Best Deal on a Parker in your Buying Career

[Bill Murphy]

Craig's thread on grades was very entertaining. How about your best deal ever made on a Parker? I'll chime in after a couple of posts.

[Andrew Sacco]

Mine was a modest one, but the first Parker I took delivery on. A 16g VH on 1 frame, 28" barrels, uncut but choked C/IC. Pretty worn field condition, lots of bluing gone, wood rough but sound, a few fixed dents. After a trade of a Browning Citori it cost me nothing from Robin Hollow and it has been my go to woodcock and grouse gun. Not the prettiest but the most satisfying to carry. I wonder about its history.

[CraigThompson]

I have several that were bought for a couple hundred a piece , but they’ve been in the accumulation for over forty years . In the last ten years I got a very nice Grade 2 3 frame 10 gauge for a few hundred . Two years ago I picked up what has turned into a very nice gun an original VH 12 2 barrel set for a few hundred bucks . Still to date my best deal money wise has to be the recent DH 10 that turned out to be an DH 8 .

[Chad Hefflinger]

I picked up a 16g skeet gun at the Kenton, Ohio coon dog trials many years ago. A kid was walking around with it on his shoulder, said it was his grandfather’s. Not collector quality, very little case and thinning blue on the barrels but an honest unmolested specimen.

[Craig Larter]

I haven't made any screaming buys because all my Parkers have come from major dealers, major auction houses or knowledgeable collectors. I have made two good auction buys for considerably less than market price, a high condition DH 20ga 28" damascus and a near mint DH 12ga 28" damascus. I have made one good dealer buy that turned out to be a 1898 Boston show gun a AH 10ga 32" damascus.

[Reggie Bishop]

I consider all of my Parkers deals! Glad to own them all!

[Greg Baehman]

My best Parker deal did not happen just once, nor twice, but rather three times. None of these three Parkers cost me a dime -- a 12ga. DH w/30" damascus, a 12ga. GH w/30" damascus and a 12ga. Trojan w/30" bbls. All were Lewis-Class prize guns won at S X S events, two at the Yooper and one at the Great Northern.

[Daniel Carter]

Went to a local auction that had 6 VH 12 ga. advertised. Looked them over and the last one to come up seemed the best to me. The first went for 1800.00 after spirited bidding and i had 400.00 in my pocket and the start was 600.00 on each. Sat there dejected as they sold the next 4 above what i had. the last did not get a bid at 600.0 or 5 or 4. When the auctioneer said 3 i i raised my paddle and bought my first Parker 35 or 40 years ago. Today i may have waited for him to say 200.00 but would not take that chance then. It is still my most often used 12 ga.

[Garry L Gordon]

A "Best Deal" is not always about money. Mine was a long sought after gun that sold before I could contact the seller. I happened to run into the seller about a year later, and he told me the gun was coming back to him and that I could have it if I wanted it. I wanted it.

[Dean Romig]

The Best Deal for me was the first Parker I bought after having long wanted one of my own. I first used a borrowed Trojan 12 for a few years when I was about 13 but had to return it when its owner was about to move to the Boise area.
The first Parker I bought was in about 2000 or 2001, about 40 years later. It is a beautiful 12/30” Titanic DH with F/F chokes that has been my preferred turkey,waterfown,trap,5-stand,and sometimes SC gun. I have shot this gun more than any of my other Parkers. It fits me like it was made specifically for me and is certainly one of my favorite Parkers. The late Russ Bickel correctly tightened the Titanic barrels to the frame and reblued them and I also had him refinish and fit a set of 30" Damascus barrels to it with chokes of IC/MOD.
I bought it at Kittery Trading Post for $2000 which was probably too much money but the gun dept. nanager wouldn’t budge from the price and I simply had to have that gun. 90739 resides in the front row of my 47-gun safe and comes out often. It truly was the best deal I ever made on a Parker even though I did pay full retail for it.





