Diana Cartridges shell box hits $9,730 at SoldUSA.com An extremely rare California Powder Works "Diana Cartridges" 10-gage empty ammunition box sold for $9.730 at an Internet and catalog auction held by SoldUSA.com that concluded the weekend of June 7-8.
EXTREMELY RARE CALIFORNIA POWDER WORKS “DIANA CARTRIDGES” 10-GAGE
EMPTY SHOTGUN SHELLS BOX SOARS TO $9,730 AT SOLDUSA.COM SALE, JUNE 7-8
(Matthews, N.C.) - An extremely rare California Powder Works “Diana Cartridges” 10-gage empty ammunition box sold for $9,730 in an Internet and catalog auction that went online mid-May and concluded June 7-8. The auction was conducted by SoldUSA.com, the premier hunting collectibles auction site. The shotgun shell box was one of 989 lots that changed hands of the 1,016 lots offered.
“This was a fantastic auction for collectors, as many items saw new world record prices set,” said Chris Roberts of SoldUSA.com. “I saw absolutely no evidence of a sluggish economy. We had top-quality lots to sell, and people weren't shy about spending their money to acquire them. It was ridiculous, really, the number of people we had bidding, and the number of bids that were recorded.”
The auction had more than 10,000 individual bidders and over 500 winners. Participants signed up to bid from as far away as New Zealand, Austria, England, Germany, Japan and Malaysia. The site absorbed especially heavy traffic on Saturday, June 7 (over 1.4 million hits) and Sunday, June 8 (over 300,000 hits), a record for SoldUSA.com. It was during these two days that many new records were set.
The “Diana Cartridges” box was one such record. Only four such examples were known to exist before this one was discovered. It was found with a California Powder Works Perfection label over the “Diana Cartridges” one (not an uncommon practice for ammunition makers). SoldUSA.com sent the box to its restoration people, who soaked off the top label and restored the item to a fantastic condition.
Enormous interest was expressed in the box, but it was not the top lot of the sale. That honor went to a Winchester Rival 10-gage, 2-piece partial Christmas box, 100-count. It soared to $10,797. The box, labels intact, featured a hunter with two dogs on point. “We've only seen two of these boxes in 20 years,” Mr. Roberts said, “and the restoration is impeccable. Only a trained eye can see a hint of it.”
Following are additional auction highlights. All prices quoted include a 13% buyer's premium.
A Winchester 1909 Grouse poster, boasting perfect color and correct top and bottom snowflake bands, commanded $6,175. The poster, a prime example, measured 30-1/2” x 15-1/8” and is considered a desirable piece of Winchester art. Also, an exceedingly rare Early Peters Quick Shot 12-gage empty two-piece shell box, in the highly desirable red coloration on the front, hit $3,616 (a new world record).
A Liberty Cartridge Company 12-gage 2” empty box, pictured on page 71 of The Encyclopedia of Shotgun Shell Boxes, went for $3,205 (a new world record). The box, with a correct bottom and all panels intact, was in splendid condition. Also, an Austin Crack-Shot Shell Box, 10-gage, empty, in the rare pink variation, achieved $2,967 (a new world record). The box was clean
