A fully sealed box of Peters Target 20-gauge shotgun shells in near perfect condition sold for a new world auction record price of $2,966 in SoldUSA.com’s online catalog sale that ended January 23′4. The auction saw many high prices paid and more than a few new world records set for ammunition and sporting collectibles.
Of the 562 lots offered, 482 sold. The website registered 800,000 hits per day in the last two days of the sale. And more than 15,000 registered bidders participated.
The Peters Target box was bright and clean and showed only a little wear. Light soiling, plus a small tear to the non-load information end label were the only blemishes in an otherwise perfect box. The end panel reads, “Load No. 3738 Chilled †2¼ Drams †7/8 ounces †No. 8 Shot †Dead †Shot Smokeless.”
Additional sale highlights included a Blatchford Cartridges 10-gauge, Load 608 empty shell box †the very box pictured on page 11 of The Encyclopedia of Shotgun Shell Boxes †which hit the mark at $2,260, a new SoldUSA.com record. The shells at one time had been loaded by the Chicago Shot Tower Company, which was not in business for long, making this item that much more desirable to collectors. The box showed little wear.
An unusual Peters New Victor 12-gauge shotgun shell box †an uncataloged variation that does not appear at all in The Encyclopedia of Shotgun Shell Boxes †crossed the block at $2,203. The variation is subtle but nonetheless important to collectors. On the top label, the word “Kings” is blacked out in the encyclopedia. But “Kings” does appear in the example from the SoldUSA.com sale.
In the May 2000 edition of the encyclopedia, the Peters New Victor box had a listed value of $2/3,000. The box sold was nice and clean, with sound construction. Imperfections included lightly soiled labels, slight fading, shell protrusions and a seam split along the bottom right side. The shell box was filled with correct New Victor blue-green fired empty shells.
A rare and hard-to-find Winchester case insert counter-top die-cut sign, model 12, from October 1931, achieved $1,305. The small die-cut was routinely packed into cases of shotgun shell ammunition. This piece featured a rising pheasant and Model 12 Winchester rifle on the front, with the Winchester logo on the bottom, in purple and red. The Model 12 is advertised, for a price of $39.50. The die-cut measured 7¼ by 10½ inches and had a correct easel on the reverse side.
A 1903 pocket calendar for Marlin Repeating Rifles & Shotguns, copyrighted in 1902, rose to $972. The handsome calendar, measuring a taut 33/8 by 6 inches, featured an image of a pronghorn on a small ridge surrounded by decorative trees and gold scrollwork. Except for some very slight corner wear, the piece was in mint condition and even came with a full calendar pad †a key to its high value.
Prices include a 13 percent buyer’s premium.
A firm date for the next catalog auction has not yet been set, but it will be conducted in May. For information, 704-815-1500 or www.SoldUSA.com . Recently, SoldUSA.com launched two other websites, also directed at the collecting world www.HuntingCollectibles.com and www.WarAuction.com .
