Skip to main content
Help Center Community Shop

1985 Model 12 Pigeon grade

Kula
I have come across a pristine 1985 Pigeon Grade model 12 that has a certificate saying it is one of 480 y series made in the model 21 custom shop in New Haven. The owner paid 2100 dollars for it back then and it has fired only 100 rounds.
Any ideas on what i should pay for it?
thanks
0

Comments

9 comments

Date Votes
  • p.muerrle
    Can't help you with a price. I can tell you that if you have the certificate with it, I did the pigeon. The receiver engraving was all done in Italy, commissioned through the factory. I believe these guns were all sold through Jaqua's.
    0
  • Kula
    I had no idea, well it is fine work you have done, love the gold inlays and yes the receipt was from Jaquas.
    0
  • p.muerrle
    A quick explanation. I did the pigeons on all of these guns. I was outside contract for the Custom Shop at this point. The company needed the guns out in a timely manner so they contracted the same outfit in Italy that produced their commemorative roll dies to hand engrave these guns. They found it to be much cheaper for them, import export tariffs, to have me do all of the bbls. instead. If you look closely I'm sure you will notice a difference in the depth of the engraving between mine and theirs.
    0
  • Kula
    Pauline would like your opinion, the model 12 has a beautiful stock, but the cheekpiece is too high for me to line up the sights the way i like. rather than modifying such a beautiful stock the way most trapshooters do, i was wondering if it would be better (in your opinion) to purchase another stock & modify that.
    thanks
    k
    0
  • p.muerrle
    If you like the gun and intend on keepig it for a while I would get another stock but keep the original. You can always put it back on when and if you sell it.
    0
  • GuvamintCheese
    WOW, that was cool.
    0
  • mljackso
    A new in box never assembled gun, still with cosmoline, and including factory authentication letter, box, and factory paperwork was sold on GB.com about 9 months ago for around $2500. Send me an email and I will send the auction pdf to you.

    pix269590046-1.jpg

    pix60895218-1.jpg

    pix269564343.jpg

    pix269563781-1.jpg

    pix269450531.jpg

    pix269389625.jpg
    0
  • mljackso
    quote:Originally posted by p.muerrle
    A quick explanation. I did the pigeons on all of these guns. I was outside contract for the Custom Shop at this point. The company needed the guns out in a timely manner so they contracted the same outfit in Italy that produced their commemorative roll dies to hand engrave these guns. They found it to be much cheaper for them, import export tariffs, to have me do all of the bbls. instead. If you look closely I'm sure you will notice a difference in the depth of the engraving between mine and theirs.


    Ms. Muerrie, how would you rate the quality of the engraving on these last 480 Model 12s as compared to the many previous years of Pigeon Grade engraving? Was there a decrease in engraving quality ? About the same quality? Better quality? Please compare the "final 480" engraving to:

    A. Pre-64 Pigeon Grade engraving.

    B. 1964 to 1984 Pigeon Grade engraving prior to "final 480."

    Thanks.
    0
  • p.muerrle
    The pre and post 64 engraving was pretty much done by the same engravers. John Kusmit retired in the early 70s, Nick kusmit engraved from 50s through 1983, Jasper Salerno and Joe Crowley were there in between 60s thrugh late 70s and early 80s, and I was there from late 70s through 80s. We all did the same Winchester style engraving.
    The group of pigeon grades you speak of, the engraving was all, with the exception of the pigeon, done in Italy by the same outfit which produced many of the newer commemorative roll dies. The engraving on these 12s was hand done. The patterns are not identical to the factory patterns but only in minor respects. I think the engraving on these guns is very nice. It is a much lighter cut than we made. We did more of the germanic style. None the less the engraving quality is good.
    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity