Allan Swanson

[Art Wheaton]

Allan Swanson, our past Treasurer, Board ,Director, Hall of Fame Member, and Trustee of Hall of Fame board left us today. His generous contibution to the PGCA in time, effort, and Parker items are immeasurable. One such time he won a Parker 20, put up for sale immediately and all proceeds went back to PGCA. He was a great friend to many of us and will be missed. As part of a reorganization team when the PGCA needed guidance and hard work he stepped up. My friend...I will miss him

[Reggie Bishop]

Sorry to hear this. My condolences to his family. I will remember them in my thoughts and prayers.

[Bill Murphy]

Allan did much for PGCA. Allan and I talked on the telephone just last week.

[CraigThompson]

Prayers and condolences .

[Craig Larter]

Allan wrote me a hand written note every time one of my articles was published about Parkers in the DGJ. He aways went out of his way to say hi at annual meetings. Class act man. Sorry to hear this .

[Garry L Gordon]

I was so impressed at our recent annual meeting when our colleagues talked of Allan in such glowing terms. It was clear to me what he meant to our Association. I know he will be missed and that his role in the PGCA will be long remembered. Condolences to his family.

[Mike Koneski]

Another Parker gentleman gone! So sad. Prayers for Allan’s family and friends at this time.

[JAMES HALL]

I think my wife has said it best of our dear friend that has meant so much to us all. He was the Godfather of the PGCA. Condolences to his family.

[Mike McKinney]

Allan was a friend to me, we worked together on the PGCA finances. He would always pull his part and then more. Bill Mullins named him the PGCA protector and he sure was. I’ll never forget how he loved to see how the folks at our bank would react to some of his “northern” humor.

[J. Scott Hanes]

So much knowledge about all things Parker now gone on to the next chapter. RIP Allan.

[edgarspencer]

We had many chats by the wood stove in his workshop. He's now with his good friend, Winston Churchill. I will miss him.

[Dean Romig]

Allan was a dear friend to both Kathy and myself - He was one of the historians of PGCA history and knowledge. I often said to Allan that the folks that started the PGCA and those who followed closely behingd and stayed the course of the PGCA should record electronically their recollections of the people, events, history and experiences and memories, both good and not so good, for the posterity of the organization... to which he said "You've gotta be shittin' me - that'll never happen!" and unfortunately it never did...
but Allan was a Class Act if there ever was one. His lovely wife Jean was even more of a class act and now she is left with the memories of Allan... What a guy!! He was a friend and certainly a mentor to me. Somehow he saw potential in me and encouraged me to run for a BOD position and supported me as Editor of Parker Pages for the 11 or so years I held that position. i will forever be thankful for Allan's support as it has led me into the workings of the PGCA and I hold the organization and all of its members in the highest esteem - some of my very best friends I've met through the PGCA and Allan was one of the first good people I met in the PGCA. He was a fellow Life Member and was one of the first, if not the first, Life members to have been bestowed with that enviable, if not prestigious, Invincible Life Member rating.
Kathy loved him for his candid humanity and true friendship and I will always remember Allan for his true friendship and his dedication to the PGCA and what it meant to him.

We are very diminished by the loss of Allan H. Swanson, our true friend.





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[Chuck Bishop]

I will miss him. He was a great friend and mentor to many of us. He told me earlier this year of his condition and he was hopeful for a few more years talking about Parker guns but it didn't happen. I'm glad I got to see him at our last Parker meeting banquet. You certainly knew Allan was in the room when you entered it. That loud New England accent booming in the room. He was a good Parker salesman, he talked me into buying a nice D grade lifter from him and a 20ga. VH at the Old Baltimore Gun show. I learned to keep my check book at home when around him :rolleyes:

Prayers to Jean and his family. Goodbye my friend!

[Brian Dudley]

What sad news. I spoke with him just a few weeks ago on the phone and of course visited with him a bit at the Vintage cup in September. You never know when you see or speak to someone if it may be the last. What a great man and friend to the PGCA.

[keavin nelson]

Our thoughts and prayers for his family. He will be missed greatly by all who knew him!

[Jim DiSpagno]

Prayers and condolences to his family and friends. Tough at this time of year

[Stan Hoover]

Sounds like Allan was a man that I would have enjoyed learning to know.

