September 9, 10, & 11, 2025 Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/9/2025
Dovetail lump barrels with a concave, solid, tapering rib fit with a steel mushroom bead front sight and "BERETTA" engraved over the chambers. Underside of barrels with Italian proofs for a 20 gauge at a nominal 16.0 IBD proofed at 1,160 KG. CU date code for 2019. Muzzles are fit for thin wall chokes, currently fit with Full in left barrel and Modified in right. Splinter forearm with a reinforced Anson plunger release and central checkering. Exterior iron engraved with dots and floral scrollwork. The sidelever action is engraved on the right side with a covey of grouse in a masterfully detailed meadow scene with mountains in the background, some grouse still earthbound with two others mid-flight; left side with more quail in a meadow scene with a mountainous background, finely detailed; the underside has a vignette of the famous Beretta villa, and there is a portrait of a pointer between the recoil shields, tongue wagging. The vignettes are supported by outstanding acanthus scrollwork and beaded edges on a stippled and blackened ground. The engraving is signed on the trigger guard plate by Cedoni and Toresani, and the Beretta certificate also lists Luca Casali as performing the engraving. Sidelever and short tang trigger engraved en suite. Automatic safety with "S" ahead of slide, which is also mounted with a horizontal slide for barrel selection. Gorgeous, deeply streaked and figured walnut stock is checkered in a modified point pattern about the straight grip, and terminates in a checkered butt. Oxblood case lined in a rich blue with accessories comprising a two part cleaning rod, pair snapcaps, oil bottle and striker pot with PB monograms on caps, choke tool, bottle of oil, leather wallet with mop and two brushes, and extra chokes for Improved Modified, Improved Cylinder, and Cylinder. Guns in this configuration are extremely rare from Beretta and all of them are bespoke. Other examples include the 490 Serpentina that was inlaid with white gold with the receipt for the Republic of Venice, which is the oldest extant reference to Beretta; the Black Beauty, which is stocked in ebony and finished in a high polish black chrome, giving it an incredibly rarefied aura; and the 486 Copernicus, which is finished in a carefully controlled color case hardening designed to resemble space, while the stock is inlaid with precious metal stars to give the gun a true celestial appearance. These guns are normally special ordered by the Atelier shop on a one-off basis, and, to this cataloguer's knowledge, have never before been offered at auction. CONDITION: Excellent, NOS or equivalent, and does not appear to have been fired since proof. Some extremely minor handling marks. Bores are excellent. Mechanics need attention as selector switch will not actuate and trigger will not reset; given the condition and the balance of the gun, it is likely that the gun is still very tight.