LL Bean's Parker

[Andrew Sacco]

There is a parker under glass on the upper level at LL Bean in Freeport. I looked at it a few days ago, believe it was a DHE? Anyways, I was in a rush then was told by the man at the gun counter that was LL Bean's personal Parker. Anyone know more? Wish I had to time to get back up there and really look at it.

[CraigThompson]

Seems to me I saw one there that I think had belonged to Babe Ruth . But bear in mind that was 25 or more years ago so there's a tiny chance I'm incorrect .

[Andrew Sacco]

There was a gun to the left, which looked like a Browning rifle, the Parker to the right, each flanking the large fireplace heading to the fishing level. They were standing upright.

[Dean Romig]

The Parker is LL Bean’s own personal CHE 16 gauge with the “sinestral” stock because of the vision impairment of his right eye.

Several years ago I contacted the gun department manager - very nice accomodating guy - explaining that I was editor of the Journal of the Parker Gun Collectors Association, about my examining that gun on a padded table in the back of the department and take it down into its three major parts and to publish a piece in Parker Pages. We set a date and a time for my visit.

When I arrived at the prescribed time and date the manager was out…
The man in charge refused to open the case and said the manager wiuld have never had made such ridiculous arrangements and woukd not discuss it further.

That was the end of any dealings with the LL Bean CORPORATION as I had had previous inexcusable experiences when soliciting donations for our Silent Auction where they refused to donate to any organization associated with shooting or hunting. I contacted Bill Gorman, host of the TV hunting and fishing show and great grandson of LL Bean and explained my plight and that I couldn’t imagine that stance from a company that was founded on hunting and fishing.
Bill was shocked and very pissed off. He said “We’ll see about that!!!”

Three days later I received about $500 worth of items for the silent auction with a very “sincere” (spelled ‘tail between their legs’) letter of apology.

I have never sought ANYTHING from that comoany since that episode with LL’s Parker CHE.


I will add that I’m not certain it was a 16 gauge but I know it’s a CHE.
One of his Parkers auctioned at Julia’s about 10 years ago and it was a 16 so maybe the one in the glass case in Freeport is a 12… or maybe it’s a 16, I’m just not certain.


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[Mills Morrison]

Sounds like something you'd expect from Dick's Sporting Goods. Too bad

[Andrew Sacco]

Dean somehow I knew you'd know about that gun. Shame about that story. I asked to see a gun and the dude (I could say another four letter word here starting with D if I was brazen) asked, "Why?" I looked at him and said, "Seriously?" He said, "Yeah, why do you need to see it, are you buying or looking?" So I marched over to the checkout and asked them to get me a functioning human without a piss poor attitude. After some shock and awe, a great gentleman came over and was more than accommodating and apologetic. I have not had an issue with Bean in the past, that was the first, but there are too many granola heads in there shopping for my comfort level.

[Drew Hause]

Sports Illustrated reported that L.L. had a 20g. Different gun?
https://vault.si.com/vault/1985/12/02/using-the-old-bean

I found this low resolution image of L.L. but can't tell what gun he is holding

https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/516918?page=company-history

https://photos.smugmug.com/Shooters/Historic-Shooters/i-7McFdr7/0/144bf86a/XL/L.L.%20Bean-XL.jpg (https://drewhause.smugmug.com/Shooters/Historic-Shooters/i-7McFdr7/A)

He's holding a rifle here
https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/516919?page=leadership

[Dean Romig]

Ithaca...??





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[Rick Riddell]

It’s a shame what has happened to that company, most of us here feel the same way and avoid that place. I think it says more on where we are heading, customer service and common courtesies appear to be lacking.

[edgarspencer]

I always enjoyed looking through the catalog, when it arrived, back then, maybe twice a year. I inquired with the Freeport store, if the gun that was in the case in the stairwell was the gun used for so many years in the catalogs, and was told it most definitely was.
After clearing all the crap off my almost useless HP multi-function gizmo, I was disappointed that the scan wasn't all that clear, but, trust me, it is as I saw in the store, a DH(E?). As to the gauge, I can't say, but going from memory, it appeared to be a 1 frame, and 16ga.

