Searching for bargains on the internet is like panning for gold. You sift through listings for hours, days, weeks, and months and find nothing. Then one day –BAM!–the nugget that you’ve been searching for materliazes and you can barely believe your eyes.
That’s how I felt when this 20 gauge Charles Daly Diamond Grade double barrel popped up on online last week. I saw it soon after it showed and pounced right away (probably within hours of it appearing on the web). Unfortunately, I was too late.
That’s not surprising, really. The seller wanted just $4500 for it, and anyone who knows Charles Daly side-by-sides knows that that’s a crazy low price. Charles Daly’s Diamond Grades were one of the finest side-by-sides of their day (and the most expensive) Today, they’re still fantastic guns and they’re extremely collectible. A decent one in 12 gauge is easily a $5-7,500+ shotgun. A 20 gauge is whole different. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen one for sale.
So when I found this one on Gunbroker.com I rubbed my eyes and took a much closer look. Then I realized what I was seeing: the same 20 gauge Diamond Grade from the other day (check out that horrible leather covered pad on both guns). So that’s where it ended up. It’ll be interesting to see what it brings this time around.
