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

Is that a good price for an A-5? It's too high for me.

Value is decided by the guy writing the check and the guy accepting the check at the time of the sale.

I wouldn't give that for it. I have no use for any pre speedload/crossbolt safety A-5 whether it's been drawn on or not.

Whoa! And here I thought that maybe I was the only (John) Browning aficionado who hadn't drunk the Funken Kool-Aid. Any decent Italian engraved gun will make the 'best' Funken guns look cartoonish.

I think it's a nice looking gun. That being said, some of the animals on the engraving do not suit my taste. But it's too bad others have to piss on your parade. It would have been nice if you got to pick it up.

Yeh, each to their own!!! I agree with you that the animals are not really my style either, but just the "different" factor of this gun make it so interesting to me.

Sounds like a U.S. Congress Commemorative Gun.

Good call!!!!!

Slim,

+1

Not raining on anyone's parade. Just giving my honest opinion of the gun. I don't like guns in the white.

I like the wood on that gun for sure.

A beautiful and fascinating gun. Thanks for posting this. As for Funken not meeting the Italians' standards, I will only say that we can't all be John Wayne. In fact, John Wayne wasn't really John Wayne either.

Vent rib barrel seems out of place for a gun of this era.

Anybody know when Vent Ribs became an option?

We need a Browning/FN timeline sticky.

I just noticed the checkering/carving on the stocks that is really unique and I think it is really cool although I think birds and dogs would be more fitting engraved on this gun than the exotic animals.

Aaron

The serial number given for the barrel would be correct for about 1937. A few years ago A5guy posted that he has a 1937 A-5 Sweet Sixteen with three original barrels, all with ventilated ribs.

In 1937 a raised matted solid rib was an $8 option and a vent rib was a $14.10 option on any A5 or A3.

The Sweet Sixteen MSR was $65.75 with a matted barrel, $69.75 with a solid rib and $75.85 with the vent rib.

Funken used a Germanic, deep engraving style. Italians prefer Bulino or banknote engraving. Its apples and oranges...

IMHO it is a magnificent shotgun, and I would have readily bid $2k or more at that auction.

JERRY

Excellent, a piece of history,
Funken was responsible for bringing FN's engraving dept. into it's own, he was instrumental in the ongoing apprenticeship and training of hundeds of master engravers, this gun would have been early in his career, any qualms about his workmanship and you would do well to leaf through Ned Schwing's book on the superposed, his engraving dept. up until the time of his retirement puts the Italians to shame. But to each his own.
I appreciate your sharing the story & these photos...


Thanks !!
Rick

"Interesting"? Yes. "Unique"? Certainly. "A piece of history"? Without a doubt. But "lovely" or "beautiful"? Not in the eyes of this beholder.

From the Italian school of engraving;


From the Funken school of engraving;


The 'workmanship' speaks for itself. I enjoy 'The Browning Superposed' greatly, but no remarks by Schwing or anyone else can make those Diana figures any less cartoonish.

(Schwing, by the way, refers to some products of the Funken school as "...a heavy Germanic style of deep relief engraving that was not well accepted in North America.")