[Dean Romig]

Hmmm... I stand corrected on the grade. Thanks Edgar.

The LL Bean Parker that auctioned 10 or so years ago was then most certainly a CHE.





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[Jeff Elder]

That’s a damn shame the hippies are taking over LL Bean. Love their short top duck shoes. And their wool socks are awesome. Of course I’m a cold natured Texan, those socks might not cut it up north.

[Dave Noreen]

My best estimation of the gun L.L. is holding is an American Arms Co. semi-hammerless single barrel. The cocking lever is on the left side.

Eddie Bauer went the same way once it was part of General Mills. Not like it was from the 1930s into the 60s.

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It was obvious I had to marry the lady I just celebrated our 47th anniversary with. We both had Eddie Bauer Heavy Duty extra large goose down sleeping bags that zipped together!!

[Johnrussell]

Not many women like that anymore!

[Gary Bodrato]

It looks like a single trigger, single barrel 12ga, Brand?

[Stephen Hodges]

I think is is a 1 frame 16 gauge from my memory

[Dean Romig]

Did you see the stamp on the barrel lug Steve?





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[Alfred Houde]

Here is L.L. circa 1911, along with the store as it looked in 1934.

[Alfred Houde]

As a retired Museum Curator, this thread got me thinking about the gun and its specifics and history.

I wrote to L.L. Bean asking if they have a company Historian, and would they be willing to share information about it. I'll update if I hear anything back and share what they say about it.

[Dean Romig]

Good luck my friend.





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[Dean Romig]

Those boys look like they’re showing off their new Bean hunting shoes.





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[John Dallas]

Bought my first pair of Bean boots in 1960, when I was on a college tour at Bowdoin and Colby colleges. The old store sure wasn't anything like today's homogenized, pasteurized computerized joint

[Alfred Houde]

When I lived in Maine during the 1980's I always found it interesting that the L.L. Bean store was open 24/7. They sold some great items and many of them were made right there in Maine.

Across the street from L.L. Bean was a small sporting goods store called Mel's Sports. His advertisements read "We give you the attention the bigger stores can't."

[Dean Romig]

I shopped the original store three or four times.
Old creaky wooden floors and not especially neatly organized .





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[allen newell]

Bean's just isn't the same Ol' Beans that it used to be.

[Andrew Sacco]

One thing I've never liked were Bean boots, not since I fell on my backside as they slipped. Worst sole ever unless you know it's bone dry out.

[Kevin McCormack]

One thing I've never liked were Bean boots, not since I fell on my backside as they slipped. Worst sole ever unless you know it's bone dry out.

Ditto - I took so many bad falls wearing those things - snow, moss-covered rocks, muddy slides, etc. Luckily I never damaged a gun. Last time I bird hunted in Maine in noticed the dairy farmers all wearing Muck Boots. I tried a pair and never went back to the "chain tread" Beanos. War, as toast and sure footed, I've worn them ever since.

[Phil Yearout]

The soles on mine got so thin I could feel every pebble, plus (and I hate to admit it) bending over to get them on and laced up became a workout; haven't worn mine in years. I've thought about getting new rubbers put on but never got around to it. But I will have to say, for me anyway, a pair of 16" Bean's just looks right :). This was my first bird with a Parker by the way...

https://i.imgur.com/oHroERul.jpg

[Garry L Gordon]

Phil, I knew you were a kindred spirit. I wore my 16 inch boots for years, but eventually, they did not have the support I needed. Oh, for those Kodachrome days of 30 years ago!

[James L. Martin]

I still wear 16" Beans, here I am with a grouse ,20ga Trojan and 16" Beans in Maine

[Garry L Gordon]

I still wear 16" Beans, here I am with a grouse ,20ga Trojan and 16" Beans in Maine

James, I love it! Keep it up. :bowdown:

[Bill Jolliff]

I got the Bean boots pictured below in January of 1972 so I've had them 51 plus years.

