GUN FALL 2016
The live portion of this session begins on Tuesday, October 4, 2016.
EXTRAORDINARILY RARE #10 ENGRAVED & GOLD INLAID MARLIN MODEL 20 PUMP ACTION RIFLE FROM THE MAHON MARLIN ESTATE. MARLIN 20 3939 22 MODERN; IVORY Cal. 22. Extraordinary dainty deluxe little rifle with 23" tapered oct bbl, ivory bead front sight and tiny elevation adjustable rear sight. Top flat of bbl has the usual Marlin address with arrows at each end and a half magazine. Mounted with exceptional, extra finish flame & shell grain American walnut with "F" style checkered round forearm & straight stock with semi-crescent steel buttplate. Receiver is engraved by Conrad Ulrich with the large vignette of two squirrels in a tree on left side surrounded by a fine incised line & gold wire borders and the oval vignette of two rabbits in a woodland scene with a tree in the background on the right side, also surrounded by a fine plain & gold wire borders. Sides of receiver are engraved in full coverage, intertwined, foliate arabesque patterns with fine punch dot background. Top edges of receiver have fine tapering snake patterns with a chipped pattern border around the top flat and arabesque patterns at each end. Front receiver ring is engraved with a shell pattern and inlaid with a narrow gold band. Top tang has light foliate arabesque patterns and a simple line border. Bottom edges of receiver are engraved in snake & dot patterns with foliate arabesque patterns on floorplate. Engraving extends about 2-1/4" over the top five flats of the bbl with simple arabesque patterns. Chamber end of bbl, at the receiver, is inlaid with fine gold & platinum bands. Buttplate is engraved with foliate arabesque patterns around screw holes. The SN is on the left side of the top tang under the wood, inside the top tang channel of the butt stock and inside the buttplate. Page 444 of the book Marlin Firearms, Brophy, has a black & white picture of both sides of this rifle with the caption "...one of the two finest pump action .22 rifles produced by Marlin" and he also refers to it as "exceptionally rare". This rifle appeared on the cover of the 28th Edition Blue Book of Gun Values, Fjestad, in 2007 and is the center rifle in the color photograph.
Accompanied by a letter dated Sept. 19, 1996 over the signature of Edward Caporale wherein he states that he owns two Marlin rifles which had been the property of Mr. Mahon Marlin and upon his death were passed on to his only daughter, Janet. Mr. Caporale's father-in-law, Dominic Griego, had worked for Mr. Marlin beginning in 1933 and continued working for Janet until her death in 1965. According to the letter Mr. Griego was given a number of items from Janet's property, including three rifles, a shotgun and two 22s. Mr. Griego reportedly gave the two 22s to Mr. Caporale before he passed away in July 1996 at age 88. Also accompanied by a National Rifle Association "ONE OF TEN BEST ARMS" silver medal No. 381 awarded to this rifle at the NRA convention in 2000. Additionally accompanied by the blue medal box and the small plastic stand. PROVENANCE: Ex-Richard Rohal Estate Collection. CONDITION: Extremely fine plus, all matching. Overall retains 98-99% crisp orig blue with only extremely faint sharp edge wear on the bbl and minor wear on the slide rod and right side of the hammer. Wood is sound with a few minor chips in the varnish and some minor crazing to the finish and overall retains about all of its fine orig factory piano varnish. Mechanics are crisp, bright shiny bore. 50425-1 JR283 (20,000-30,000)