LONDON.- Guns made for Royalty and Nobility will be offered in Gavin Gardiner Ltd’s sale of Modern & Vintage Sporting Guns & Rifles which takes place on Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at Sotheby’s New Bond Street, London W1A 2AA.

Just in time for the Boxing Day shoot, the auction of more than 300 lots of vintage sporting guns, rifles and shooting accessories, is the only sale of Sporting Guns to be held in the heart of London’s Mayfair and will have a strong section of 12-bore Sporting Guns by England and Scotland’s finest makers such as Purdey, Holland & Holland and Boss & Co.

Among 65 lots from the John Bunney Collection is a rare 15-Bore double ignition flintlock sporting gun by Ezekiel Baker built for His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, the Prince Regent which is estimated at £10,000-15,000. Engraved "Gunmaker to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales", it is also inlaid with gold Prince of Wales feathers above a presentation inscription "Gift to My Friend Bob".

Also included in the sale is a fine French 16-bore boxlock ejector gun, built for King George of the Hellenes by Societé Stephanoise d'Armes which is expected to fetch £15,000-20,000.

George I was King of Greece from 1863 until his death in 1913. His reign was the longest in modern Greek history and was characterised by territorial gains as Greece established its place in pre-World War I Europe. He was assassinated in 1913 during the first Balkan war. The vendor states that the gun was presented as a gift to the Chief of the Greek Royal Police by King Paul and Prince Petros of Greece, who was related to them by affinity.

Continuing the Royal theme is a magnificent pair of Keith Thomas engraved exhibition quality 28-bore selfopening sidelock ejector guns by Watson Bros, which carry an estimate of £70,000-90,000. They are engraved with game scenes and images of the Royal residences and castles of England and Scotland such as Windsor Castle, Sandringham House, Tower of London, Edinburgh Castle, Balmoral Castle and Holyrood House. The maker confirms that the guns were completed in 2004, appear little used and retain virtually all of their original finish. A trio of 12-bore self-opening sidelock ejector guns by James Purdey & Sons built for Lord de Rothschild in 1908 is expected to fetch £12,000-18,000. Lionel Nathan de Rothschild (1882-1942), scion of the famous banking family, is best known today for the creation of the famous Exbury gardens in the New Forest, a 200-acre woodland garden filled with rhododendrons and azaleas, camellias, magnolias and rare specimen trees. He was also a keen pioneer in the early days of motoring, briefly held the world water-speed record and was a fine amateur photographer. This set of three Purdeys was given to him on his birthday and has been in the family ever since, being used first by Lionel's older son Edmund and then by Edmund's sons, Nicholas and Lionel on their family run shoot at Exbury.

Also with a banking connection is a fine .577 percussion prize rifle by Thomas Jackson engraved "Prize Rifle Presented by Sir Francis H. Goldsmid, Bart. MP to the First Berks Volunteer Corp, 1861" is estimated at £6,000-8,000. Sir Francis Henry Goldsmid, 2nd Baronet (1808-1878) was a member of the Goldsmid banking family and was the first Jew to become an English barrister. He was made Queen's Counsel in 1858 and he entered Parliament in 1860 as Member for the Reading constituency.

The sale will include a strong section of accessories and more curious items – which could make wonderful Christmas gifts such as set of nine glass and pewter cartridge shit cups which are estimated at £200-400 or a leather stalking set containing a leather mounted Thermos flask and polished sandwich tin (est: £300-400) and a leather bar set which is expected to fetch £80120.