They are on their 4th set of bottoms that I had Bean put on about 8 years ago. They offered me a new pair instead. Like an old friend, I preferred to keep the old tops and just replace the bottoms.

I've been pretty happy with them.

Bill

https://i.imgur.com/GoGsGpD.jpg?2

[Russell E. Cleary]

1) all hunting boots are just like the best of boats, a compromise. My Maine Hunting shoes, bought in 1971, repaired and resoled for cheap money a couple of times, are still useful to me for some applications, but not so much for hunting.

2) in the old store one might see a piece of paper thumb-tacked to vertical surface describing a special feature of a product written by hand, signed "L. L. Bean", and plausibly done so by L. L. himself.

3) Even today's Filson catalogue will display hunting clothing without any gun in sight. I gave up on seeing a gun in Bean's catalogue long ago.

4) I admit to buying casual clothing from L. L. Bean today, as it sometimes offers what I want and can't find elsewhere.

[Alfred Houde]

I still wear Bean Boots during the muzzleloader deer season. To me they are light, quiet, and like wearing moccasins.

But agree that they are useless on ice, wet rocks, etc.

I find myself wearing these for most of my hunting now. Le Chameau boots. The only thing I have had to replace is the carry bag.

[Harold Lee Pickens]

Beans boots were worthless on these Appalachian hill sides, a sure way to break the stock on a fine double.
Air bob soles were my favorite on these slippery slopes, but hard to find these days.

[Garth Gustafson]

The Parker with the bent stock on display in the Hunting & Fishing department is the DH 20 ga (206188) once owned by LL Bean and now owned by LL Bean, Inc. As the story goes, LL acquired this gun sometime in the late 1930’s when he lost vision in his right eye. He was right-handed and had the stock bent so he could shoot with his left eye. LL intended to use this 20 ga on ducks and it was bored tight. He was afraid of injuring his good eye so he selected the 20 gauge for its lighter recoil. About 1940, LL went down to Boston for eye surgery where he met and later married his second wife Clair (his first wife, Bertha had died in 1939). When LL died in 1967, the gun was passed on to his grandson, Leon A Gorman who was Chairman of the Board for 40 years and on his passing in 2015, the gun was left to LL Bean, Inc. LL’s Remington Model 8 is also on display in the store.

I’m reading these posts with some interest as I’m working for one of the LLB retail stores in my retirement and can comment on some of these less than stellar experiences you guys described at the Freeport flagship store. I can assure you that this company is 100% committed to customer satisfaction. LL Bean, the founder started the company with a simple philosophy of offering quality merchandise at fair prices and providing superior customer service. That remains the heart of our core values. The company solicits customer feedback on every transaction (in-store, web, or phone order), customer feedback and product reviews are strongly encouraged and taken very seriously. Quick story, a couple years ago, this was before I worked for them, I sent in an honest but rather scathing review on one of their hunting vests I had purchased on-line. I received a reply and by the next year they corrected what I thought was a pretty serious design flaw, and they made the necessary improvements to the vest to make it more functional and water resistant. I see design improvements like this all the time on the products we sell in the stores and that’s because the company values, solicits and acts on customer feedback. In fact, Newsweek just recently named LL Bean the top outdoor apparel retailer based on customer satisfaction (beating out Orvis, Patagonia, North Face, Duluth Trading and others).

Regarding the negative experiences in the flagship store, these are inexcusable and are not tolerated. If that ever happens, please ask to speak with a store Leader on the sales floor and he/she will work with you directly to resolve any issue. I guarantee every problem like this that happens on the sales floor is addressed and corrected but we have to know about it. The company’s reputation is simply too important to allow things like this to happen. I’m not making excuses for salespeople (I'm one of them), but keep in mind that most of our retail workforce consists of young part-timers earning $16/hour and more than 50% of them are seasonal hires. In my opinion, LLB does a good job screening, hiring, training, motivating and mentoring their retail salespeople but managing turnover and retaining good people in a retail environment is always a challenge. Unfortunately, that’s just the way it is in retail.