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[CraigThompson]

I was pretty much spoiled my early years as my pop had Parker’s , Fox’s and Smith’s . And of course I used them all . Only one I ever lusted for over a long period of time was a VHE 20 gauge 28” gun that belonged to a family friend who happened to have a gun shop . He and my pop had known each other for many years and I’m sure I started asking our friend if the gun was for sale when I was 10 or 11 . Very rare was the time I went in that shop that I didn’t ask if he was ready to sell the little 20 . Finally got it about five years ago , can’t say I stole it but I wanted it and had been trying to get it for over forty years .

[Chuck Bishop]

I lucked into a VH 1/2 frame 2 barrel set at a small firearms auction in the Pocono's around 2012. Made in 1937, the gun is all Meriden made with 28" barrels choked mod and full. The gun was returned to Remington in 1938 for the second set off 28" barrels choked cylinder and improved cylinder. This set of barrels are Remington made and the gun has the repair codes from 1938. Did i mention that I have the hang tags and 1937 price list too? Pictures are in my PGCA album. Didn't pay much.

[todd allen]

I bought this 0 frame 16 gauge for 200 bucks.
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[Bill Jolliff]

Back in the mid 1970's, I was able to meet the acceptance of a high end collector of some of the best side by side shotguns imaginable including Parker, Fox, L.C. Smith, Syracuse Lefever, etc.

And luckily, I purchased some very nice high end Fox's from him as Fox's were my primary collecting interest.

An unfortunate event occurred in his life when his wife died. He sold his collection to a high end dealer who purchased all but one gun, a damascus barreled Parker.

Back then, 1981, damascus barreled guns were not popular and I'm thinking that's why the dealer didn't want it.

So, I bought it.

An AAHE 16 gauge, SN 112920, that in addition to having the owners name "Terrell" engraved on the gold grip cap, his name was repeated many times in the damascus pattern on the barrels. The Terrell gun.

Unfortunately, I don't own it anymore.

[Bruce Hering]

My best deal was on a #2 frame GH Damascus, 32" from a member here. I love the gun and enjoy shooting it. Its a really nice gun

[Dean Romig]

An AAHE 16 gauge, SN 112920, that in addition to having the owners name "Terrell" engraved on the gold grip cap, his name was repeated many times in the damascus pattern on the barrels. The Terrell gun.

Unfortunately, I don't own it anymore.

We know the gun Bill - one of the most, possibly the most, unique and amazing Parkers ever made.





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[Garry L Gordon]

Back in the mid 1970's, I was able to meet the acceptance of a high end collector of some of the best side by side shotguns imaginable including Parker, Fox, L.C. Smith, Syracuse Lefever, etc.

And luckily, I purchased some very nice high end Fox's from him as Fox's were my primary collecting interest.

An unfortunate event occurred in his life when his wife died. He sold his collection to a high end dealer who purchased all but one gun, a damascus barreled Parker.

Back then, 1981, damascus barreled guns were not popular and I'm thinking that's why the dealer didn't want it.

So, I bought it.

An AAHE 16 gauge, SN 112920, that in addition to having the owners name "Terrell" engraved on the gold grip cap, his name was repeated many times in the damascus pattern on the barrels. The Terrell gun.

Unfortunately, I don't own it anymore.

Yikes! How do you get rid of an AAHE 16? :)

[Bill Jolliff]

Yikes! How do you get rid of an AAHE 16? :)

It wasn't easy Garry, but I traded the Parker for 3 very minty high grade Fox's: a 12, 16 and a 20.

[Paul Ehlers]

I've always looked at my hunting & gun pursuits as a hobby for my enjoyment. My career was what I did to make money so I could pursue my hobbies.

On the gun end of this hobby. I consider the best purchase I've ever made was my Parker Reproduction 16/20 combo set.

I purchased the gun new in box for $4000.00 back in the mid-90's. Then when Galazans first offered their 16ga barrels I purchased & fit that set to the gun for another $1300.00 making it a three-barrel set with the 26" 20ga & the original 28" 16ga barrels both choked Q-1 Q-2 & the CSMC 28" 16ga barrels IC-Mod making it a very universal upland gun.