May He Rest in Peace, prayers and condolences to his Family

[charlie cleveland]

never met allan but read some of his posts he sure was a good asset for this organization....my respects to family and friends.....charlie

[Mills Morrison]

At the annual meeting this year, Allan needed a ride from the Vintagers back to the hotel, so he rode with me and Mills and we got a great visit. Now hearing this sad news, I am even more grateful I took that opportunity to visit with him one more time.

[James L. Martin]

Definitely a special guy , I talked to him at last year's Vintagers and he remembered me and the Parker DH I bought from him at the Baltimore Show .He was one of those people you don't forget after you meet him.

[Gary Carmichael Sr]

Allen, Is the one person that got me collecting hammer guns, once in every ones lifetime you meet a man like Allen, I still have a jar of his Maple Syrup We had a long talk about four weeks ago, about his condition and how he intended to go forward, You can rest easy now my friend, Prayers to his wife and family Gary

[todd allen]

I remember him from back when we put on a couple of live bird fun shoots out of Las Vegas.
He had a great sense of humor, and had some really fun stories.
Does anyone remember the one about the bird hunt in Africa? Fun stuff!
BTW, Oscar Gaddy attended those shoots as well.
The memories.

[Art Wheaton]

An update from Jean. Allan will be cremated. She is away over Holidays recharging batteries. Suggest hold flowers as she is thinking of a memorial come spring. Will advise when her plans firm up.

[edgarspencer]

Baltimore, 2013. Allan was always at Art's table a row or two over from mine.
I'll never forget the time I was sitting behind my table, and hear "Hey Edgar!"
Allan wasn't bashful.

[CraigThompson]

I’d heard Swanson stories several times before I ever saw or met the man . I was walking in to the annual meeting think it was three years ago in the Vestal NY area . And as walking in the two fellows I was with told me he’d be there , so me being the smart ass I am sometimes I asked them if I should tell him a fellow he didn’t care for in VA had said hello , as a joke . They both gave me stern looks so I didn’t. After the meeting was over there was a small group having drinks which we joined . And this fellow that I think is the Prez of the organization commented to Swanson that the person I had thoughts of mentioning had said hello , he nodded his head and had a drink . A year or so later I was kinda looking for a set of 20 gauge hammer barrels and about 21:00 that night I got a call , the person introduced themself but to be honest I didn’t totally understand what he said . Anyway he told me some places to look for the barrels and the conversation went in several directions eventually going to the annual meeting the year or two before that . I told him the story mentioned above and he was chuckling while I was talking . When I was finished he said I’m Allan Swanson and of course I profusely apologized and he laughed telling me the way I told it made him laugh :whistle::rotf:

[Russell E. Cleary]

Eleven years ago, and not long after I had joined the PGCA, I learned that Allan had made wooden gun shipping boxes for some members. I contacted him attempting to engage him to build one for me. He said that he did not do it commercially, his output was limited, and seemed to be implying that the recipients were confined to established collector colleagues.

Not long afterward, I got this Private Message:

“Russ:
Make sure you look me up at the Foundation dinner on the 24th of this month, I have a gift for you.
Allan”

Soon, I had the box, gratis; and Kathy G. and I had the pleasure of meeting Allan and his wife, Jean, a memorably gracious and congenial couple.

[Dave Suponski]

So very sorry to hear this. Such a great asset to the PGCA. Condolences to the family. RIP

[Dean Romig]

I got a call one day and it happened to be on a Sunday during the Baltimore show and it was Allan. He asked me what I thought a particular CH with Bernard barrels was worth and he continued to describe the gun to the letter. I told him that I thought such a gun was worth around $8,000 or so. He said he had told the seller to take the gun off the table as he thouhjt he had a buyer for a lot more than the $3,000m he was asking...

The seller was NRA's Jim Baker and I bought the gun for the $8,000 I had said I thought it was worth. Allan told me he thought I made a good buy and he was right. When I sold it years later I didn't lose a penny!!!

Allan was a friend of Jim's and a friend of mine and he didn't want to see either of us get hurt by making a bad deal.

Thanks Allan!!


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[CraigThompson]

I got a call one day and it happened to be on a Sunday during the Baltimore show and it was Allan. He asked me what I thought a particular CH with Bernard barrels was worth and he continued to describe the gun to the letter. I told him that I thought such a gun was worth around $8,000 or so. He said he had told the seller to take the gun off the table as he thouhjt he had a buyer for a lot more than the $3,000m he was asking...

