LONDON.- Gavin Gardiner Limited’s December sale of Modern & Vintage Sporting Guns on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 – just in time for the Boxing day Shoot - will include a good selection of fine English and European sporting guns by makers such as London makers Purdey, Holland & Holland and Boss & Co. The auction, the only Sporting Gun Auction to take place in Mayfair – the heart of London’s world-famous gun-making district will commence at 2pm and takes place at Sotheby’s, New Bond Street, London W1A 2AA.

Among the highlights of the auction is a magnificent pair of Keith Thomas engraved Exhibition-quality 28-bore self-opening sidelock ejector guns by Watson Bros is estimated at £70,000–£90,000. The breeches are carved and inlaid with gold with respective rose and thistle motifs; while the rounded frames, locks and top levers engraved with game scenes and the Royal residences and castles of England and Scotland such as a scene of Windsor castle with scenes of partridges in flight; Sandringham House with woodcock among trees; the Tower of London with a shield and crossed swords bearing the flag of St George; while the No.2 gun (Scotland) engraved with a scene of Edinburgh Castle with grouse in flight; Balmoral Castle with pheasants against landscapes and Holyrood House with a shield and crossed swords bearing the flag of St Andrew. The maker confirms that the guns were completed in 2004. They appear little used and retain virtually all of their original finish.

Also included is a Fine 12-Bore Single Trigger sidelock ejector over and under gun by the gunmaker’s gunmaker Boss & Co, which is expected to fetch £70,000 – £90,000. The maker confirms that the gun was delivered in 1995, however it remained in store with its maker for a number of years and remains virtually as new and unused.

A magnificent pair of 12-bore Royal De Luxe model self-opening sidelock ejector guns by Holland & Holland. Delivered in 1990 and remaining little used, they are estimated at £50,000£70,000. The current list price for a pair of guns of similar specification is in excess of £250,000.

Also by Holland and Holland is a .303 Royal Model sidelock non-ejector rifle, which was built in 1897. The gunmaker’s records show that it was ordered for his wife by Sir Sigismund Neumann Bt, a "Randlord" and Banker with South African Mining interests and finished at the factory (estimate: £7,000-£9,000).

Another interesting Rifle and one of several pieces with a connection to Indian Royalty is a 9.3x74r sidelock ejector rifle that was built for His Highness Sir Jai Singh Prabhakar, Maharaja of Alwar by German maker H. Barella. Sir Jai Singh became Maharajah of Alwar at the age of ten in 1892 and is recorded as being erudite and quite charming, although he also had a cruel nature. He spent extravagantly and had many guns and rifles built for him by Barella of Berlin. He owned numerous Rolls Royces, often buying two at a time, many with open cabs with spotlights for shooting tigers at night. He was eventually exiled without power in 1933 and spent the remaining four years of his life in Paris where he died in 1937. Inlaid in gold with the Maharaja’s crest, it is estimated at £10,000 – £15,000.

A fine 28-Bore top lever hammer gun, reputedly built for the Maharajah of Jodhpore by Manton & Co carries an estimate of £3,500 – £5,000 and a pair of 16-Bore boxlock ejector guns by Army & Navy, built for his Highness Darbar Saheb of Jasdan is estimated at £4,000-£6,000. The maker’s records confirm that the guns were delivered in 1925 to the Bombay branch and delivered to His Highness Darbar Saheb of Jasdan, Darbar Shri Ala Vajsur Khachar, 9th Darbar Saheb of Jasdan (1919-1973).

Other interesting items in the Auction include a 12-Bore “G Royal Grade” facile princeps ejector gun by W. W. Greener that as one of a batch of six guns for the Paris Exhibition of 1900 which is expected to fetch £6,000 – £8,000, while a 12-Bore over and under sidelock ejector Pigeon Gun by G. & S. Holloway, that was built in 1934 for Thomas Hughes, the captain of the Welsh Clay Pigeon team is estimated at £9,000- £12,000. It is believed to have been used by him when he won the King George V trophy at White City in the 1930s.