Antique quality gun
- Thread starter H4831
- Start date
- Location
- Golden Lake
Coudn't find anything there, Pete.
Are there no collectors out there of quality old English doubles in original and great condition? Or, someone know of a collectors association?
I'm inquiring for a friend and plan on taking pictures next Tuesday.
Are there no collectors out there of quality old English doubles in original and great condition? Or, someone know of a collectors association?
I'm inquiring for a friend and plan on taking pictures next Tuesday.
- Location
- Golden Lake
Are you only looking for info on J. Wilkes firearms?
If you're looking to compare prices of similar high quality guns - did you look at the Fine Gun Shop at www.basspro.com or Cabelas Gun Library at www.cabelas.com?
There's an article mentioning John Wilkes at www.doublegunshop.com/ryder1.htm.
A Yahoo search for "J. Wilkes, English Gun Maker" came up with an article about him and the company at www.craigwhitseygunmakers.co.uk.
Pete
If you're looking to compare prices of similar high quality guns - did you look at the Fine Gun Shop at www.basspro.com or Cabelas Gun Library at www.cabelas.com?
There's an article mentioning John Wilkes at www.doublegunshop.com/ryder1.htm.
A Yahoo search for "J. Wilkes, English Gun Maker" came up with an article about him and the company at www.craigwhitseygunmakers.co.uk.
Pete
Most importantly I want to know if the gun is a genuine J. Wilkes. There were a lot of clever, cheap gun makers who used a famous name, but changing like one letter, making guns that appeared at first glance to be genuine.
I would like to send pictures to someone who was familiar enough with the original guns, to tell me if this was genuine, or a fake.
Some things, like the serial nummber being on every piece, looks genuine, but on general appearance I am doubtful of some other features.
Must be someone out there with this knowledge.
The proof marks and the quality of workmanship should be a good indication. For example I once owned a belgian percussion shotgun labeled simply "Parker". The name was a take off on William Parker who was a quality british maker. On the other hand the gun carried belgian proofs and the workmanship of the locks on the inside was much rougher and less finished that would be found on any but the least expensive british gun.
I have owned a number of muzzle loading shotguns and viewed a bunch more. While it is not particularly uncommon to find belgian guns with apparent british names on them, the name is usually not the complete name such as the Parker above rather than W Parker or W Parker and Sons. Also both the UK and Belgium had proof laws which required the proof marking of their guns and such proofs were usually fairly deeply struck. The quality of workmanship, particularly of the locks on the inside, would be the biggest tipoff to a forgery.
To me, it seems unlikely that a Wilkes would be falsified from another british gun because I don't think its value would be high enough as opposed to creating a phoney Purdey or J Manton.
While I think of it, some names were simply other makers of the same name rather than forgeries. W Richards for example was William Richards as opposed to a forged Westley Richards. On another list, some people will immediately claim a low level W Richards is a cheap belgian copy but that is not the case, it is simply another maker with a similar name
cheers mooncoon
I have owned a number of muzzle loading shotguns and viewed a bunch more. While it is not particularly uncommon to find belgian guns with apparent british names on them, the name is usually not the complete name such as the Parker above rather than W Parker or W Parker and Sons. Also both the UK and Belgium had proof laws which required the proof marking of their guns and such proofs were usually fairly deeply struck. The quality of workmanship, particularly of the locks on the inside, would be the biggest tipoff to a forgery.
To me, it seems unlikely that a Wilkes would be falsified from another british gun because I don't think its value would be high enough as opposed to creating a phoney Purdey or J Manton.
While I think of it, some names were simply other makers of the same name rather than forgeries. W Richards for example was William Richards as opposed to a forged Westley Richards. On another list, some people will immediately claim a low level W Richards is a cheap belgian copy but that is not the case, it is simply another maker with a similar name
cheers mooncoon
