Babe Ruth's Parker?

[Bill Murphy]

Good catch, Norm. You get a big "Thank You" for your post.

[Bruce Day]

I have no idea what "BEFNAST" means. Maybe I am computer conversation illiterate, but I'm lost.

You know that little 20ga D hammer gun that was brought to the Vintagers and shown in the PGCA tent and at dinner was found in a chicken coop in Nebraska, feathers in the barrel, covered with a fine coating of rust and with a metal doubler strap to cover a stock wrist crack. While some would have turned up their noses in disgust, within a few days of work the gun was looking much better and it received much attention and admiration at the meeting. I suggest that now that gun is a high collector interest Parker and perhaps the only D hammer 20 known.

While I don't know the provenance of this alleged Ruth gun, if I was in the market for a historically interesting Parker, I'd be looking at this gun and considering what could be. I haven't examined the gun in person, can't tell the depth of the rust, but to me the gun looks merely neglected and not abused.

Just my thoughts. Wouldn't it be nice to have the Ruth gun? I sent a PDF file photo of Ruth in a Yankees sweater holding what may be this Parker. I was unable to manipulate it to post.

Here is the 20ga D hammer after it was fixed up. Rust gone, barrels refinished, stock crack fixed.

[Bill Murphy]

Bruce, my main collector interest is in provenanced Parkers. I would love to own a Parker owned by a famous baseball player.

[Brad Steinfeld]

I spoke to the owner when it was listed several months ago and at that time there was no substantiated connection between the gun and Babe Ruth other than past friends and family verbal claims to such in addition to a photo of Ruth holding "a" Parker that was to be this gun.

Happy Holidays.

[Jim Kucaba]

I hate Stick-Ball and wouldn't go to the World Series if it it was being played across the street and tickets were free ... That being said, I'm with Bruce, I've seen photos of Babe Ruth holding a shotgun, and if this Parker proves to be Ruth's gun I'm sure someone, not me, would willingly pay big buck$ for it ... Find me a Parker, or any other gun, that was owned by Ray Nitschke, Bart Starr, or A.J. Foyt and I might mortgage my house to bid on it ... Just my opinion ... So take it for what you paid for it.

Jim Kucaba ... AriZOOna Cactus Patch ... Email: JimKucaba@aol.com

[Forrest Smith]

The Babe had a sporting life, much like Tiger's I hear. There were some Parkers in the mix, among other guns...

[Autumn Daze]

Forrest,Thanks for the Ruth photo's a nice treat. We,re a big baseball and Yankee's family here. As far as this "so called" Ruth gun goes without any hard provenance its just a Parker shotgun.

In fact in a couple of weeks I can come up with a couple G Grades with Babe Ruth engraved on the trigger guard ! Or any other "Hall of Famer" for that matter....

[Dean Romig]

Okay, I'll ask for myself and most everybody else . . . What is "BEFNAST"??

[Big D]

I don't know either, but I can make an educated guess on the "F"

[QUOTE=John Dallas;9620]I don't know either, but I can make an educated guess on the "F"--- I am in the same camp with Col. Day- but as the Military loves those alpha codes- I am going to take a SWAG here and guess it is in the same sector as BOHICA- maybe not. Perhaps Mr. Murphy will enlighten us at a later point in time.

As others have mentioned their love for my two favorite sports teams: The Yankees and The Packers- here's a true Babe Ruth story- circa 1925. Miller Huggins was the Yankees manager then, the owner was Col. Rupport of the Genesse Brewing Co.- and he was a stickler for his players "toeing the line"

The Yanks were playing a double-header against the Indians at home- Babe misses batting practice, shows up 5 minutes before the game, a Zigfeld blonde on each arm, a big cigar in his mouth, and smelling like a brewry. The Colonel tells Huggins: "I want you to have a word with the Babe"- and of course, Huggins says "Yes Sir"--

Long story short, the Yankees beat the Tribe 14 to 2, Babe has two homers and 5 RBI's- they head for the locker room and the Colonel taps Huggins on the shoulder and reminds him about that "word thing"-- Oh, yeah, Huggins exclaims- Hey, nice game there Babe"!!

I love baseball and the characters of those days- and Babe and Mickey Mantle- two great players who never took care of themselves and paid the price too early. And Lou "Iron Man' Gehrig, who did, and got a bad break and never complained about it to the end.