now melting down all these mounts and making the wife a saucepan. I will stick with Apel or Sportsmatch from now on! Sorry for hyjacking the the thread, it has been one frustrating afternoon! Many thanks on the photo's Gareth and see you soon Harry.
BR