The seller was NRA's Jim Baker and I bought the gun for the $8,000 I had said I thought it was worth. Allan told me he thought I made a good buy and he was right. When I sold it years later I didn't lose a penny!!!

Allan was a friend of Jim's and a friend of mine and he didn't want to see either of us get hurt by making a bad deal.

Thanks Allan!!


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Oh heck it’s got an antlered critter on the floor plate that’s makes it twice as good as some dumb old feathered critter :rotf::rotf::rotf:

[Brian Dudley]

The very first Charles Parker Co. item that I purchased (other than the guns) was a Mission Oak tower clock from Allan. It was at the 2013 Vintage Cup. The first time I met him. He had a whole table full of items like clocks, coffee grinders and silverplate items. The clock was the item that I really liked and could afford at the time. As I recall Allan gave the keynote speech on collecting Parkers at the annual meeting at that event. I have since acquired many more CP Co. items and I still have that clock.

[George Davis]

Could someone please post his obituary, Please

[Dean Romig]

George - There is no obituary on record to date.





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[Bill Murphy]

I have a Swanson shipping box in my collection. It once contained a very rare and very late #104,000 range #3 frame 32" 12 gauge lifter that was once Austin Hogan's "skeet gun" to hear Austin describe it. I chased that gun for years after seeing it in the hands of a famous Philadelphia collector, who most of us know, at a Pennsylvania Gun Collectors show at Monroeville. He offered it to me at a low price but I had no idea how rare it was at the time. I left without buying it. We were lunching at the snack bar at the time. Somehow it got to Austin who appreciated it as a "skeet gun" and refused to sell it to me at any price. As Austin would say, "We don't live forever." It was another of those thirty year searches. It is one gun that may be one of the last to go.

[Chuck Bishop]

I have one too, problem was he used about 20 screws to secure the lid:banghead:

[Dean Romig]

Yup that was Austin's Skeet gun for sure.


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[Dean Romig]

I have one too, problem was he used about 20 screws to secure the lid:banghead:

That's all, just 20??





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[Garry L Gordon]

I got a call one day and it happened to be on a Sunday during the Baltimore show and it was Allan. He asked me what I thought a particular CH with Bernard barrels was worth and he continued to describe the gun to the letter. I told him that I thought such a gun was worth around $8,000 or so. He said he had told the seller to take the gun off the table as he thouhjt he had a buyer for a lot more than the $3,000m he was asking...

The seller was NRA's Jim Baker and I bought the gun for the $8,000 I had said I thought it was worth. Allan told me he thought I made a good buy and he was right. When I sold it years later I didn't lose a penny!!!

Allan was a friend of Jim's and a friend of mine and he didn't want to see either of us get hurt by making a bad deal.

Thanks Allan!!


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Dean, that’s the gun I posted on the thread about original condition Parkers. I thought you might recognize it. I’m glad to think there might be a connection to this fine gentleman. What a testament this thread has become. I’m glad I was able to speak with him at our last met. What a wonderful organization this is with folks like him.

[Mike Franzen]

Very sad news. He was always kind to Julia and me.

[Randy G Roberts]

I have one too, problem was he used about 20 screws to secure the lid:banghead:

Chuck a couple of months ago I acquired a Parker from a member who sent it to me in one Allans shipping boxes which I returned to the Seller. It seemed like a great idea to me so one rainy night a few weeks back I went to the shop, well you get the picture :)

I will miss the stories that Allan would tell of days gone by and chasing Parkers at various shows. RIP Allan.

[CraigThompson]

Chuck a couple of months ago I acquired a Parker from a member who sent it to me in one Allans shipping boxes which I returned to the Seller. It seemed like a great idea to me so one rainy night a few weeks back I went to the shop, well you get the picture :)

I will miss the stories that Allan would tell of days gone by and chasing Parkers at various shows. RIP Allan.

To a degree you remind me a lot of my dearly departed father RIP . He was very much into woodworking although more towards 18th century furniture that type thing . Pop wasn’t much on metal work however and that’s more my type thing . But the items I see coming from your shop remind me of him !

[jerry serie]

I'm deeply saddened to learn of Allan Swanson's passing. I sat next to him at the 2023 Vintage Gunners, PGCA Annual Meeting and had a great time-sharing old stories and acquaintances. Just can't believe he passed so quickly. Allan was a legend among Parker Collectors and will be long remembered for his character and generous contributions! Jerry