What really makes it special though is all the memories attached to it from the miles of carrying it back in the CRP heydays hunting with friends, all the great people I met along the way and the seven great dogs this gun shared the fields with.

The gun has a several well-earned warts on it from the years of use which reminds me that I put every one of them on it. Every time I pick the gun up, the memories of those great times come flooding back making this gun priceless to me. It was a good deal up-front money wise, but a great deal value wise to me!

[Daryl Corona]

It wasn't easy Garry, but I traded the Parker for 3 very minty high grade Fox's: a 12, 16 and a 20.

Seems to me you got he better end of the deal Bill.:bowdown:
Merry Christmas my friend.

[Austin J Hawthorne Jr.]

A 16 gauge Parker Trojan in 95% original condition but advertised as refinished and priced accordingly.

[Bill Murphy]

My first Parker is my favorite deal. A VH 28 gauge I bought on a skeet field for $130 as I recall. The longest search is an A. P. Curtis Parker try gun that I first saw as a very young man and finally pried it away from the owner probably thirty years later. The best financial deal was a near gift from a shooting friend, an AHE double trap with a long Maryland history. I said "near gift", but that was a bit of an understatement. I told the owner that the gun was worth over ten thousand dollars. He insisted that I write him a check for $2200.00. I don't know his motivation, but I have had decades of enjoyment from that gun.

[John Davis]

Almost 20 years ago I bought a DH 12 gauge off one of the internet gun sites. Bad pictures and no mention of the grade, but I could tell it had substantial engraving. Price was $400, so I bit. After receiving the gun, I ordered a letter. That revealed the gun had been ordered by a guy named Fred Kimble of Peoria, Illinois. The rest is history.

[charlie cleveland]

man what some good stories...my best buy was my first parker to see it was in a gun shop it was a ph 10 ga with 32 inch barrels...750 dollars it has taken many turkeys and deer.......charlie

[Robert Brooks]

I saw a BHE 20 with 28 inch barrels listed in a local classified Athens and contacted seller and met him same day Closed the deal and owned it next day! I cannot seem to hold on to high grade guns long and sold it in a couple of weeks for nice profit. Bobby

[Dean Romig]

The longest search is an A. P. Curtis Parker try gun that I first saw as a very young man and finally pried it away from the owner probably thirty years later..


Bill's A.P. Curtiss Try-Gun.


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[Stan Hillis]

It wasn't easy Garry, but I traded the Parker for 3 very minty high grade Fox's: a 12, 16 and a 20.

The Fox addiction never really goes away, does it Bill?

[Mills Morrison]

I have a GH 16 I got for $255 and is all there. A case of looking worse in the online photos than it is in real life

[Bill Jolliff]

The Fox addiction never really goes away, does it Bill?

It sure doesn't Stan.

Might even get worse!

[Jeff Christie]

My best (and favorite) two Parkers were free to me. They were inherited from my great grandfather who was the first purchaser. Somehow family guns go to the head of the line. I hunt with them regularly. A real bit of old Iowa.

[keavin nelson]

By far the most valued, my Virginia VH 12ga Dad bought for me in Farmville, Va. for $45!

[ED J, MORGAN]

My best deal was when I traded my pump 12 ga, to my dad for grandfathers DHE 12 ga.

[Dave Noreen]

I recall what was probably a very bad deal. In 1960, my father traded a pre-war Smith & Wesson .38/44 Outdoorsman with the original box, instruction folder and cleaning brush for an average 1901 vintage 2-frame, 12-gauge, 30-inch, VH-Grade. Upside, he probably shot the VH more the first fall he had it than he had ever fired that revolver.

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Dad's Remington and his Parker with my Uncle Irv's Colt Woodsman he passed on to me on my 21st birthday.

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[Daniel B Sweet]

My two best buys are my only ones so far but I consider each a good catch. My first was a CHE 1 1/2 12 ga 98% DelGreggo restored condition with SST, Beavertail, Vent Rib 30" Beautiful Circassian Walnut stock was for sale at Cabela's store in Missouri, looked at it for two weeks online and was wondering why it was so cheap, finally called them, made an offer that was even lower and they took it, when I got it nothing was wrong. My second was a VH "0" frame 16 gauge 28" 5# 13oz pistol grip in very nice condition, got a smokin deal on that one too. The search continues.....

[allen newell]

My best was Inheriting my grandfathers 16 ga VH.

[Scott Janowski]

In the late 70’s through the early 2000’s we has a local weekly want ad paper called the Swap Sheet.
I think in the 70’s it was 25 cents by the time it ended it was $1.50
I found out the first place it was delivered to was a store in the city called World Wide News. It was delivered between 10:30 and 11:00 every Wednesday.
Most of the time I was able to get the first one off the stack.
Now back then phones were land lines. No Cell phones very few mobile phones.
And unless you paid a premium for an unlisted number your phone number was listed in the phone book.
Back in the day most people did not even have an answering machine, you were either home to answer the phone or it would just keep ringing.
So if there was a deal on anything, it was a crap shoot as the first person to get there would get it.
I was always the first call, so if someone was home I would be on my way to close the deal. However if no one was home, the edge I had was called a Criss Cross book. This would cross phone numbers to addresses. It was used by Police and Fire departments.
So if no one answered the phone I was able find out the address and get to nearby pay phone,and wait for someone to get home or just call every 15 minutes until someone answered.
The best Parker I got was a VH 20 gauge for $75.00. I still remember the phone ringing in the background while I was counting out the money!
He said the phone had not stopped ringing since I got home! Lol!
I bet it was a long week for him!

[allen newell]

Great story Scott

[todd allen]

Bill's A.P. Curtiss Try-Gun.


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That looks like a trapshooters fantasy gun ;-)

[Gary Carmichael Sr]

Best deal was in Greensboro NC gun show several years ago Went by a fellows table and saw this Parker 12 ga fairly decent shape ask about the gun was told someone had changed out the butt plate said price was 200.00 I knew what the butt plate was and bought the gun it had the Folsom flying pigeon trap butt plate letter said it was ordered that way! Gary

[Dean Romig]

Nice find Gary!





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[John Allen]

I recently bought a Parker Repro 20 gauge DHE with case for $1600. The seller said he had inherited it and it was too nice for him to shoot.

[Scott Janowski]

I would worry about burning my hands.
Can you shoot in oven mitts?

[Daniel B Sweet]

How can you sleep at night, LOL.

[John Allen]

It was his price. He had nothing in it and just wanted the money.

[allen newell]

John, you did well and no reason to be concerned. Just about anyone in this forum would have accepted the sellers price.

[John Allen]

No problems. The only bad thing about the deal was I sprained my wrist reaching for my wallet.

[allen newell]

Well if that's all you sprained on this deal, I'd say you did well

[allen newell]

I posted earlier in this thread that my best was inheriting my grandfather's 16 ga VH. There's more to this story: I never knew my grandfather (my Dad's father) He was an exec in the 1920'30's with one of the major leather companies located in Boston. At some point around the time of the depression I was told by my Dad that my grandfather bought a small farm in Bow, New Hampshire to relieve some of the work related stress. One weekend while shooting hand trap with his sons on the farm and while shooting, the guns recoil caused his thumb to strike his nose. Apparently, he was holding the 16 somewhat loosely or not holding it properly at all. Anyway, he went home to Dedham, Mass later that day with a headache. He went to bed that night with a terrible headache and in the morning he was gone. The doctor came by and put a pen in the flat of his foot with no response and declared that he had passed. No pulse, no heartbeat. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage. Instead of a nose bleed, it bled inside.
My Dad inherited the 16 VH and my brother and I grew up hunting with it on grouse, pheasants and woodcock. After my Dad passed on, the gun came to me via my brother who didn't want it. Later, I drove out to DelGrego's shop and had Lawrence re-stock it, re-case and re-blue the barrels. A total restoration. The old wood was just too punky from oil over the years and it needed a good restoration. I have it to this day and one of my grandsons will inherit it when I pass. How could I in good conscience sell this 16 ga VH with this kind of family background ?

