GUN FALL 2016
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/4/2016
EXTREMELY RARE MARLIN MODEL 38 #10 ENGRAVED & GOLD INLAID PUMP ACTION RIFLE. MARLIN 38 2605 22 MODERN Cal. 22. One-of-a-kind Marlin with 24" tapered oct bbl, Marbles Duplex front sight with brass fixed bead and folding ivory night bead, a semi-buckhorn rear sight and an unusual tang sight that extends down the tang to the comb. Top flat of the bbl has the usual Marlin Firearms Corp. markings and a 3/4 magazine. Receiver is unusual with its hinged receiver that is locked with a spring loaded serrated pad in the top tang. Safety is a push lever just behind the trigger guard that is pressed upward to fire and down from the top to engage the safety. Rifle is mounted with very nicely figured, streaky French walnut with modified No. 10 checkered & carved rnd forearm with a large oak leaf at the bottom rear edge and an acorn in the upper panel. Butt stock has a checkered pistol grip with serpentine grip cap and special carved oak leaf & acorn panels on each side. Grip cap is mounted with a matching contour rectangular silver plate engraved "NELVA BEDORE". Buttplate is standard Marlin-marked hard rubber. Receiver is inlaid with a fine gold band completely over the sides and top at the front & rear edges and is engraved with the large vignette of two squirrels on a tree on left side surrounded by a decorative arabesque mortar and the vignette of two rabbits in a field scene on the right side, surrounded by an identical border. Both vignettes are surrounded by fine foliate arabesque patterns with dash & dot border completely around the sides. Top of receiver is engraved with mirror image grape leaf patterns surrounded by foliate arabesque patterns with matching engraving on top tang, bottom of receiver and trigger guard. Engraving extends about 2" over the top flat, top right flat, right side flat and left side flat. The top left side flat is occupied with the caliber marking. This rifle is the bottom rifle that appeared on the cover of the 28th Edition of Blue Book of Gun Values, Fjestad, published in 2007. Accompanied by a National Rifle Association award plaque and "ONE OF TEN BEST ARMS" silver medal No. 463, awarded to this rifle at the annual meeting in 2008. The plaque states "Only known engraved Model 38". Also accompanied by the original blue plush medal box and sleeve and the small plastic stand. Additionally accompanied by a Marlin factory letter over the signature of William S. Brophy wherein he states that this rifle is the "finest Model 38 extant" and that it is "a one-of-a-kind Marlin". He goes on to give a history of the Model 38 and its designer. Along with Mr. Brophy's letter is a copy of another letter on Remington Arms Co. letterhead dated Oct. 2, 1989 addressed to Mr. Brophy at Marlin over the signature of E.D. Bedore, National Accounts Mgr. Mr. Bedore is apparently forwarding photographs of "my grandmother's Model 38". The letter states "As the story goes, my grandmother claims that she won this firearm at an exhibition shoot", and in another paragraph he identifies it with SN 2605. Additionally accompanying are two pages copied from The Marlin Collector of April 1990 which has three pictures of this exact rifle over the initials of Mr. Brophy. In the captions to one of the pictures he states without doubt it was engraved by Alden George Ulrich. PROVENANCE: Ex-Richard Rohal Estate Collection. CONDITION: Very fine to extremely fine. Bbl retains about 98% strong orig factory blue with three pencil eraser sized and three smaller blood spots toward the muzzle with only faint sharp edge wear after that. Magazine tube retains about all of its strong orig blue forward of forearm, showing heavy forearm wear on the tube behind the forearm and moderate wear on the slide bar. Receiver has one small wear spot on the top right rear edge, otherwise retains virtually all of its strong orig factory blue. Wood has a few minor nicks & scratches and shows light to moderate wear on forearm with a few chipped diamonds and overall retains most of its fine oil finish. Mechanics are crisp, bright shiny bore. 50425-3 JR284 (12,500-17,500)