Newbie Question on Grade - Photos Added!
 

This is a recent acquisition and I am interested in knowing the grade and opinions on originality. The 12 gauge barrels are 28". Thanks for your expertise and education!! There is a "1" on the barrel lug.

T stands for twist steel barrels and it could be an “0” Grade or a grade1.

Ok, Flayderman's book suggested the "T" grade denoted a pistol grip. That must be incorrect. Thanks for the information and I will post pics.

Paul, go to the main page www.parkerguns.org and on the left side are a list of links that will help you ID your Parker. Look at the ones in the second half under "Collector Information". I think it will help you get started.

A letter T (usually with crescents above and below) stamped near the front on the right barrel flat would indicate Twist barrels. A letter T stamped on the watertable above the serial number would indicate grade. In the lower Quality Parker Bros. hammer guns the price varied by grip style and gauge, hence there were U-, T-, S- and R-grades in the Quality 0 guns.
R-Grade was a 10-gauge with Twist barrels and a pistol grip for $60.
S-Grade was the same thing with a straight grip for $55.
T-Grade was a 12-, 14-, 16- or 20-gauge with a pistol grip for $55.
U-Grade was the same with a straight grip for $50.

Info from the "blue ink" pocket catalog, circa 1900.

Very Nice ! Matches the serialization book.

We need to set some terminology "standards" for the use of numbers and letters for describing the same gun that Parker Bros. used. It is confusing enough for those of us that have been at it for half a century, it must really confuse newbies. Then to add to the confusion, over time, the amount of engraving (or lack thereof) on these entry level Parker Bros. hammer guns varied.

I try to use the word Quality with the numbers and the word Grade with the letters.

I would say the gun pictured is a very nice T-Grade.

It appears to be a Quality 0 (zero) and in very high original condition - almost what would be considered a benchmark gun. Very nice indeed.






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Wow. What a great gun. One of the best I've seen. By the way, the "T" in the serialization book refers to the Twist steel barrels, not a letter grade.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise. It seems Parkers can be confusing to ID and I am grateful for the assistance. I primarily focus on Winchesters and Colts, but couldn't pass this one up.