Have you ever imagined going to a typical garage sale in your neighborhood and leaving with a $10 painting that caught your eye, only to find out later that you just purchased a priceless piece of art? We have all heard the stories of individuals doing just that and ending up with an original Picasso, Monet, da Vinci, or even a more contemporary Warhol. Lost works of art can turn up virtually anywhere and can be found by anyone.
I remember a story about one of the most unusual art discoveries I have ever read about. It was regarding the Robert Bereny’s painting, “Sleeping Lady with Black Vase,” which sold in 1928. It disappeared and was considered lost after World War II, remaining missing for more than 80 years. An art lover discovered the piece in 2009, recognizing it from a faded black-and-white photo taken of the painting in 1928. The art lover was watching the 1999 children’s movie “Stuart Little” with his daughter and noticed the painting hanging on the wall as a prop. He contacted the production company to inquire about the piece. A member of the production company, who had no idea what they were looking at, said the painting was found in a California antique shop and it was purchased for “next to nothing.” The painting was sold at an auction in 2014 for $285,700.
Paintings are not the only masterpieces that are periodically discovered. Firearms from master gunsmiths, historical periods, and events also turn up. Many of these “works of art” are in the hands of gun owners that have no idea what they have, or the history attached. Some have been passed down from generation to generation. Many are found in the backs of closets or attics. Also, just like “lost paintings,” many valuable firearms are unknowingly purchased from individuals having garage sales or in pawn shops and antique stores.
Many of these “lost treasures” are chronicled every month in one of my favorite magazines, NRA’s flagship Official Journal, American Rifleman. Every month American Rifleman runs a Questions & Answers column in which readers inquire about unique firearms. The expert magazine editors informs the author of the question about the firearm’s details.
American Rifleman also runs a monthly column called “I Have This Old Gun.” This column is a great source of information for those looking for “lost treasures” in the gun world. “I Have This Old Gun” educates the reader about unique guns and the distinct characteristics that separate common versions from rare models.
I recently acquired a “lost treasure” at a local gun shop. I knew the used firearm on the shelf was special, but I did not know exactly what a “work of art” it was. It was an old German drilling. I knew it was underpriced, so I inspected the firearm to see why it was so reasonable. The gun looked like it had never been fired. This told me that it might be a “special” gun that was passed down for several generations as a showpiece.
There were several things that stood out to me as unusual for a firearm this old. It was a side-by-side 16-guage shotgun over an 8X57 “J” bore caliber rifle barrel. The unusual part, besides the gun looking like it had never been shot, had a .22 LR insert in the right barrel. Even more unusual is that it had the original key to remove the insert. This was a rare find because the .22 LR insert in these firearms was almost always lost through the years. It was even more uncommon to have the original key.
All these clues led me to believe that I might be looking at a “Picasso.” There was still one additional thing that told me to “grab up” this deal. The thing that really piqued my curiosity was the maker’s mark. The gun was marked G.L. Rasch.
Wow! I never thought I would ever have a chance to hold a G.L. Rasch in my hands! \To most gun enthusiasts, this name may not mean much. To those of us who admire and appreciate old guns and their workmanship, this name has a particular meaning. There is little information on this firearm, and this is probably why it was priced so low.
It can be hard to estimate the real value of the firearm just by looking at a G.L. Rasch. It often takes a little detective work. Many “firearms researchers” look for this name because you never know what you could uncover. A G.L. Rasch can be like finding that Picasso under another painting.
The history of this gun company began in Brunswick, Germany in the early 1600s, according to old city files. Even though the Rasch family were gunsmiths, master gunsmiths, and gun makers, they were more known as master engravers. George Ludwig Rasch officially founded the business “G.L. Rasch-Braunschweig” in 1829. He was the royal gun maker to the Dukes of Brunswick, as well as head of the Brunswick Gunmakers Guild in the 1840s.
In the early 1800s, the G.L. Rasch gun company began purchasing expensive firearms from high-end gun manufacturers and placing their name on them. In the gun industry at the time, it was common for guns that were made by larger companies and sold to smaller companies to be rebranded. These firearms were commonly referred to as “trade guns.”
The G.L. Rasch gun company did more than rebrand expensive firearms, they made them better. The gunsmiths from the G.L. Rasch gun company would take apart these trade guns, polished up the components so that the firearm operated very smoothly, and concluded by engraving the receiver and trigger assembly. Often the firearms the Rasch’s engraved would be ornately decorated with hunting scenes.
The G.L. Rasch gun company existed until the gun factory was destroyed by allied bombing in October 1944. After World War II one of the master gunmakers who worked for the Rasch family, Heinrich Hirsch, started his own gun business, Waffen Hirsch. His daughter married Otto Ebert, who took over the Hirsch gun business. He renamed it Waffen Ebert and continued to serve the local hunting community working on guns and mounting scopes. Sadly, with no descendants, the gun business ended when their doors closed for the last time.
I recognized that the gun I had purchased was one of these trade guns. As I carefully began disassembling the drilling, I made note of any proof marks, date codes, and ballistic information. I also took pictures to document photographic evidence to establish make, year, and model of the firearm.
What I found absolutely stunned me. I was holding a firearm that I never thought would end up in my shotgun collection. This German drilling that I purchased was a circa 1920s Krieghoff! I truly found a “Picasso” hidden under another piece of art!
This is a great example of why all gun enthusiasts should take the time to become more educated on firearms and their history, especially in the discipline of their choice, rifle, pistol, or shotgun. This belief in how important it is to know the history of firearms was re-enforced in my recent interview with Kim Rhode, 6-time Olympic Medalist, to understand the past to defend the present.
I feel very fortunate to have stumbled upon a Krieghoff shotgun. The fact that it is in the form of a drilling is even more special. What was even more satisfying is that after I purchased the firearm, I taught the men behind the counter a bit about German drillings. I was able to challenge the outdated assumption that women are not as knowledgeable about firearms as the stereotype implies.