[Reggie Bishop]

Garth thank you for your very informative and detailed response. I think it sheds some much needed light on LL Bean and its commitment customers. Being an executive team leader for a regional company in the Southeast I understand the challenges of maintaining and motivating salespersons. It is a tough job, especially in today's business environment.

[Dean Romig]

Thanks for the additional information Garth.

The situation that I related when I contacted Bill Gorman (and he solved the problem quickly) was the result of myself soliciting donations for the PGCA Silent Auction and the lady who haughtily rebuffed me was in fact the head of the Customer Relations Dept. She quickly changed her tune after her reprimand from above initiated by Bill. Hopefully she was put into a remedial retraining program.





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[Alfred Houde]

My wife is a manager within a regional-chain supermarket. Her most reliable employee is an 81-year-old, who continues to work to "keep his brain engaged."

She has told me countless stories of younger employees who quit after one day, quit during the day, or go through the whole interview and background check hiring process and never show up for their first day.

Sign of the times, I'm afraid.

[Dave Noreen]

In the old days my family was very into the 16-inch Russell Ike Waltons.

119149

There was an old pair or two around the house, but everybody was wearing 8 to 10-inch boots by the time I started hunting. I found a good condition pair of Ike Waltons in my size at St Vincents and wore them a few times but that was a lot of lacing!!

[Andrew Sacco]

Thanks for that post Garth. Glad to hear they still take customers reviews seriously. My experience was the first bad one I've had there in many years. I guess I've given up on seeing a true hunting and fishing store like they once existed. The reason is easy enough. The money is in clothing. A friend of mine owned an Orvis store and he made all his money on belts, socks shirts and pants. The guns and ammo were basically loss leaders.

[Dean Romig]

In the old days my family was very into the 16-inch Russell Ike Waltons.

119149

There was an old pair or two around the house, but everybody was wearing 8 to 10-inch boots by the time I started hunting. I found a good condition pair of Ike Waltons in my size at St Vincents and wore them a few times but that was a lot of lacing!!


And they didn’t have the speed-lace hooks…





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[allen newell]

I wore my 6 or 8 inch ll Bean boots at Markover this past Sunday while pheasant hunting. The cover was very thick and in the second field we hunted I didn't see the stream that was running under the thick cover and stepped right in. And you guessed it, the water went way over my Bean boots. Had I worn my Muck boots, this would not have happened. In the future while hunting pheasants at Markover, I'll wear my Mucks. Oh, I agree with many of the previous comments, the Bean boots just don't provide sufficient ankle support and stability over rough terrain.

[edgarspencer]

If it's too cold to wear my Allegash shorts, I'm in a pair of Bean jeans. 365.
So what they're made in Mexico; ALL jeans are made in Mexico. I was disappointed when they went to five belt loops from seven, and said as much to the sales woman. She took my name and telephone number, and called me two weeks later to say she found me four pairs from several other stores, which I bought right then and there. I get enough Bean Bucks back on my credit card to get a new pair every couple of months. I can't get that kind of attention anywhere else.

[Garth Gustafson]

Brett Neville who oversees the LL Bean archives kindly provided the following information on the two guns once owned by LL Bean that are on display in the Hunting and Fishing department in the Freeport store.


Model 8 Remington
Serial Number: 51647
Owner: Leon L. Bean to Leon A. Gorman

Chambered in 25 Remington, a semi-automatic rifle featuring a 22" barrel with open sights. The barrel is covered by a full-length rube that encloses the recoil spring. Blued with walnut stock. This particular Model 8 made circa 1926. Add 85% value for .25 Remington.

Historical Notes: The 25 Remington is one of a series of rimless cartridges developed for the Model 8 auto-loading rifle. It was introduced in 1906 and discontinued in 1936 with approximately 80,600 total production.

Designer/Inventor: John M. Browning, C.C. Loomis.

No rifles have chambered this cartridge since 1942 and the ammunition companies stopped loading it about 1950.

NOTES: The Model 8 was one of the earliest American semiauto rifles. John Browning's patent application was filed June 6, 1900, and U.S. Patent # 659,786 was granted on October 16, 1900. Browning immediately sold the patent to Remington, which started producing the rifle in 1906.

