D Grade Engraving
 

Here's a 1907 DHE with ducks on the floor plate. I would be most interested to see other variations of the D, especially ones that have something besides the ducks or pheasants (always 4, right?) on the floor plate. These threads are a great idea and could someday become a wonderful photo archive of Parker engraving sorted by grade - Great job John!

Here's DH #155290 devoid of any of that damn case coloring that muddy's up the engraving! I'm not sure if those are Prairie chickens, Guinea fowl or turkeys on the floorplate---they certainly aren't ducks or pheasants.

Sharptailed grouse, possibly prairie chickens, but the tail is correct for a sharptail. Those were the prairie birds before pheasant, which didn't become numerous until around 1900. Pheasant were creatures of cultivated land and not much land was broken until then.

Chickens: fan tails
Sharpies: pointy tails

Hunters would come to Kansas, Nebraska and the Dakotas by train from the east, guides would pick them up by early cars or horse and buggy at the the railroad stations, the hunters would stay in hotels or with the farm families and the locals would drive the hunters around where they would shoot from the wagon. The season started in late August/ early Sept when the young birds were easy targets.

We have one fellow coming in on Friday from New Hampshire, another from Michigan. We'll tell him not to shoot while the wagon is moving.

Thanks Greg, I'll see if I can scrub the rest of those irritating colors of that gun. I believe Bruce is right about yours haveing sharptails on the floorplate. I hope others will post photos like these. I really enjoy looking at the differences and speculating about some of the cartoonish engraving... like the flying turnips and the Scoobydo on my gun.

DH w/ Unique Engraving
 

This is a DH that I recently purchased with unique engraving on the side of the receiver. I have heard of some CH's having elk and deer in the panel scenes, but not DH's. The rest of the engraving is identical to any other DH's. I received the letter today which doesn't mention anything about the engraving or any other special order features.

You have a real nice DH Parker Rick. Love the engraving and the wood.

Rick - what vintage is your DH? I've observed that the engraving done around the WW1 period seems deeper and better executed than other periods. That one is very nice.

Rick, does the letter mention anything about 'boring for ball and shot' or anything else that might indicate the gun would be used for game animals as well as fowl??

Rick Is this the same gun listed on GI ? Or is there Two of them ?

Just an observation, but since the pictures are absolutely identical, I would say yes, it's the same gun on GI.

Passenger Pigeons
 

This DH was from 1892. I know they look like guiney hens but they are actually passenger pigeons. At least thats what I will tell folks if I ever sell it. My pics arent too good but there is a pointer on one side and a setter on the other. FYI I checked and the earliest pheasant season I found on the web was 1906 but that wasnt an exhaustive search.

The DH listed on G.I. It states 3 1/2 drop at the heal....too mutch for me. But the engraving is superb....few parkers have deer/elk or stag creatures...

So -I keep seeing birds on the floor plate of D grades,

how common is a Setter on point on the floor plate?

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...floorplate.jpg

Very uncommon on later guns - not so uncommon on early DH parkers.

I have a 36" D3 6 frame DH 8 gauge that has ducks on both side panels and geese on the floorplate... unusually appropriate for Parker engraving...

DH
 

here's my DH 94555

Interesting engraving!

And especially appropriate for an 8 gauge Parker.

They are stunning! I can't help but admire the detail.

My 1889 DH has a setter on the bottom.
Thanks-

interesting - what gauge and what is the serial number?

12ga SN# 58509, ordered in November 1889, delivered January 1890.

Chris, do you have a research letter on that gun? It may have been specially ordered that way but it isn't likely that a letter might mention that. That said, it is an early one and it is not especially unusual to find Grade 3 guns of that vintage to have "unusual" floor plate engraving motifs. Later Grade 3 guns normally display four birds in flight - either four ducks, four pheasants, four sharptail grouse or whatever. Yours was made during a period of transition in engraving themes and motifs. The early DH guns also were not as elaborately engraved as were DH's made even just five or six years later. It is fun to study these Grade 3's

Dean-

I do have a letter, it does not mention any special engraving. The engraving is a setter on the bottom, setter on the right side and a pointer on the left.

Would you like to see a D hammer gun?

Well DUH. :rotf:

Have we ever said "please don't show us that Parker" :corn:

Uh, I have to leave the computer for a moment to go to the restroom. Please don't post those D hammer gun pics while I'm away!

Here is the setter on my 1910 D---one of the nicer Parker dogs in my opinion---
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t...ParkerdogD.jpg

That particular engraver (from just after the turn of the century into the early 'teens) is a favorite among Parker collectors who have a keen eye for engraving.

This is the setter on my C from the same period 1907---appears to be by a different hand than the D above and not as well done
-----I prefer the engraving style on the D
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t...ParkerdogC.jpg

both are very nice dogs..i could not pick out which one was the best... charlie

Craig, both dogs are beautiful but I like the more disheaveled dog with the hidden paws on the C.

Both dogs are very nice....but the C has better background, looks like real cover...I vote for the C

D top lever
 

Finally got some decent pictures. Yes cleaned it needs .
[ATTACH]18968[/ATTACH

Attachment 18969

Attachment 18970

Attachment 18971

Attachment 18972

very very nice

Calvin -- nice pictures
what year was it born?

I know a D is not the top grade but the engraving on these gun is very pleasing to my eye - great art and not overly busy

The C and the D look to be engraved by the same hand to me. We'll never know of course, but I'd bet a dollar on it.

one purty hammer gun...bet she aint seen to much action in the field...just to nice...lucky calvin... charlie

I posted the setter from the floor plate earlier in this thread

here is the right side setter

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...sidesetter.jpg

1886.

thanks Cavin, just two years before my DH - its interesting to see how the style changed with the switch from hammers