[Mills Morrison]

Very interesting story

[Andrew Sacco]

Hopefully my best deal will be my next one.

[nick balzano]

my best deal came from my ex-wife who called me after her aunt passed. She told me there was a shotgun available that started with a "P". It turned out to be a 12 ga. VH. The stock and forend were replaced but nicely done. No bluing or case colors left but mechanically sound. Igave her $200 . I used it this past fall with RST shells and hit pheasants pretty well.

[todd allen]

There was this guy. No names please. Wealthy grandfather dies. When they opened his safe, heirs are squabbling over stock certificates, etc. This guy reaches into the corner and pulls out an old Parker .410, looks at the rest of the family and asks "anyone interested in this old shotgun"?
Obviously the old gun was not as interesting as old stock certificates, so he walks the gun out, and puts it in the trunk of his car.
Some folks just aren't into old guns I guess. Oh, and they evenly divided the stocks in the end.
I got this story from a pretty reliable source, so I believe it's true.

[Kevin McCormack]

Years ago an acquaintance I made shooting pigeons happened to have owned a pawn shop. I casually asked him at a shoot one Saturday if he had any Parkers in for hock; he said he had just taken in a really nice PH grade 20 gauge gun but of course "you know you can't shoot smokeless powder loads out of it because all of them were built Damascus barreled." When I asked him the SN of the gun he said "just before they quit making them."

The following Monday I took a couple of hours of leave off my job at noontime and drove out to his shop. He wasn't there but his counter guy got him on the phone and I said "How much do you want for this PH 20"? He said, "Well since you'll have to buy black powder shells in 20 gauge and I don't know where in hell you'll find those, I'll take $1500 for it."

It was a 228XXX series PHE 20, 26" PG SFE DHBP in about 75% original condition, choked IC & MOD. And, oh yeah, it had Parker Steel barrels!

[David Noble]

I've told this story before but it deserves a repeat, even though I didn't end up with the gun. This was around 1987 or so. I was working in my gun store and received a phone call from a kid that asked if I wanted to buy a double barrel shotgun. I said "yes, probably, what can you tell me about it?" He replied "It says Parker on it and it is HUGE, must be a 20 gauge!" I told him to bring it in for me to see.
About an hour later two guys walked in and said they had called with a gun for sale. I told them that yes they had talked to me and that they should bring it in.
So they go get it from the car and presented it to me. It was a CH 8ga with 36 inch damascus barrels. There were some case colors remaining on the receiver in places but mostly just well cared for metal, Engraving was sharp as new and the barrels had beautiful damascus finish full length. The wood was untouched and still had the skeleton butt plate. I had a few Parkers and basic knowledge of them at that time so I was looking over the gun pretty thoroughly. There was an "8" stamped on the rear lug and I speculated that it was a size 8 frame, and I believed it was an 8 frame because the barrels and action had a massive diameter and the gun felt like it weighed 20 lbs! This was of course the first 8 gauge shotgun I had ever held. I was shaking in my boots at the prospect of owning this fantastic and rare shotgun for the $200 agreed upon price, but I knew in my gut that I could not, so as I stalled them I picked up the phone and called the Haltom City Texas police department and told them what was going on. Ten minutes later two squad cars pulled up and the officers started questioning the two young men and then handcuffed them and took them and the gun away. They turned out to be illegals and had just stolen the gun the night before from a Judge in a local county. The gun had not been reported stolen at that time but the police took the two guys away to hold for questioning.
I cited this incident here on the forums about 9 or ten years ago and Bill Murphy assured me then that it was not a number 8 frame and that the largest frame for a hammerless 8 gauge was a 6 and that the "8" stamped on the lug was the gauge marking. It sure fooled me.
I have not seen or heard of that gun since. I didn't even get a phone call from the Judge to thank me for getting it back for him, but why should I expect to, it was just the right thing to do.

[Bill Murphy]

Please visit the judge, and bring lunch.

