Did Parker leather face higher grade guns ordered with a Silvers pad?

[Craig Larter]

On Grade 3 and above did Parker ship guns ordered with a Silvers pad include a leather face??

[Richard Flanders]

I have a transition era vh12 that has a thin leather covering over a silvers like pad. Don't know if it's original. I know it makes it difficult to remove the pad for repairs. I can't imagine how I could get the thin leather off without destroying it.

[Craig Larter]

I know Fox leather faced guns fitted with a Silvers a grade CE and above. I have a grade 3 Parker circa 1901 that letters with a Silvers pad was it originality leather faced??

[Dean Romig]

Burt Spiller's VH, a transition gun, has a Silvers style pad faced with leather.

But again, it's only a VH and not a Grade 3 or higher as requested.

There is no mention of butt treatment in the research letter I ordered on the gun but it is certainly old enough to be original to the gun.

See the badly deteriorated pad when the gun was auctioned at The Cobb's Auctioneers on October 13, 2008 with Austin Hogan holding the gun and compare it with the condition of the pad as Tom Keer is holding the gun while shooting with Morris Baker, current owner of Spiller's Parker.



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[Craig Budgeon]

From what I have seen of leather faced Silvers pads the early ones were all spurred and the spurs varied over time. Most were leather faced and I believe the leather was used primarily to retain the plugs. I believe the 1953 Winchester 21 catalog displays various forms of leather facing pads on 21's. Most leather faced pads I have seen were covered in cow hide.

[John Dallas]

My DHE, circa 1924, has a covered pad. Unfortunately, records don't exist to verify its authenticity

[Chuck Bishop]

I've never seen it mentioned in the Order Books. Nor is it mentioned in any of the catalogs I've looked at. Maybe Mark Conrad can give his thoughts.

[edgarspencer]

I don't think there is any correlation between leather covers and pad manufacturers. The pad could not have the leather cover on it prior to installation simply because there would be no way to attach it to the butt stock without going through the leather.

[Wayne Owens]

Here is a photo of a 1905 Parker Silvers pad. The factory letter doesn't mention any pad addition but considering the gun has been in the family for about 77 years, the length of pull matches the factory letter, and the black plate is curved makes me believe the pad is original to the gun. By the way, the plate does not have a spur. The gun is a C grade.

[Craig Larter]

I have owned two Parker DH grade guns that had factory Silvers pad but the pads were to deteriorated to tell if they were ever leather faced. The leather faced Silvers was standard procedure for Fox and many original examples exist. The leather face is a very nice touch that keeps the rubber from hanging up when mounting the gun. I believe Fox used goat skin.

[Rich Anderson]

I have a CHE 20 that was ordered with a Silvers pad but no mention of it being leather faced. The pad was in the condition of the Spiller gun and was deteriorating badly and I replaced it.

[Steve Cambria]

And those lads at N. 18th St. certainly knew how to dress-up a Silvers!! :bowdown::bowdown:

EW-LA-LA.........

56983

Pretty good eye for lumber as well.........

[Daryl Corona]

I have a leather covered Silvers pad on a VHE double trap. Original... I could'nt swear by it but it matches the patina on the rest of the gun.

[edgarspencer]

That might be true but it was put on your Silvers pad After the pad was put on the gun, and not by Silvers.

[Daryl Corona]

Of course.

[Kevin McCormack]

On Grade 3 and above did Parker ship guns ordered with a Silvers pad include a leather face??

As evidenced by the 33,800 plus individual document pages we copied in preparation for The Parker Story, Parker did not routinely cover Silvers pads with leather unless specifically requested to do so. Some of the more lengthy entries in the Order Books specify "Silvers pad, cover with Moroccan leather", or, "leather-faced pad." This was an added touch of discriminating luxury for some (you can probably guess who they were!). But these examples are very few and far between.

Moroccan leather is nothing more than goat or sheep skin skived (thinned) to a near-translucent thickness. The big deal here is the twinge of exotic source and the extremely fine tactile sensation (as in fine driving or shooting gloves) afforded by the very thin covering. I have never thought much about the utilitarian aspect (e.g., hiding the - to some - ugly circular pad plugs) or in fact keeping them from falling out, but it makes eminent sense. Parker, like most other worthy makers, would do whatever the customer wanted.

So far as I know from reviewing existing records as we copied them there is no correlation between facing Silvers pads with leather relative to graded guns.