Remington introduced the Model 8 during a time when the company was offering few new centerfire models. The gun saw a production run of 30 years in which over 80,000 of the autoloaders where produced. Most had 22-inch barrels with plain open sights. Although no variations of the gun were offered, five different grades were produced ranging from the plainest Standard grade to the most deluxe Premier Grade. Mid grades included the Special, Peerless and Expert grades. Quality of wood and degree of checkering and engraving mainly differentiated these grades.

The gun was produced in four calibers: the Remington .25, .30, .32 and .35. This family of cartridges was designed to compete directly with Winchester, except in rimless form. The .25 Rem. was the alternative to .25-35 WCF; likewise, the .30 Rem, competed for the .30-30 market; and the .32 Remington went head-to-head with the .32 Win Special. The big brother of the family, the well known .35 Remington, was designed as a ballistic equivalent to the 33 Winchester. This cartridge found its own niche in the market and is the only cartridge from the series still produced by the major ammunition companies.

The Model 8's demise was more a function of timing than anything else. The gun entered a market dominated by a host of .30-30 lever guns, including the indomitable Winchester Model 94. The Model 8's design had some distinct advantages, namely speed of fire and that its box magazine allowed for the use of spitzer bullets. However, the then 12-year-old Model 94 juggernaut was at full steam and eventually proved more dominant.
Technical Overview

The Model 8 is recoil-operated with a rotating bolt and double-locking lugs. The gun fires from a fixed 5-shot magazine and is equipped with a bolt hold-open that engages after the last shot is fired. The autoloading action was made more revolutionary by the incorporation of a barrel that was shrouded in a full-length jacket. When the gun is fired, the barrel moves backward inside the shroud. This arrangement is largely believed to be the first effective recoil reduction system.
Designed in a day when travel by train was common, the 8-pound, 41-inch carbine was built on a take-down design for ease of transport and cleaning. Take down is accomplished by removing the forearm to access an integral barrel wrench. Once loosed, the wrench releases the barrel. As the barrel, including chamber and the open sights, remain in one piece, this feature does not negatively affect accuracy.

With its semiautomatic action, shrouded barrel, streamlined magazine/trigger guard unit and Kalashnikov-looking safety, the Model 8 was as much on the cutting edge at the turn of the century as Remington's electronic rifles are today. At the time of its 1906 inception, the Model 8's clean and modern look was unspoiled by excessive external controls: slide handle, slide release, safety and trigger -- that's it.

Custom Made Parker (DH Grade) 20-gauge Shotgun
Serial Number: 206188
Owner: Leon L. Bean to Leon A. Gorman


Parker 206188 was made in 1923. Approximately 9,966 were made with barrels of fine Titanic steel (without figure) a very strong, serviceable barrel, in all gauges. About 1,536 of the 9,966 were made in the 20-gauge. Only about 280 were built with Parker single triggers.

The stock is of fine imported walnut; silver shield: fine checkering and engraving; skeleton butt plate.

The Parker quality D.H. gun met the demand for a popular priced gun. Grade for this gun was said to have no equal; a handsome, durable, and sterling gun of exceptional value.

NOTE: I have checked with the Parker Gun Collectors Association and they do not have records on this particular gun, other than the year it was manufactured, which according to the Serial No. was 1923. According to Leon’s story (below), the gun was custom made for L.L. Bean sometime “in the late 1930s.” L.L. went to Boston at some point, early 1940 to have eye surgery. Claire Bean was his nurse and they married July 27, 1940. Perhaps after L.L. lost his eye, he had the gun retrofited to match Leon’s description below?

HISTORIC NOTES: According to L.L.’s grandson, Leon Gorman, L.L. had this particular shotgun made after he lost the use of his right eye in the late 1930s. The stock was offset to the right so that when L.L. brought the gun up to his right shoulder (he was a right handed shooter), the barrels would come under his left eye. The gun was a 20-gauge, but bored tight for a duck hunting choke; L.L. needed the lighter recoil of the 20-gauge (compared to the standard 12-gauge) because he was afraid of injuring his left eye. A very unique piece made by America’s premier manufacturer of shotguns.

