My First Parker. What Grade Is It?

[Bill Kekatos]

I pulled the trigger and got my first Parker. I don't have it my hands yet, but it is on its way. From the limited experience I have from reading your posts and looking at pictures, I believe it to be a DH. Serial number 111377, 30" damascus barrels with ivory beads. The serial number puts its manufacture in 1902. I don't know the gauge yet. I asked, but never got an answer. It appears to have a metal buttplate. I became a PGCA member and will be sending for a letter as soon as I receive the gun. What can you tell me by looking at the pics?
Thank you. BillK

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[David Noble]

Bill, welcome to the PGCA and congratulations on your first Parker! You are correct about it being a DH grade. The condition looks pretty good, though not a lot of case colors are evident in the pictures. The barrels look on face and it appears to have a solid lock- up. It's always difficult to determine gauge and frame size from pictures but statistics would say it is a 12 ga on a 2 frame. I don't have my serialization book with me to check the configuration but it appears to be all factory correct. The butt is most likely the original skeleton steel butt plate which is a big plus in collector value.
I would say you have a very nice first Parker and a graded one at that!

[Jay Gardner]

Nice acquisition. I'd say it has had a lace on butt-pad at one point for quite some time (fade in the coloration of the stock). Not a big deal, at all. Perhaps it's just the angle of the camera but it looks like there is not the usual 3" of drop at heel. Well done.

[Bill Kekatos]

Thank you for the information gentlemen. What is the safest way to remove the old dirt and oil from the engraving and the rust from the barrels?
BillK

[Mike Franzen]

Nice gun Bill. The safest way to clean up the gun and remove rust is covered in detail in these forums. The safest thing to do is go slow, take your time learning about your gun and its care. IMO you have a really nice desirable Parker. Don't diminish its value by getting in a hurry.

[John Campbell]

Mr. Kekatos:
You have a fine Parker DH there. And I mean no ill, but you seem a bit unfamiliar with them. Thus, in order to preserve your investment, and the arms history it embodies, I'd urge you to send the gun to a professional double gunsmith for a strip-and-clean and overall inspection. It won't cost much, will preserve the gun and screw slots, and inform you as to whatever unseen issues it may have.

I'd recco Brad Bachelder or Kirk Merrington for this.

Again, all in the best interest of you and your Parker.

[Bill Kekatos]

Thank you gentlemen for your knowledgable responses. Although I own and shoot a number of older SxS shotguns, this represents my first Parker gun. As soon as I receive it, I was thinking of sending it to either Brad or Kirk for a clean and strip and an evaluation. Kirk has a couple of my guns presently at his shop for a clean and strip. Any additional information you can provide is most welcomed.
BillK

[Bill Kekatos]

I am now officially a Parker owner. Yesterday I received my gun and I am impressed by the fit and finish of my first Parker. It appears to be all original. The barrels are in excellent shape, with the exception of a small dent on the left barrel about 8" from the breach. The barrels and stock are not cut. It has a skeleton butt plate with checkered wood and the drop of heel is about 2.75"-2.875". The water table is marked 3 and D. For some reason I could not remove the barrels and thus, I cannot say what frame it is yet. It appears to be in a nice original condition. I have already requested a letter and looking forward to discover some of its history and whereabouts.
BillK

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u142/billk_album/Parker%20SxS%20No%20111377/IMG_0467.jpg

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[todd allen]

Bill, congrat's. You stepped into the Parker world on a fairly high level, for a first gun!
BTW, I noticed that the butt stock on yours has the lightening plugs cut into the butt end.
The Parker builders went the extra mile to ensure the proper balance on this gun.

[Bill Kekatos]

Thank you Todd. I noticed that also. I am familiar with that practice in British guns. I was not aware american makers were doing it also.

[Bill Kekatos]

Today I received my Parker letter for my gun #111377. It was ordered by the Charles Parker Co of NY on October 11, 1902 and shipped on October 24, 1902. It appears the configuration is all original, down to the Lyman beads and the initials on the shield (W and RH modified).
The specifications requested a weight of 7 pounds, 14 ounces.
Questions:
1. Who was The Parker Co of NY. Any affiliation to The Parker Brothers, the gunmaker?
2. Did they keep a stock of semifinished guns in various configurations in order to be able to meet client demand and deliver the gun order so fast?
3. Would a 12 gauge of such weight be considered rather heavy? What do you think its owner intended to use it primarily for?
4. If steel barrels were available in 1902, would would the order request damascus steel?
5. Wonder what would $100 in 1902 would be equivalent to today in order to determine its cost in today's value of money.
Thank you. BillK

[Chuck Bishop]

1. The Charles Parker Co of NY was the retail store for Parker Bros. in NYC. 2. I'm sure they did but mostly in the lower grades. 3. Most 12ga. guns weighed in the 7 to 8 pound range. We don't know the choking on this gun but since it wasn't specified in the order, it was probably full/full or modified/full and could have been used for hunting. Both Damascus and Fluid steel were available. The customer evidently wanted Damascus. 3. Don't know but a D grade Parker wasn't cheep in 1902.

[John Campbell]

According to an online source, $100 in 1902 has the buying power of $2665 today.

And... with the Parker NYC store having sold this gun, and if sales records for that store and year are still available, the initials on this gun's stock oval could prove quite interesting. If they are those of the original buyer. Especially since not many people had that kind of money to spend on a shotgun in 1902.

[Greg Baehman]

Using tables from the Consumer Price Index, $100 in 1902 would be equivalent to $2840 in 2014 (latest year of info).

[greg conomos]

I think the $2800 figure, while it may be accurate, fails to take into account the vast change in values and spending habits that have occurred since 1902. Once you factor that in as well, I think a $100 purchase in 1902 is probably closer to a $5000 purchase today.

[Robin Lewis]

5. Wonder what would $100 in 1902 would be equivalent to today in order to determine its cost in today's value of money.
Thank you. BillK

Interesting question. I went to the internet and found several pages that compute the answer but none of them went back farther than 1913. I think they all use Consumer Price Index to compute the answer and I'll bet the CPI records only go back to 1913.

Anyway, In these web pages it seems that $1 in 1913 equates to $23.95 in 2015. That is much more than I expected! But maybe?

Here is a link that explains how they compute this:
https://www.minneapolisfed.org/community/teaching-aids/cpi-calculator-information

Click on the "CPI calculator" link on that page to find the tool to calculate for other years if you want to play.

[Jay Gardner]

Considering Parkers were made, engraved and fitted by hand a Parker would cost significantly more today than it did then and that would not take into consideration the damascus barrels which stopped being produced in the early 1900's.

[Greg Baehman]

Interesting question. I went to the internet and found several pages that compute the answer but none of them went back farther than 1913.
Robin, go here: http://www.measuringworth.com/uscompare/