What is sometimes overlooked is that both these gentlemen bought used rifles from us, not new ones. Incidentally, the rifles concerned were both .577 doubles of our own make.
Ernest Hemingway .577 Double Rifle
The fact is that Westley Richards has always been a dealer in second-hand, pre-loved, vintage, used, or whatever euphemism currently popular in marketing-speak covers items other than those leaving the factory as brand new products.
Stewart Granger .577 Double Rifle
Westley Richards, though always a proud Birmingham company, with its production facility in the industrial heartland of England, long had a London shop (or agency). The most famous proprietor of that shop was William Bishop; known, according to tradition, as ‘The Bishop of Bond Street’, for that was the location of his premises; in London’s fashionable, central, shopping district.
William Bishop
Then, as now, sportsmen wishing to buy new guns and rifles often had one or two to trade-in. Others; un-willing or un-able to buy the latest ‘big thing’, would be very pleased to buy these cast-offs at bargain prices. The Bishop bought, sold and traded like any good Victorian businessman.
In more recent times, Malcolm Lyell continued the tradition after taking control of the London shop in 1948. The venture at the time was unusual, with no other major London gun-maker selling used guns made by others. It did very well and made the London shop profitable at a difficult time for the gun trade in Britain.
Malcolm Lyell
Forward in time to the 1970s and Walter Clode was running Westley Richards, from where he launched repatriation expeditions to India, during which he bought guns and rifles originally sold to the maharajahs during their Victorian and Edwardian heydays and brought them home to sell again; this time, mostly to American collectors.
Walter Clode
This venture, once again, as in Malcolm Lyell’s time, provided essential income to the firm when new gun sales were not as numerous or profitable as they had once been. It is no exaggeration to state that without used gun sales and the contribution they made to the cash-flow of the business in the past, we might well not be here today, building new ones.
With the tenure of Simon Clode in the early 21st century, the sales of a select number of quality used guns, always beautifully photographed and presented, continued to contribute to turnover and provide an outlet for customers to pass-on items from their collections they no longer wanted.
Simon Clode
Today, our US agency, under L.D. McCaa does very well with its Heritage Collection; buying, selling and trading quality vintage guns and rifles by all makers. What they have in common is that we vet the inventory to ensure only the best examples of everything we sell make the list. Everything is sold with the Westley Richards assurance of quality, condition and veracity of origin.
The market for used and vintage guns is currently focused on the best; best quality, best makers, best condition.. There is strong demand for ‘nearly-new’ because of the attraction of immediate gratification and a significant discount on the cost of ordering new.
Best quality vintage guns and rifles in first class condition; especially those with significant provenance, are always sought-after and achieve high prices. We take great care in the presentation of these beautiful and important firearms; appreciating the value of professional photography and artistic presentation.
Westley Richards is probably the only gun dealer with a full-time professional photographer on the staff, working from his own studio on-site. We take our photography every bit as seriously as we take our gun making or leather-work. In these days of on-line sales, presentation is crucial.
Second-hand and vintage gun sales continue to supplement our core business of best gun-making. The proximity of the best work of the finest gunmakers of the past provides inspirational continuity that cannot but infect everyone who comes into contact with them.
You might not be Stewart Granger or Ernest Hemingway but, like them, you can entrust Westley Richards to supply you with the finest second-hand sporting guns and rifles available.
