Help with an oddly marked Parker
Hello Parker cognoscenti,
I'm a dealer in Alabama. Recently, I came into possession of a bunch of old shotguns as part of an estate - one of which is a Parker, serial number 158014. I don't know a ton about Parkers, but it appears to be, at least in the frame, an authentic Parker GH (I don't have the year of manufacture).
However, there is something odd about this gun. As stated previously, I don't know much about these shotguns, but I think I remember something about Belgian (or Vickers by way of Belgium) barrels being fitted to these guns as replacements for the damascus originals. That certainly appears to be the case here, as the barrels are clearly marked "ARMAF Co. LIEGE," with the expected variety of Belgian proofs. What is weird, however, is the "PV" proof on the water table, and that the barrels have been serialized to the shotgun.
How would this have happened? I understand that some American smiths would fit replacement barrels, but in order for there to be PV proof it would have had to have been proofed in Belgium. Was there a professional service at the time to have one's Parker sent to Belgium to have the barrels fitted, matched, and the gun re-proofed? Or was this a gun purchased new in Europe, proofed later, and then brought to the US? Is there any way to track down the original disposition of the gun?
I've attached pictures of the relevant components below. I've learned enough about this kind of thing to know that it's better to ask the experts before accidentally misrepresenting an item.
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