Last Shotguns Ever Made by Asprey Fetch Over $100,000

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
May 22nd 2008 at 6:02PM

Two of the very last shotguns ever produced by 200-year-old London luxury goods firm Asprey were sold at Christie's in London Wednesday for over $120,000. The exceptionally exquisite firearms, included in the auction house's Fine Sporting Guns and Rifles sale, "mark the end of a tradition of impeccably executed gun craft," Christie's notes. Asprey, supplier to the aristocracy and longtime holder of Royal Warrants, closed its gunrooms for good in 1996 shortly after these final pieces were made when the company was acquired by Prince Jefri of Brunei. Prince Charles and George Bush both own Asprey shotguns similar to the ones featured in the sale.

Although Asprey guns are a thing of the past, Asprey scion William Asprey is carrying on the family's sporting tradition at his new firm, William & Son. As we reported previously, he is not allowed to use the Asprey name in trade. William opened his own gunroom at his company's Mayfair premises and is now selling equally impressive pieces. Also hammered down in the Christie's sale were a pair of 12-bore double-barreled shotguns made by Holland & Holland in 1976, for $118,000; a 1969 .375 magnum double-barreled rifle, also by Holland & Holland, for $94,000; a double-barreled 1906 sporting rifle by Purdey, for $31,000; and a modern 12-bore Beretta shotgun, $16,000, all with beautiful engraving and woodwork.

Gallery: Sporting Guns Sale

Holland & Holland double-barreled .375 magnum rifle.

A pair of 12-bore double-barreled Holland & Holland shotguns.

Tags: Asprey, Beretta, Brunei, Christies, Holland Holland, HollandHolland, Hunting, London, Prince Charles, PrinceCharles, Purdey, Royal warrant, RoyalWarrant, Safari, Shooting, Shotguns, Sporting guns, SportingGuns, William Son, WilliamSon

Filed under: Auctions, Sports

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JXG May 23rd 2008 12:07PM

When I lived in NYC a few years ago, I found Asprey (well, I knew it was there all along) and started shopping there. First, I only shopped for the sales, then I moved onto regular priced items and they gave me a nice discount as a return shopper. Then the prices went sky high, almost doubling in a season and I couldn't do it any more. This was all in their large, glamourous Fifth Avenue space. Since they moved to Madison, I haven't been shopping there, nor do I live in NYC anymore. I do wish I had just bought everything I wanted back then and would have it now.