What is a J. Purdey Self-opening worth?
£8,250
Median of 6 sold results, £2,900 to £18,000.
Indicative only
3 of 6 beat the auctioneer's top estimate.
What moves the price
Purdey is a separate market from everything else in the room, and the spread is enormous — our records run from under £3,000 to £18,000 for guns of the same nominal description. The name alone tells you almost nothing about the price.
What decides it: barrel wall thickness and whether the barrels are original, the condition of the action and whether it has been rejointed, stock originality and length, and whether the gun retains its case and papers. A sleeved Purdey with a replacement stock is a fraction of an original one.
These are the lots most likely to go unsold. Across our data the failures cluster at the top estimates — there is far more demand at £1,500 than at £10,000. If you are selling a good one, the estimate matters less than getting it in front of the right two or three buyers.
Retail expectation: Wide. £4,000 for a sleeved or restocked gun to well past £20,000 for an original cased pair candidate.
Every recorded lot
| Description | Sale | Estimate | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| J. Purdey & Sons A 20-Bore Self-Opening Sidelock Ejector | 29 Jul 2026 Lot 1550 |
£18,000–£22,000 | £18,000 |
| J. Purdey & Sons A 12-Bore Self-Opening Sidelock Ejector | 22 Mar 2022 Lot 1463 |
£12,000–£16,000 | £12,000 |
| J. Purdey & Sons A 20-Bore Self-Opening Sidelock Ejector | 29 Jul 2026 Lot 1500 |
£3,000–£5,000 | £10,000 |
| J. Purdey & Sons A 12-Bore Self-Opening Sidelock Ejector | 22 Mar 2022 Lot 1475 |
£3,000–£5,000 | £6,500 |
| J. Purdey & Sons A 12-Bore Self-Opening Sidelock Ejector | 22 Mar 2022 Lot 1471 |
£2,500–£3,500 | £5,000 |
| J. Purdey & Sons A 12-Bore Self-Opening Sidelock Ejector | 22 Mar 2022 Lot 1476 |
£2,500–£3,500 | £2,900 |
| J. Purdey A Lightweight 12- Bore Single-Trigger Self- Opening Sidelock Ejector Lightweight; Single Trigger | 22 Mar 2022 Lot 1467 |
£6,000–£8,000 | Unsold |
Hammer price as published by Holt's Auctioneers. Buyer's premium and VAT are additional, so expect to pay 20–30% more than the figures above.