×

Brooks rifle to be sold in online auction

Second auction in the last five months to include rare Brooks rifle

Ryan Beardsley at an auction a year ago. (File Photo)

By Jess Mancini

Staff Reporter

LOWELL — A rare presentation rifle made by the renowned Cecil Brooks of Lowell in collaboration with knifemaker Raymond Babcock is being sold in an online auction through the Beardsley Auction Service of Lowell.

The auction is the second in less than five months of a piece by Brooks, who made presentation rifles for the National Rifle Association since 1955 prior to his passing.

“Presentation Rifles made by Cecil Brooks, well-known local gunmaker, rarely surface on the secondary market. Most are handed down from generation to generation and are extremely sought after when they do surface,” said Ryan Beardsley of Beardsley Auction Service. “While the exact number of Brooks rifles built is unknown, Brooks collaborated with very few others other than his apprentices.”

This is the only longrifle collaboration by gunmaker Cecil Brooks and knifemaker Raymond Babcock. It could have been made in the early 1980s. (Photo Provided)

Brooks died in 2006 at the age of 93 from heart failure. Babcock, who lived in Lowell then in Vincent, died in 2007 at the age of 70.

Beardsley was involved in the auction in November at the Dexter City Auction Gallery of a Brooks presentation rifle. The piece sold for around $20,000.

The owner of the Brooks-Babcock rifle, who wishes to remain anonymous, contacted Beardsley Auction Service about selling the rifle at auction. Beardsley said he discovered it was a Brooks-Babcock collaboration rifle.

“This instantly caught my attention,” he said. “We met a few days later and I was handed the rifle inside of a gun sock followed by a second gun sock. When I opened them up and saw the rifles, it was deja vu.”

“I was blessed to be the auctioneer on the microphone at Dexter City Auction Gallery in November when the most recent Brooks rifle sold for nearly $20,000 after taxes and buyers premium.”

The Cecil Brooks-Raymond Babcock longrifle that is being sold in an online auction at Beardsley Auction Service of Lowell. (Photo Provided)

The main difference was that this rifle had a Babcock-decorated barrel, Beardsley said.

“Babcock and Brooks were both very well known for their crafts. Both being from Lowell, Ohio, and participating in events together at the Campus Martius Museum, Babcock had an idea. Babcock and Brooks decided to collaborate on ONE presentation rifle,” Beardsley said. “The story told is that Brooks built the rifle and he and Babcock decorated it together. The first barrel was signed by Babcock. The second barrel, the one labeled C.G. Brooks-R. Babcock, was to be the final product. Unfortunately, the second barrel was not decorated. This rifle is the only Brooks-Babcock collaboration ever made.”

While a typical Brooks rifle took about two years and from 500-700 hours to build, this rifle may have taken longer because of the collaboration between the two craftsmen, Beardsley said. The curly maple stock was cut, shaven and formed to be perfect and Brooks barrels were made, not bought, until the late years.

The online auction at Beardsleyauctions.com will be underway through about 6:05 p.m. Thursday, March 30. Bidders must register.

Serious buyers can contact Beardsley Auction Service at 740-525-5756 or Beardsleyauctions@yahoo.com to schedule an in-person preview, Beardsley said.

Jess Mancini can be reached at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.15/week.

Subscribe Today