need help figuring out this superposed shotgun

Discussion in 'Browning Superposed Shotgun' started by jack l handley, Sep 14, 2017.

  1. jack l handley

    jack l handley Copper BB

    i recently acquired a browning superposed 419 shotgun. it has a round knob and is long tanged. it bares the serial number 9j85. the wood is oil finished and of a better grade than i have ever seen on a grade 1 superposed shotgun, also the checkering is not the usual superposed checkering, a fancier pattern. could any of you provide me with more info on the gun. until either my son or son in law can help me i can't post pics which i know would be helpful. hope to get some up before too long. thanks in advance for your help....onfyre5
  2. Anatidae

    Anatidae .270 WIN

    Jack, the only thing I can tell you without photos is that your 410 has a 1959 date code. That was the year the 410 and 28 Superposed was introduced, and the first use of the alpha-numeric gauge/date code (or date/gauge code until 1962).

    In 1962 when the 12ga serial number sequence reached its first 100,000 turnover, the gauge/date code was also applied to the other gauges but followed the serial number. Prior to that, the 410 and 28 date/gauge code preceded the serial number in reverse order. Consequently, there are 1962 410's with 2J xxx and xxx J2, and 28's with 2F xxx and xxx F2 formats.

    So aside from owning a relatively scarce 410, you have the 85th 410 made, and it has the early year/date and serial number format.

    Congratulations. I've owned a J5 and a J70, and hope to find a 9J, 0J, 1J, or 2J example one day.

    I look forward to photos to be able to help with other details. What are the chokes marked and what is the bbl length?

    You can contact the Browning historian to possibly find-out when, where, and to whom it was originally sold. Just send him 'Superposed serial number 9J 85' to: Lenny.rees@browning.com
    Last edited: Sep 15, 2017
    Ranger6 likes this.
  3. jack l handley

    jack l handley Copper BB

    anatidae. thank you so mcuh for the info. will try to post pics as soon as i can get help doing so..stay well and thanks again....jack
  4. SHOOTER13

    SHOOTER13 Guest

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    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 16, 2017
  5. jack l handley

    jack l handley Copper BB

    gun bbls are 28" long chokes are sk and sk, lop is `14 1/4"long will have my son post pics shortly
  6. BobbyD

    BobbyD Copper BB

    Hello, I have a Superposed 20 gauge ser. # 216** which leads me to believe it was made in 1961. It is also stamped Ambercrombie & Fitch, does this add much value to the gun?
  7. Anatidae

    Anatidae .270 WIN

    Some Collectors prefer guns with provenance. I can't speculate on a dollar amount or percentage of the item's market value, but some form of authentic documentation of origin adds to the desirability of the item, in some cases - and varies by collector.

    If you are interested in such documentation, I would contact Bob Beach, Historian for Griffin & Howe. You will need to tell him it is a 20ga serial number, (because there were some early 1950's 12ga Superposed guns also in the 216xx range).

    http://griffinhowe.com/researchyourfirearm/

    I looked at the serial numbers beginning in 216xx that G&H confirms they have records for......#'s 21601, 16, 34, 73, 75, 78, 79, 86, & 21690, but there is no distinction which ones are 12ga or 20ga without contacting the Historian.

    Letters of provenance are available for a fee. He can also research biographical info of the original owner, for an additional fee. Sometimes this research can tie the gun to a person of significance. Depending on how unique the story is, or how significant the original owner......such information could be of more interest to a prospective buyer, but it would be up to that buyer to determine how much (if any) this increases monetary value. I doubt being stamped "Abercrombie & Fitch" adds significant value, but perhaps the sales records would at least document a degree of authenticity and origin. This generally only renders the item more 'appealing' - value is largely a product of 'collectability'......(i.e., Uniqueness, Rarity, Desirability, and Condition).

    I hope this helps, somewhat. Please let us know what G&H records indicate about your gun.
    'le petit poisson'
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2018

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