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LOT 1372
Fine & Very Rare Game Scene Engraved W.W. Greener 12 Bore “Facile Princeps” Double Barrel “Grade F.45” Duck Shotgun with Highly Unusual Side-Straps and Case - Serial no. 55061, 12 gauge, 30 inch solid rib bbl., blue/casehardened finish, walnut stock. This very rare wildfowling shotgun was made in circa 1906 and features unusual
elongated side-straps for additional strength in the field. A rifle with similar side-straps is described and
illustrated in “The Greener Collections”
book by Graham Greener on page 169. The blued barrels are respectively
engraved “SIR JOSEPH WHITWORTH’S/FLUID COMPRESSED STEEL” towards the
breech and have a band of scrollwork at the breech. The concave rib is signed “W.W. GREENER. MAKER. 68. HAYMARKET. LONDON. WORKS ST. MARY’S SQUARE. BIRMINGHAM” and has a bead front sight and an engraved spray of scrollwork at the breech end. The treble grip action has serpentine fences, is signed “W.W. GREENER” on each side, has a Greener cross bolt and blued toplever, has blued elongated side-straps that are partially checkered to match the grip, and a Greener patent side- mounted safety catch with gold inlaid “SAFE” incorporated on the left strap. The blued trigger guard is engraved “GRADE F.45” on the tang. The action is finely engraved with classic English scrollwork framing vignettes of ducks in flight on the sides and underside, and another vignette is found on the trigger guard bow showing two ducks in a grassland setting. The side-straps are lightly engraved with flourishes of scrollwork. The underside of the barrels and the water table have Birmingham nitro proof marks and Greener “Elephant” and Whitworth trademarks, and an import mark is under the forearm. The well-figured semi-pistol grip stock has a grooved butt with lightly engraved heel and toe plates, checkered grip and forearm, scroll engraved Deeley & Edge forearm fastener, dark horn forearm tip, and a blank oval initial escutcheon on the underside of the butt. It is in a maker’s brass cornered leather case lined in burgundy baize with a black leather Greener trade label with gilt lettering inside the lid, snap caps, and a large oiler. Barrel and stock measurements (R/L): chambers proved at 3 inches; bore diameter 9 inches from the breech both proved at .740 and measured at .747/.749 inches, choke constriction .041/.040 inches; minimum wall thickness .031/.028; 1 1/2 inch drop at comb; 2 3/16 inch drop at heel; 14 11/16 inch length of pull; cast-off; weight 9 lbs. CONDITION: Fine as professionally refinished. The barrels retain 98% blue finish, a clear rib signature, and crisp barrel markings. The action is cleaned bright and has clear engraving that is slightly softened on the underside. The side-straps have some worn reblued finish and lightly worn engraving. The refinished wood is also fine and has good checkering, minor handling blemishes, attractive figure and grain, a slight crack coming off the top tang, a clean plug on the bottom of the butt from a sling swivel, and minor edge wear. The case is fine and has some age wear externally, a relined interior, one block missing, and broken latch. Mechanically excellent. Provenance: The Malcolm King Collection. Estimate: 4,000 - 6,000
LOT 1373
Fine & Very Rare Documented Panel Game Scene Engraved W.W. Greener 12 Bore “Facile
Princeps” Double Barrel “Grade FH60” Pigeon Shotgun with Gold Heel & Toe Plates - Serial no. 57405, 12 gauge, 27 inch solid rib
bbl., brown/gold/blue/casehardened finish, walnut stock. This shotgun is described and illustrated in “The Greener Collections” book by Graham Greener on pages 134-135 where it is confirmed as started in 1909 and completed
in 1910 with engraving by Gilmore, a very talented engraver employed for many years by Greener. The gun features the forearm
ejector system. The browned Damascus barrels are each engraved with pyramids of scrollwork at the breech end. The matted concave rib
is signed “W.W. GREENER. MAKER. 68. HAYMARKET. LONDON. WORKS ST. MARY’S SQUARE. BIRMINGHAM” within a panel and has a beaded
front sight and a low relief vignette of a pigeon engraved ahead of the rib extension. The treble grip bolstered action has arcaded fences,
“W.W. GREENER” signed on each side, an enclosed Greener cross bolt, blued toplever, and conventional automatic safety with gold inlaid
“SAFE”. The trigger guard is engraved “GRADE FH60” on the tang and encloses blued triggers. The action and trigger guard are each finely
engraved with classic Greener scrollwork framing vignettes of partridge and grouse and pointer and a setter in woodland and field settings.
The underside of the barrels and the water table have Birmingham nitro proof marks and Greener “Elephant” trademark, and an import mark is under the forearm. The well- figured semi-pistol grip stock has a checkered butt with gold heel and toe plates, arrow-shaped dark horn drop points, checkered grip and forearm, dark horn grip cap, a scroll engraved Deeley & Edge fastener and dark horn tip on the forearm, and a blank gold oval initial escutcheon on the underside of the butt. The underside of the barrels and butt have sling mounts. Barrel and stock measurements (R/L): chambers proved at 1 1/4 oz (2 3/4 inches) and measured at 3 inches; bore diameter 9 inches from the
breech both proved at 12 (.729 inches) and measured .732/.731 inches; choke constriction .036/.034 inches; minimum wall thickness .029/.034 inches; 1 1/2 inch
drop at comb; 2 inch drop at heel; 14 9/16 inch length of pull; cast-off; weight 7 lbs 1 oz.
CONDITION: Fine. The barrels retain light faded browned finish and otherwise display a grey patina and distinct Damascus patterns. The engraving at the breech
ends is visible but worn, and the rib signature and engraved matting is clear. The action retains faded traces of original casehardened finish throughout with
stronger traces on the water table, around the fences and bolsters, and beneath the toplever. The toplever retains 75% original blued finish. The trigger plate retains
30% faded original casehardened finish, and the trigger guard retains faded traces of original blued finish on the inside surface. The engraving is clear throughout,
with some slight softening of the deep chiseled vignettes. The heel and toe plate retain nearly all of their replated gold finish with a few slight blemishes to the
metal. The reoiled wood is also fine has well-defined multi-point checkering and some minor handling marks throughout. Mechanically excellent. This Greener
pigeon gun is over a century old, and the quality of the craftsmanship in terms of the gun making and decoration have withstood the test of time leaving us a
fabulous example of an opulent late Edwardian sporting gun.
Provenance: The Malcolm King Collection.
Estimate: 2,750 - 4,500
AS PICTURED AND DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK THE GREENER COLLECTIONS BY GREENER
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