1929

[KCordell]

Can anyone guess or confirm what grade of Parker could have been bought for $400.00 in 1929?

Many thanks in advance for any help here.

[Bill Murphy]

AAHE. However, realistically, you could probably have bought an A-1 Special for that amount.

[Chuck Bishop]

Not quite Bill!

The 1929 price list lists the AHE as $400. If you want a single trigger, add $32, vent rib add $39, beavertail forend add $27.

These are suggested consumer prices. The AAHE, no options was $575.

[KCordell]

Thanks Guys. Gives me great perspective for what I was researching.

[Dean Romig]

Chuck, what had the price dropped to after Parker Bros. (and every other retail business in the country) realized that a lot of people had lost a whole LOT of money?.... say 1930 or '31?

[KCordell]

Dean, great question.. That would be a great detail to know.

[Bill Murphy]

Chuck's information was invaluable to me. I have a 1929 AHE Trap with single trigger and beavertail. I had no idea it was worth that much. It was on the PGCA display at the Eastern Panhandle Shoot and I got offers, but not quite as high as Chuck mentions.

[Dean Romig]

I'll double the amount Chuck suggests... in fact, I don't even need to write a check - got the cash right here. Where can we meet?

[Bill Murphy]

Let's see. According to Chuck, you could have bought an AHE .410 for $400 in 1929. The last AHE .410 I saw sold for real folding currency was $116,000, plus PA sales tax, if it was paid. Great appreciation. Dean and I have great pictures of the AHE .410. Maybe today we'll take them out an look at them.

[Dean Romig]

I have pictures of it too. It was a skeet gun with 26" barrels if I recall. I have a lot of information on it too. I think there might have been an early 'ownership' connection between it and the .410 Skeet-er 2 barrel set I had for a while.

[Chuck Bishop]

Prices for the AHE base model:

1929 $400
1930 $425
1935 $497.50
1936 $515
1940 $530

[Robin Lewis]

Interesting, I would have expected to see a price dip after the 1929 crash? This got me wondering if this was unique to Parker's high end shotguns or a general trend.

From what I found at http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/70yearsofpricechange.html (http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/70yearsofpricechange.html)it looks like a general trend. I went looking for the price of bread to indicate the change in prices after the crash. I found:

Average Cost Loaf of Bread

1930 9 cents
1940 10 cents
1950 12 cents
1960 22 cents
1970 25 cents
1980 50 cents
1990 70 cents
2008 $2.79

:shock:Wow, what the hell happened after 1990?
I have been told we have had very low inflation these last few years.........:cuss:

[Dean Romig]

Prices for the AHE base model:

1929 $400
1930 $425
1935 $497.50
1936 $515
1940 $530


Parker Bros. was never known to be especially reactive to market demands.

Maybe this mindset explains why this drastic reduction in guns manufactured happened....

1928 - 4,839
1929 - 3,384
1930 - 2,183
1931 - 293
1932 - 112
1933 - 83

And then the Parker Gun works was sold to Remington.