Sometimes you just miss things and this was one of those times. We have two very good gun auctions in my state that I go to with some regularity, but I missed the last one and just saw an A-5 that sold at it for $1840. The gun is so unusual and, in my opinion, sold for such a reasonable price considering it is a F Funken signed one of a kind A-5 I wanted to share with those who love A-5's. The following is the description from the auction house and some pictures of the gun.
12ga., 27 1/2" ventilated rib barrel choked full with an excellent bore. This is a lovely and very intriguing shotgun, it's receiver is overall engraved with a dizzying array of animals and is signed by the engraver "F. Funken". The receiver is completely un-serial numbered while the barrel is serial numbered on the hanger 104656. The barrel retains perhaps 95% original blue, the loss due to honest wear and the minor scratches that come from use afield. The receiver has been left completely in-the-white and now shows very sparse, very light brown oxidation staining which could be easily professionally rectified, there is some very minor pitting on the bottom of the trigger guard. The top round of the receiver and its rear face have a unique sunburst hand-matting which extends 4" onto the barrel, the entire rib as well is hand-matted. The stock and handguard treatment on this gun are extremely unique. They match precisely the work of stock carver Richard Gerard, which he did for the 1937 Paris and 1939 exposition de l'Eau in Liege. The straight grip stock is a lovely grade of French walnut, as is the forearm, they feature carved graceful radiating raised ribs. Both rate about very good showing numerous minor scratches and dings that come from use, the forend has two of the commonly seen cracks at its rear edge that the Browning Auto 5 is known for; there is no buttplate, the butt is carved in an interesting overlapping groove pattern. The animals featured on the guns receiver range from baboons to peacocks, kangaroos to vultures, serpents to owls and egrets to alligators. The work was extremely well done overall. While there's no telling how the gun made it to these shores, popular family legend holds that the gun was received by the family from Mr. Thomas McCarthy, president of the Austin Nichols distillery. McCarthy was an avid sportsman and was the man who coined the brand name "Wild Turkey". The ancestor of the consignor was head of the marketing firm that first promoted the Wild Turkey brand name and purportedly received this shotgun from McCarthy. Overall a lovely one-of-a-kind shotgun that definitely shows its roots with the exhibition grade guns of the Paris World's Fair and exposition de l'Eau in Liege of 1937 in 1939. [Ref. "The Browning superposed" by Ned Schwing, P. 61-63]
SOLD FOR $1840.00
12ga., 27 1/2" ventilated rib barrel choked full with an excellent bore. This is a lovely and very intriguing shotgun, it's receiver is overall engraved with a dizzying array of animals and is signed by the engraver "F. Funken". The receiver is completely un-serial numbered while the barrel is serial numbered on the hanger 104656. The barrel retains perhaps 95% original blue, the loss due to honest wear and the minor scratches that come from use afield. The receiver has been left completely in-the-white and now shows very sparse, very light brown oxidation staining which could be easily professionally rectified, there is some very minor pitting on the bottom of the trigger guard. The top round of the receiver and its rear face have a unique sunburst hand-matting which extends 4" onto the barrel, the entire rib as well is hand-matted. The stock and handguard treatment on this gun are extremely unique. They match precisely the work of stock carver Richard Gerard, which he did for the 1937 Paris and 1939 exposition de l'Eau in Liege. The straight grip stock is a lovely grade of French walnut, as is the forearm, they feature carved graceful radiating raised ribs. Both rate about very good showing numerous minor scratches and dings that come from use, the forend has two of the commonly seen cracks at its rear edge that the Browning Auto 5 is known for; there is no buttplate, the butt is carved in an interesting overlapping groove pattern. The animals featured on the guns receiver range from baboons to peacocks, kangaroos to vultures, serpents to owls and egrets to alligators. The work was extremely well done overall. While there's no telling how the gun made it to these shores, popular family legend holds that the gun was received by the family from Mr. Thomas McCarthy, president of the Austin Nichols distillery. McCarthy was an avid sportsman and was the man who coined the brand name "Wild Turkey". The ancestor of the consignor was head of the marketing firm that first promoted the Wild Turkey brand name and purportedly received this shotgun from McCarthy. Overall a lovely one-of-a-kind shotgun that definitely shows its roots with the exhibition grade guns of the Paris World's Fair and exposition de l'Eau in Liege of 1937 in 1939. [Ref. "The Browning superposed" by Ned Schwing, P. 61-63]
SOLD FOR $1840.00