The text from the Julia's Auction of the Max Fleischman 20-gauge --
*ULTRA-RARE GOLD INLAID IDENTIFIED PARKER A1 SPECIAL 2 BBL SET DBL BBL SHOTGUN. Cal. 20 ga. SN 231774. Built on an “O” frame and known as the “Fleischman Parker”. This fabulous little shotgun has 32″ bbls choked FULL/FULL and 28″ bbls choked IMP-CYL/IMP-MOD. Both are marked “PEERLESS STEEL” and have tapered matted ribs, dbl ivory beads, doll’s head extensions, ejectors and it is fitted with dbl triggers. Receiver, trigger guard & top tang are fabulously engraved with nine gold inlays consisting of two flying geese on the left side, two flying pheasant on the right side, a cluster of five flower blossoms on the front end of the receiver & a spray of leaves & blossoms on the floorplate. Trigger guard has five gold blossoms. Serial number is in large gold letters at the end of the trigger guard & the top tang has a large “S” in gold. It is all surrounded by full coverage very fine tight arabesque patterns and the fences have three raised scallops around the back edge. Opening lever, top tang and forend iron are all engraved to match. Engraving extends 2-1/4″ up over the chambers on both sets of bbls. It is mounted in a spectacular, streaky marble cake, French walnut buttstock with wonderfully covered fleur-de-lis checkered raised side panels with pistol grip, 14-1/8″ over an old leather faced pad. Grip cap is inlaid with a gold-plate engraved “Max C. Fleischman” with some light arabesque patterns. Bbl forearm lugs are marked “1” and “2” with corresponding numbers on the forend irons.
Among Mr. Parker’s related correspondence is a letter dated Dec. 15, 2000 to Mr. Neal Hermsen of Lewisville, NC, wherein he requests that Mr. Hermsen fit “the 32″ bbls” to the gun and that he wanted the same serial number on each set. Apparently the 32″ bbls were originally numbered “212863” and were for a Grade 6 gun but had already been upgrade engraved to Grade 8. Also included is a repair order dated 12-15-2000 with shipping label to Mr. Hermsen listing this shotgun and the extra bbls. On another billhead dated 12-20-2000 is a note stating that the bbls have been received and that they were actually Grade 8, that they should be restored and refinish the wood. Another billhead to Mr. Hermsen dated 7-25-2001 mentions the bbls fitting and to refinish both bbls at a cost of $3,000.00. In addition there is a hand written noted dated 11-12-2001 instructing Mr. Hermsen to replace all of the inlays. And lastly, there is an invoice dated 11-30-99 from James W. King of Albany, Georgia to Mr. Parker selling him this shotgun in the amount of $42,500.00. There is a note, apparently in Mr. Parker’s handwriting that states “Came from Little John Auction.”
Anyone have the Little John catalog with this 20-gauge A1 Special?
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