English shotgun, need opinions on value/worth please

EAGLE EYE 444 said:

seeker,

I know that this is long BUT I hope that you read all of it in regards to your shotgun.

You've got a really nice looking shotgun for sure.

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I also have a W. C. Scott shotgun as well and it took me several years to even find someone that was an expert on this type gun that could give me more details about it. I inherited this gun when my Father-In-Law died in 1980 at 55 years old from a heart attack and I have never fired it. (He actually killed a deer using 00 buckshot at a distance of about 70 yards or so back in 1978. I remember that 4 pellets hit this deer and one was in the neck and killed this deer quickly.) He had inherited this gun back during the 1960's from a deaf-mute neighbor lady and her Father had owned this gun for many years prior to that. I tried my best to keep asking various people about it BUT there seemed to be nobody that could very much. Finally, in October of 2003, I did locate a true expert on this gun as he was a gunsmith and owed his retail and repair gun shop for several decades in Aiken, South Carolina. His name was Jim Moates and his business was named The Gun Rack, Inc. and was located on Richland Avenue in downtown Aiken. Jim was a longtime military man and had a wealth of information about most all types of firearms, scopes etc and many of those weapons, he had personal experience with while fighting overseas in the U.S. Military etc. He owned an unbelievable collection of weapons from various wars as well.

When he saw my gun, he inspected it and immediately told me that he had seen this gun before back many years ago. I advised him that he must be mistaken for sure. He told me again that he had handled this gun and had looked it over very closely and had even tried to purchase it from the gentleman that owned it back in the late 1970's. I still didn't see just how that was possible BUT after discussing it with my Mother-in-Law, she did seem to remember that my Father-in-Law and a close friend had taken this gun over to somebody in South Carolina to him them check out this gun.

This man was 100 % correct in fact after I learned more of the facts. What amazed me was the fact that he closed up his retail shop that afternoon while I was there and he led me into the underground back area of his main street building and pushed a series of buttons and the 8" thick solid wall opened up into a huge bunker-like room that housed several world class guns and assorted varieties of every kind of weapons made. This large room looked like more of a museum of sorts. This man walked me across the room and then cut on a light switch and when he did, it lit up a big glass upright display case that encased FIVE W. C. Scott shotguns of the very finest grades down to the some of the medium grades. The prices listed on these guns went from a high of over $12,000 to the lowest of $4,000. He had collected these over the years and these were some of his "pride and joy" items for sure. He knew every detail about these shotguns.

He agreed to appraise my gun and advised up front that it would take some time because he would check out every part of it to make sure that it was all original etc before completing the overall appraisal.

He and I spent 4-5 hours together during my visit that day and about 4-6 weeks later, I visited him again and he gave me a written appraisal of my shotgun. He really wanted to purchase my gun so that he could add it to his collection and he offered me a very fair price for it but I kept it instead even though it was valued at $3500 back then.

Jim also advised that this gun was a special order gun that would was used by very wealthy wing-shooters because they could afford these types of firearms even back then.



I am willing to share the actual appraisal to me as follows:

APPRAISAL

W. C. Scott & Sons, Ltd.
12 Bore, Serial # 4XXXX
Manufacture run by family in Birmingham, England

2 US Patent dates on receiver Dec. 3, 1878 and May 6,1979
English Patent date July 1861
Proofing Birmingham steel and black powder
Crystal-Clear Cocking Indicators

All Indications this W.C. Scott was called KINMOUNT Model

Gun Manufactured in 1897---Nice French Walnut, Fine Checkering, Engraved. Side Lock Cocking Indicator, Double Trigger, Special Order Non-Automatic Ejectora.

Gun is in extremely good condition for age. Very Rare and should increase in Value by 10 % per year.

Current Appraisal Value is $ 3500.00

Date of above Appraisal is October 8, 2003.

Just keep in mind that IF this gun did increase 10 % each year, then the current value of this gun would be close to $ 13,500 currently. Of course, that is a BIG IF !!!!!

The reason that I share this with you is the fact that you should do your very best to seek out an individual that has first hand experience on your shotgun such as this W. C. Scott & Sons because there are not many people out there that are capable of giving you a defined Appraisal as such on a collector's item such as this. Take whatever time necessary to find a capable person. Don't just take the word of anybody along your search. I have also visited several websites especially since 2003 in trying to hear from others that also own these very special types of guns too but there are NOT many of them out there.

Maybe I can post some photos on here fairly soon after I can take some. I don't have any photos of this gun on my current computer.

The sad thing is that Mr. Jim Moates is deceased now and along with that, he took an unbelievable wealth of information with him to his grave. He was a real legend when it came to particular older type firearms.

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tom ga hunter said:

It has been refinished & restocked. I'd take it to Chucks in Buckhead and ask them what they think.

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seeker said:

Just a little more information about this shotgun.

My dad used to be in management for the old Western Auto stores. One day while inspecting a store in North Carolina, he came across this shotgun in the back storage room. When he asked the manager what was the story with it, the manager said that he took it in as payment for a $150 line of credit.
Dad asked what it would take for him to purchase it, the manager said $150 because that's all he had in it.

My father was always coming across finds like this. He purchased a civil war Spencer repeating rifle for $50 dollars. I have donated it to a museum because that's where it belongs.

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