[Craig Larter]

deleted sorry

[todd allen]

I Didn't know whether to post this here, or on the "Old Day's thread. I got one of my better deals from an ad in a gun mag for Chaddick's about 27 or so years ago. I got the bug for a Lifter. They had one.
Listed as a "D" Grade 10 gauge, with a bunch of drop at the heel. Turned out to be an early $250 grade, 12 gauge, (1874) very modern dimensions. Exactly the same as my MX 8 pigeon gun.
The package arrived on a rainy day, and was soaking wet. The UPS guy waited around to see if I would refuse it, based on the possibility of rain damage. I took a chance, and kept it. Did a complete strip and clean, and lightly but thoroughly oiled it. Still with me to this day.
I'm sure Herschel didn't have anything to do with the evaluation of this gun. I'm assuming it was the kids.
I don't remember the price, but it was somewhere in the 2k range. I spoke to Herschel some years later at Beinfeld's, and he figured the kids measured the drop at heel with the hammers down.

[todd allen]

Correction to the above: The lifter was listed as a "B" grade in the ad.
I remember that now, because I did not have a "B" yet in my humble collection, and my flickering brain cells sparked up for a momentary memory recollection.

[Bill Murphy]

Old thread, but I seemed to have left out one great deal. Ron Kirby called me one night and asked if I could visit someone who lived near me who has a gun that he wants appraised. The guy lived about eight blocks from my office. I contacted him and I ended up buying his VHE .410 skeet gun for a very fair price. Thanks, Ron.

[Dean Romig]

There have been a lot of “best deal on a Parker” for me but I’d rather not say which ones they are/were… but they were all beautiful!

Possibly the 99+% condition 1893 unfired Grade-1 16 on the 0-frame was such a stroke of luck and the highest condition gun (in “used” condition) of any kind of gun I have ever owned.




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[Tom Pellegrini]

Mine was, as they say dropped in my lap. A gentleman brought a 1891 "G" grade 12 ga. 30" into my club asking about having the stock refinished. He was referred to me account of it being a Parker and I have a few. I told the gentleman that it depended on who he sent it to to be refinished. It could be anywhere from $400.00 to who knows depending on the amount of work. Looking at the stock it just looked quite dirty and the barrels were a sooty black. The gentleman said he heard that I did the stocks on my Parkers and asked to see them. I showed them to him and he asked if I was interested in doing the job. I told him I am no professional. If he wanted me to take it home and try to clean it some I would. He agreed.
After about 3 hours of cleaning with mineral spirits I was surprised to see the checkering came out almost like new. It took another 3 hours of cleaning on the barrels and I was amazed at the Damascus pattern. The bores were mirror bright with plenty of wall thickness, almost new. There was no way this gun had been used very much at all. It looked like some one just propped it in the corner behind a coal stove for quite some time. When I brought it back to the owner he was surprised and I told him if I owned the gun that I would take it out and shoot it and enjoy it. He then said he was told that the gun was only worth about a thousand dollars. He then asked me how long I spent working on it and I told him about 6 hours. Then he totally shocked me. He said if I had $400.00 he would let me keep the gun. Needless to say I couldn't get to the ATM fast enough. Someone smiled on me that day.

[chris dawe]

I bought 30 inch Bernard,#1 frame12 gauge CH for 175.00$ Canadian ,Brian Hornacek owns it now maybe he can post a picture...brings tears to my eyes

[Loren A Wilcox]

This is not about a Parker but a good story on one of my guns. I live in northern Michigan and I bought a Aug Lebeau 16 gauge double years ago. I sold the gun to another hunter abought 20 years ago. I kicked myself many times for selling it. Around 2 years ago I seen an add for a Aug Lebeau at a Cabela's in Reno Nevada. I bought the gun. It turn out to be my old gun. I paid much less for it when I bought it back. Just thought I would share this story. Is not a Parker but a very fine double small bore. Thanks Loren

[Tom Jay]

Best deal buying 3 new Parker Repros in 1987/1988, 28 gauge 2-barrel and 20 gauge 2-barrel and 28/410 3-barrel. Worst deal was selling the 3-barrel 28/410 a few years later. Doubled my money but nowhere near today's value.