[Dean Romig]

Interesting that Brett Neville has information that the PGCA doesn't have, specifically that "only about 280 were made with Parker Single Triggers."





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[Garth Gustafson]

LL’s grandson, Leon A Gorman is the person most responsible for guiding the company into the modern age. He became President after LL’s death in 1967 and then Chairman of the Board, and later, Chairman Emeritus until his death in 2015.
Leon was highly respected and beloved. When he died, they closed the flagship store that day, the first time that had happened since 1967.

Although the business is approaching $2B in sales and will probably hit it by 2025, LLBean is still a private company and family held. Shawn Gorman, Leon’s nephew was named Chairman in 2013.

[Marty Kohler]

I wondered if anyone else had one older?

[Reggie Bishop]

There is a Parker CHE 16 gauge in upcoming auction that was supposedly once owned by L.L. Bean. Probably the one discussed here.

[Daniel B Sweet]

In my opinion the very best pants ever sold by LL Bean were the "Comfort Waist" flannel lined jeans. with the stretch in the waist you could order your normal waist size for fair weather and when the cold really started to set in you could start to layer your clothing and the stretch waist was accommodating. Now I have to look for used ones on EBAY.

As far as hunting boots are concerned I had a pair of Browning manufactured leather boots tht I wore daily for probably 20 years without the laces ever needing to be replaced, when I wore the soles down to having holes in them I took the boots into my hunting woods, climbed high into a cedar tree and zip tied them to a limb, I just didn't have the heart to toss them in the trash after they carted me around for so many years.

[Stephen Hodges]

You are right about the flannel lined jeans. Wore out several pairs of them !

[henderson Marriott]

My father and grandfather ordered and wore the LL Bean Maine Hunting Shoe since the 1920s. The Maine Hunting Shoe goes back to 1912.
I currently own 3 pairs in 16 inch, 14 in, and a rare set of 6 inch MHS boots.

And now an interesting true story that tends to foster old fashioned customer loyalty
to a sporting goods timeless store like LL Bean. My father died in 2000, and about almost a year later my mother called and asked about a 25-yr collection of my Dad's
LL Bean leather moccasins. There must have been 8 pairs in a large box. Some were badly worn, or worn out. I asked her to hold them. A few months later I had a "Down East " idea that must have come from Mr. L.L. himself. Boxed all of them together and shipped them back to Freeport, Attn; Customer Service. Received a phone call from a lady there at LL Bean, and I asked her if I could partial trade the "used footwear".
I ended up with a set of 16-inch Maine Hunting Shoes.
Then a gal friend had a daughter's Maine Hunters that the daughter never wore-so the mom directly exchanged for a set that fit her. Granted this is almost an abuse of merchant-customer good will, but I have never forgotten the response from that LL Bean employee:
"Mr. Marriott, I see that your family have been our steady customers for many years and it looks like a couple of generations. We value your satisfaction as a returning family customer. And we will make every effort to keep your family happy with our service and
our boots."

So-yes I am an LL Bean loyalist and have always found the Maine Hunting Shoe to
stand hunting conditions from Alaska to Wyoming, hunting elk and moose to bear.
They are as tough as a Rolex watch.

[Dean Romig]

There is a Parker CHE 16 gauge in upcoming auction that was supposedly once owned by L.L. Bean. Probably the one discussed here.


Yes in fact, ol' LL did indeed own a 16 gauge Parker... a CH as I recall that I believe sold at a James D. Julia auction years ago.





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[allen newell]

I have 3 pairs of Bean's boots but find they do not give me the kind of ankle support that I need at this stage in my life. I tend to wear my Muck boots which tend to give me more support.

[henderson Marriott]

Boots are like shotguns, rifles, and wives...
one tends to keep that which is the most functionally comfortable and gives the least amount of trouble over time.

