SN 10, 187

[Bruce Day]

A Parker made case or even a case provided contemporaneously with the gun is a prized find for many collectors. Many hammer guns seem to have been originally supplied in cases that contain reloading tools and shell holes. We wonder why we find so few of those cased guns today.

I have a story of an event that just happened. A friend found an original fitted cased hammer Parker at a gun show being sold by a tabletop dealer. He was interested, wanted a little time to consider it and continued his walk around. He decided to buy, came back to the table but the gun had been sold to another tabletop dealer, but the case was still there. The purchaser had not wanted the case as it was just an old case in need of repair. My friend was interested in the case and the fellow told him to just take the case and it's free.

So this is how it happens. We have gun dealers with no appreciation for the guns or their history and their only care is how fast they can make a buck off the sale of an old Parker, Smith, Lefever, Holland and Holland. I've heard these people say things to potential purchasers that are clearly false in order to make a sale. A pox on the bunch of them.