A built-to-order double-barreled over-and-under Purdey shotgun, on which the barrels are arranged one atop the other instead of side by side, will cost close to £80,000.

Over the years, Russian czars, Middle Eastern sheikhs and sultans, and Indian rajas have acquired the handcrafted Purdey shotgun models, which today have prices that begin at $96,000.

At the age of 14, James Purdey began an apprenticeship under his gun-making brother-in-law. For the next seven years he learned the craft, mastered the skills and by 1805 landed a job with a ...

At Holt’s December sale, a 12-gauge Purdey once owned by champion U.S. Shooter Russell B. Atkins had an estimated value of $24,000 to $32,000 — and sold for $52,800.