THIS is a gun collection!
God bless Chuck Heston.
Posted on 12/22/2008 1:43:21 PM PST by Red Badger
Guitar legend Eric Clapton increased his fortune by hundreds of thousands of pounds when a Norfolk auctioneer put his collection of bespoke shotguns under the hammer.
Clapton is an avid collector of ornately-crafted British weapons - and decades of rock royalties means he has been able to amass a sizeable collection of the finest available.
But in an effort to make some space in his gun room, the man who - lyrically at least - “shot the sheriff” with his 1974 hit single, accepted bids for seven lots at the sale by specialist auctioneers Holt's.
The lots sold included a pair of unused Holland and Holland “The Royal Model” 16-bores which sold for £100,000 and a pair of deluxe single-trigger “over and under” 20-bore guns made by J. Purdey and Sons - which brought in £130,000
A “virtually unused” pair of 12-bore guns by E.J. Churchill brought in £25,000, while a single custom-made shotgun, also by Purdey and Sons, made £55,000.
Each gun sold by auctioneer David Porter was exquisitely engraved with the musicians initial, EPC.
Before the sale, Clapton said: “I went to all the best London houses too have the guns made, and this little collection I am selling represents a cross-section of them.
“Having got to know a few shooters, I get recommendations on what sort of specifications to use - length of barrel, the gauges - but while all these things are important I try to couple my decisions to whatever artistic sense I have.”
Holt's media manager Andrew Orr said: “He is certainly a guy with some taste and he can afford the very best.”
The auction was held in Princess Louise House in Hammersmith, London
How come I never find an EPC monogrammed Purdy and Sons shotgun in the local gun shop?
something tells me these are collector pieces that clapton would be horrified to even consider taking them to about 90% of the places the nuge would go.
its hard to notice a monogram when you’re backpedalling away from a gun that costs more than most people make in a year. :)
THIS is a gun collection!
God bless Chuck Heston.
I he ever sells off a collection of Hardy reels, let me know.
All right, Purdey shotguns, some of the best ever made guns in the world.
BTW, don't know if this is true or not but here is an email I received about an interview Ted Nugent had with a French journalist.
Ted Nugent, rock star and avid bow hunter from Michigan, was being interviewed by a French journalist, an animal rights activist. The discussion came around to deer hunting.
The journalist asked, 'What do you think is the last thought in the head of a deer before you shoot him? Is it, 'Are you my friend?' or is it 'Are you the one who killed my brother?'
Nugent replied, 'Deer aren't capable of that kind of thinking. All they care about is, what am I going to eat next, who am I going to screw next, and can I run fast enough to get away. They are very much like the French.'
The interview ended.
Ooops.... I need to change my underwear.
An awful lot of older shotguns have fixed chokes which, to me at least, makes them borderline for worthless regardless of how many diamonds and how much gold they include. Another one of these sports which got reinvented recently.
That’s Chuck’s collection?
He must have had more than that. Those are all military weapons. Chuck was known to have some fine shotguns too, and I don’t see any of them in that pic..
Don’t get me wrong — that’s one heck of a collection. I just don’t think that’s all of what Chuck collected..
In other pictures I counted 11 BARs alone.
God bless Heston, but that’s not Heston’s collection, contrary to Internet misinformation.
Would love to have that Ma Duce setting there, and would also take an M1 rifle(not carbine)if it was offered to me! Charlton Heston, it is too bad he wasn't younger, the country lost a real patriot when he died. Where are we going to find men like that today in Hollywood, or in politics for that matter. We can find women like that, Sarah Palin for instance, but in the world of make believe(both Hollywood and politics)men are in short supply.
“The lots sold included a pair of unused Holland and Holland “The Royal Model” 16-bores which sold for £100,000 and a pair of deluxe single-trigger “over and under” 20-bore guns made by J. Purdey and Sons - which brought in £130,000”
....the good American double guns like Model 21 Winchesters, Parker and LC Smith all bring more money than a similar 12 ga....so it’s no surprise that Clapton’s 16 and 20 brought such big money given the reputation of the makers.
I thought gun ownership was outlawed in the U.K. ??
Purdey. (Sigh!) I doubt if Clapton’s initials on them increases their value much. I need one. I’d much rather miss a flying bird with a Purdey than miss with anything else... ;-)
This is the only 'Royal Model' i could Google right quick. In .375 H&H rimless. Whole different category.
“older shotguns have fixed chokes”
Well, screw-in chokes are still fairly new in shotgun years (1897-present?). They appeared around 1977 as Winchoke, later Remchoke, and became more common when they screwed in flush to the muzzle, being less obvious.
I have several double barrel guns I would love to have modified for screw-in chokes. But then I just grab my Remington 870 with the Cutts Compensator barrel, and head for the field.
Mr. Clapton is a collector.
Mr. Nugent is a hunter.
Both are awsome.
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