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| Legendary guitarist Eric Clapton sells part of collection |
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Legendary British guitarist Eric Clapton has amassed a fine shotgun collection in the last few years. In 2008, he decided to part with some of them. On Dec. 11 Holt and Company auctions in London sold 13 engraved, deluxe guns. All bore Clapton’s “EPC” monogram on a brass escutheon. The P stands for Patrick. It also means profit. In U.S. currency the group fetched $792,000.
“I went to the best London houses to have the guns made, and this little collection I am selling represents a cross-section of them,” Clapton said in an article in www.freerepublic.com All of the guns were made within the past few years. Six lots consisted of pairs of shotguns. A single lot had one gun.
Nick Holt of the auction company told The Daily Mail newspaper: “Eric has decided that he wants to shoot with a 28-inch barrel. He is getting rid of his 30-inch ribless 12-gauge guns. He feels that an over-and-under 28-inch suits him better. He uses a gun like a guitar: He is an artist.”
An article in the Oct. 8 2008 Eastern Daily Press in the UK stated: “Shooting reawakened one of Clapton’s other characters traits, the love of collecting. Just as he sought the perfect chord with a guitar in his hands, his collections over the years have followed a similar path.”
Quoting Clapton, the article stated:
“When I started to shoot, I wanted to shoot with beautiful guns. I was so baffled by the fact no one used English guns out in the field. It seemed like everyone used Spanish guns, or Brownings. Well, I just thought I’m not going down that road. I’d like to get some guns made by just about every British builder I can.
“I followed the same pattern as when I collected guitars, cars and watches. I start with a fairly broad spectrum, get obsessed and engulfed and finally narrow the collection down. I built a gun room that can house a certain amount of guns and now I have to clear the decks for the new guns I have on order.
“Also, a custodian has a certain amount of responsibility to keep things ticking over. I like to keep my collections to manageable proportions. I feel uncomfortable about owning things that don’t get used.”
Here’s what sold. U.S. prices reflect the exchange rate and 20 percent buyer’s premium. Pair of William Evans engraved unused 20 gauge double-barrel, $62,580; pair of Watson Brothers engraved 16-gauge over/under shotguns, $62,580; E.J. Churchill 12 gauge, engraved double barrel, $44,700 (est. $30,000-50,000); Holland & Holland Royal Model, 16 gauge, unused, two barrels, $178,800; pair of J. Purdey & Sons unused, engraved 12-gauge double barrel, $112,644; pair of J. Purdey & Sons deluxe engraved 20-gauge over/under, $232,440; and J. Purdey & Sons deluxe engraved 12 gauge over/under, $98,340.
Nick Holt said afterward in an interview in the UK’s Shooting Gazette, “It’s great to see that quality guns are still seen as a sensible and long-term investment by so many people. Guns made by the best British and European gunmakers hold their value tremendously well, so even for non-shooters it is worth thinking about buying guns as an alternative investment.”
Unlike many people who collect, Clapton has experienced little reluctance in releasing some of his acquisitions. In 1999 he sold 105 guitars at Christie’s in New York for $5,072,350. In another guitar auction there in 2004 he consigned 56 of the 88 lots. He set a world record when his 1956 composite Fender Stratocaster brought $959,500, the most ever for a guitar at auction. His 1939 acoustic Martin guitar, used in his Unplugged album, brought $791,500.
Proceeds benefited the Crossroads Centre, a rehabilitation facility he launched in Antigua in 1998. |
| 5/20/2009 |
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