Back today from Dr Ingvar Alm Auction with the Tell 3 of my dreams

[45flint]

The prices realised at the auction make interesting and in some instances painful reading https://www.rockislandauction.com/ca...#LotNumber4381

For example, 5 Titans for $690. In the UK these very rare pistols could easily fetch £400 each. Then there was a lot of seven pistols which included a Targ Aire, Baron Sportsman Jr, Armigas , Diana 1, one of Mac Evan’s 1910 BSA reproduction pistols, and the Roy Hutchinson 9 shot repeater prototype. The Hutchinson pistol alone could fetch around £2000 in the UK, and this is probably near what Ingvar paid for it. Split up, the whole batch could probably realise more than £3000 over here.

There were some saving graces such as an Anson Star, which at $1610 did realise a price worthy of its rarity.

It was obvious that bundling items together had an adverse effect on prices realised, and a collector could easily have expanded his collection at relatively little cost. Or more likely some traders are going to make a killing.

The bundling was pretty brutal and clearly gave dealers the advantage over average collectors. I saw those Titans go but what am I going to do with 5 of them? I examined the Mac Evan’s 1910 BSA and that was a steal no doubt. I was floored by how few people were there on the floor when the airguns started. Seemed like 15-20? at the most but who knows how many were online or on the phones. Over here I don’t think there is as much an appreciation of these vintage guns as you have in the UK?

Lastly being there I was also floored by the speed of the lots going by. You had no time to think really you had to be prepared for what you wanted. They have so much to sell in a day and the airguns were a very small piece of it.