Quite naturally, British collectors have different interests from most Americans. There is always interest in American guns, just as there is interest in British guns here but the emphasis is completely reversed. Add to that the fact that certain sorts of guns have survived there in much larger quantities than we imagine (nice 18th century fowlers and percussion DB shotguns come to mind) and their prices are frequently, if not always lower than ours are for the same type of arm. I follow this because I'm much more interested in British guns than I am American ones and the British guns I like are often less expensive there, usually because I am happy to buy converted examples etc. Condition and "big name" makers count for a great deal in the British market. A great gun by a relatively unknown provincial maker will attract much less attention than an ordinary gun by a famous London maker. Generally, late 18th century - early 19th century guns are really hot but mid-18th century and earlier arms have a more limited following (at least until you get to the 17th century, which is another thing altogether). For instance... India pattern muskets are widely sought after as they were the standard arm of the Napoleonic wars while earlier Land Pattern arms (although certainly valuable) seem to generate less interest with asking prices often aimed at American buyers. It isn't a coincidence that the best new work on the Land Pattern arms are all written by Americans.