[Sara LeFever]

Pete Lester and I were in Freeport, ME today, and paid a visit to L.L. Bean. Here are some photos of the two guns as they are displayed in the Hunting and Fishing department.

Side note - we asked multiple staff members in the gun department, where these guns were located (before I referred back to this thread for the answer), and none of them had a clue. :rolleyes:

Sara

[Sara LeFever]

Part 2

[Andrew Sacco]

Thanks for posting that Sara!

[Pete Lester]

Pete Lester and I were in Freeport, ME today, and paid a visit to L.L. Bean. Here are some photos of the two guns as they are displayed in the Hunting and Fishing department.

Side note - we asked multiple staff members in the gun department, where these guns were located (before I referred back to this thread for the answer), and none of them had a clue. :rolleyes:

Sara

Note this gun does not have a sinestral stock.

[Dean Romig]

Sorry, that Parker with the sinestral stock must have been the one that sold in a JD Julia auction about 8-10 years ago that I was remembering Pete.





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[Kevin McCormack]

"Side note - we asked multiple staff members in the gun department, where these guns were located (before I referred back to this thread for the answer), and none of them had a clue. "


Fits perfectly into the now-universal pandemic of ignorance in customer service: The other day I walked into Home Depot and asked an "associate" where I could find fire logs. She whipped out her HHED (hand-held electronic device), scrolled down several pages of text and pictures, then said, "aisle 12, section C - follow me". She then led me down the aisle, continued walking briskly in front of me, and pointed to her left; "right there, right there." She promptly disappeared and left me staring into a huge display of flourescent light bulbs.

[Pete Lester]

Sorry, that Parker with the sinestral stock must have been the one that sold in a JD Julia auction about 8-10 years ago that I was remembering Pete.
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Reading what the LL Bean historian said I think it is possible he had a sinestral stock made for this gun and after his death the original stock was put back on it. Just a guess though.

[Sara LeFever]

Here is a shot of the stock, best I could get.

Also, it was surprising that they had no label, plaque, or explanation with these guns. You would think they would want to show what they had, and what these guns mean in the context of L.L. Bean.

[edgarspencer]

Here is a shot of the stock, best I could get.

Also, it was surprising that they had no label, plaque, or explanation with these guns. You would think they would want to show what they had, and what these guns mean in the context of L.L. Bean.

Your pictures are great, and that D grade is just as I remember, although I never realized how much cast it has.
I also feel it's a shame they don't give some sort of explanation, at least to explain the significance of the gun, as it relates to the founder of the company.
I guess we SxS people are an anachronism. When everyone is frothing at the mouth for the next HHED (thank you for that Kevin) I'm left talking to myself.

[Garth Gustafson]

Sara, your experience in the LLB hunt & fish dept is not surprising, for the same reasons I outlined in my post. LLB retail associates are charged with answering questions and selling product. LL’s guns on display can’t be sold and are seen as wall hangers, nothing more. Let’s face it, we’re a small minority that appreciates and values historic firearms.

Now if you ask Scott Brown, one of the LLB gun buyers if he knows anything about that Parker, you’ll get a more informed answer. All depends on who you talk to.

[Tom Jay]

Here some close ups of the LL Bean Parker taken yesterday.

[edgarspencer]

The drywall screws and conduit clamps are a nice touch. How irreverent !

[Garth Gustafson]

Not atypical for this frugal Yankee company.

[Alfred Houde]

"The drywall screws and conduit clamps are a nice touch. How irreverent!"

As a retired Museum Curator, I cringe when I see stuff like this. Additionally, the lack of any historical description label is a real head scratcher.

A few years ago, I was on a visit to an "International Hall of Fame" sports museum. It is literally housed in a former residence, with windows all around. Some of the historical artifacts on display were badly faded from exposure to both the inside lights and sunlight.

I pointed this out to the "Executive Director" and showed him how some of the artifact clothing were originally bright red but are now badly faded and damaged due to the exposure. I also offered advice on how to correct. His response?

"Yeah, we don't have the money for that."

[Russell E. Cleary]

Alfred:

His problem wasn't lack of money, but lack of a stewardship gene.