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Purdey 20-bore shotgun with Margaret Thatcher engraving on sale

On 20 June, Holt’s will be auctioning a 20-bore over-under shotgun, made by Purdey, that is engraved with a portrait of the late Baroness Thatcher in a circular cartouche.

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The gun was commissioned in 1988 by the vendor, a former coal miner who had to leave work at Linton Colliery due to bronchitis.

The keen shooting man built up a successful business during the time that Baroness Thatcher was Prime Minister.

He was the first importer of Le Chameau footwear to Great Britain and, as James Purdey & Sons was a major stockist of Le Chameau, the vendor built up a relationship with the firm and aspired to own one of its shotguns.

The single-trigger sidelock ejector is also engraved with “Margaret Thatcher Prime Minister 1990” in recognition of the economic climate that had enabled the vendor’s business to flourish.

Ironically, he received the finished gun on the day that Baroness Thatcher resigned.

The estimate for the gun is £30,000 to £50,000.

For more information, visit www.holtsauctioneers.com