John Phillip Sousa AAHE Pigeon Gun

[Kevin McCormack]

A number of you have asked me to elaborate on the Sousa AAHE gun referred to in my post on the thread from Bill Hulbert on how to have a Parker Gun properly appraised and valued, so here goes:

I had been to several of Alderfer's auctions and had come to know Stan Smullen, who was at the time connected with the firm in the firearms department (now out on his own). At a gun show in Richmond VA one morning he took me aside and showed me a glossy 5 x 7 portrait card that Alderfer's had made up for the gun. He really leaned on me to get the word out to what he referred to as the "hard core" Parker Collectors I knew, emphasizing that this was a "very special gun" from a variety of standpoints. He gave me a dozen or so of the cards and asked me to spread them around.

The details of the gun's provenance are what every gun collectors dreams for: it was found in a trunk in the attic of one of Sousa's relatives (I think a great niece or nephew) somewhere down South (TN or NC?). The gun had been left to the relative as a hand-me-down through the family, who had no interest in it from a collectible or use point of view, but had a pretty good idea of its intrinsic and historic value and wanted to sell it at a fair price. How Stan Smullen or Alderfer's was approached I do not know.

I knew a top echelon Parker collector who would definitely be interested so I asked Stan if I could have an appointment to examine the gun privately. He agreed and I drove up to PA in what was the worst hail storm I can remember. I was allowed to examine the gun for almost 3 hours and recorded every piece of information I could, no matter how seemingly inconsequential. I filled an 8 1/2 x 11 writing tablet with 5 pages line by line surveying the gun.

When I got home I contacted my collector friend and made an appointment to bring my transcribed notes over to him. He read them over for about 10 minutes without saying a word, then asked me if I thought it would be worth the trip up for the auction. When I told him; "Don't cost nothin' to look!", he said, "Fine, be here at 5:30 Thursday morning. I'll drive."

When we got to Alderfer's I introduced him to Stan right away and Stan took him over to the glass display case, took out the gun and handed it to him. I gave Stan the "its time for a coffee" look and disreetly disappeared for about 15 minutes. When I came back, my collector friends' face was expressionless as I walked up to him. I said to myself, "Uh-Oh", I missed something wrong with the gun! Game over!" I managed to mumble, "So, what do you think?" He said, "I think your appraisal is about dead on - I'm definitely going to go for it!" A big 'whew' there for yours truly!

When the gun finally came up there were 2 or 3 other bidders on the floor and one on the phone. Within 3-4 minutes two of the floor bidders fell out; one hung tough and the guy on the phone kept at it. As the bid increments went over $25K my collector friend assumed "last man standing" posture and got the gun.

That's basically the story. I could write another lengthy post about the essential particulars of the gun and how I evaluated condition and authenticity, but for now just let's say that I felt the same way New York antiques legend Israel Sack felt when he examined a mint 1777 writing desk that a mainline Philadelphia family had finally decided to sell: He told the auction house furniture curator, "It speaks to me."

Sousa was a dedicated trapshooter and loved Ithacas (to wit, the Sousa Grade Single Barrels with their buxom gold mermaids on the floorplates!), but like many others, appreciated the combined beauties of form and function so perfectly blended in the Parker Gun. His AAHE Pigeon Gun is ample testimony.

[Old and Reliable]

Who cannot recognize a Gershwin tune or a Sousa march. Nice to know that a fine AAHE is now in the care of a person who will appreciate it. I wonder where Mr. Sousa's Ithaca shotguns are now? I have seen two LC Smith shotguns that may well have also belonged to this great composer and Trapshooter- at Quantico in the USMC National Museum. Mae and I visited there last June/July (2009) after our summer trip to: Gettsysburg, Valley Forge (and Devon), Wilmington, Dover, Ocean City, Norfolk and then Williamsburg VA-

Of course, you can't see them up close, any more than the guns on display out in Cody. When I was at Quantico years ago, Skeet was more popular, although they had a Trap range, with the older pipe, rod and lever linkage system and a Trap Boy in the house doing the loading. Reading the cycle of that older style mechanism would often give the shooter 25 straight-away targets at 16 yards.

[Bill Murphy]

Francis, it's a small world. The human who is owned by my Wirehair's littermate is a curator of the new Marine Museum. He actually occasionally posts on one of these forums. He is a serious bird and duck hunter, as are most people who mess with Wirehairs. A bit more about this "small world" business. Kevin McCormack used to shoot the Quantico bunker and I shot the Quantico International Skeet program and was a member of the Quantico Rod and Gun Club. Some more of the Sousa guns are closer than you think. Of course, he had a bunch and some are hard to document.

[Pa SxS]

Francis if my memory serves me correctly, Sousa's Ithaca SBT resides in the Amateur Trapshooting Hall of Fame museum in Vandalia Ohio. There has been talk of moving the offices and Hall of Fame from Vandalia to Sparta Illinois.

[Pa SxS]

Murphy, you sly dog, you always tell of being a Parker bottom feeder. How was your visit to Hatfield Pa?

[Bill Murphy]

Did not go and I'm a little sick about it. What did you think about the glass ball thrower and the "shooting gallery"? They were the hottest items in the sale, but I wouldn't have minded looking at the double trigger 21 with 32" barrels. Did you go? What did you see and buy? I could write a book about the old days at that place.

[Bill Murphy]

OK, so the Sousa Ithaca is in Vandalia, but where is the Daly single barrel that he gave up for the Ithaca? Anyone know?

[Pa SxS]

Bill,

Never been to Alderfer's auction. Growing up I knew of them but just assumed that they were the run of the mill local auction type. Guess they've moved up to a higher level. I just find it kind of ironic that the two places I've lived in my life, Souderton Pa and Harrisburg Pa, two of the most desirable Parkers have been sold within a few miles and I never knew about them. The AAHE in Hatfield and the AHE 410in Gettysburg. This all happened before I became a PGCA member.

[Bill Murphy]

Kevin, thanks for the rehash of the auction of John Phillip Sousa's AAH pigeon gun. It was a great day at the auction house, unfortunately not for me. For years I have been on the trail of Sousa's original Lindner Daly Diamond Grade single trap that he shot before his Ithaca was made. I have known for years of its location and the history of its ownership since Sousa bought the Ithaca in 1917. This year at the Southern Side by Side, I was able to add the great gun to my collection. His Ithaca single, of course, as Chuck says, is in the ATA Hall of Fame Museum.

[Pa SxS]

Bill, knowing you, pictures will be here shortly

Send them to me if you still haven't figured out how to do it.