New member in Philly

[Dan Shay]

Hi all!

I'm a new member located in Philadelphia. I inherited a Parker Bros. shotgun (also an 1935 Ithaca Lefever Nitro) from my father a few years back, and am finally getting around to figuring out some information about the Parker.

From what I can tell without pulling a letter (yet -- I'll be doing that shortly), the gun was manufactured in 1903 (SN: 120068), and is a DH (I think -- the extractor is one piece, not two, so I'm assuming it's a DH, not a DHE) with Titanic steel barrels. It has a skeleton metal buttplate, and I believe still has both its front and mid sight beads.

I haven't yet pulled it apart to figure out more info (e.g., frame size, barrel weight, etc.).

As I mentioned, I plan to order a letter now that my membership has gone thru.

It's a gorgeous piece, but I probably won't keep it because, much as I like looking at it, for me it's more of a "museum piece" and I'd rather it go to someone who'll really appreciate it. With that in mind, I'll likely sell it once I have a better sense of its value and can more accurately describe it. (That said, I am loving learning all the information about this and the Parker Gun history.)

I'll post some pictures later. I think it's in good condition, but I'm still learning what qualifies as "good condition."

[David Noble]

I look forward to seeing the pictures. The members here will help you determine condition.
Some may even give an estimated value.
Inherited Parkers are very special to most people, especially if from a parent or grandparent. I hope you fall in love with it and keep it!

[Dean H Hanson]

Welcome Dan, Parker owners have no issue shooting "museum guns". DH is my favorite grade of Parker. Looking forward to seeing some pics.

[Steve Huffman]

Welcome Dan, Your gun is listed in the Parker Serialization Book as a DH straight stock with 30" Titanic Steel barrels.

[Dan Shay]

Welcome Dan, Your gun is listed in the Parker Serialization Book as a DH straight stock with 30" Titanic Steel barrels.

Thanks! That tracks with what I'm finding.


From what I can tell:

- DH/Grade 3 12ga.
- 30" Titanic barrels.
- All parts have matching serial #s (trigger guard, water table, internals, barrels, foregrip)
- 2 Frame

I'm a little confused as to the barrel weight, though. Per the "Technical Information" of the website, I'd expect to only see a single number on the underside of the barrels, but instead I see...two? There's a "4" and a "3." Not sure how to make heads or tails of that. Are the barrel weights different for each barrel or something?

Also not sure if the "X" marking on the spot where the barrel connects to the foregrip matters or is really just an "X marks the spot/grip goes here, dummy" situation.

Checkering on the foregrip and stock are well defined to my uneducated touch, but the wood is in good condition.

Engraving is still pretty well defined. I may try to take additional pictures for the engraving ahead of the trigger guard, since I think it's actually better defined than what the picture shows, and has more to do with my camera/camera skills than wear. (You'll note I apparently have next to no creases in my hand, which makes me think my camera was having trouble deciding where to focus.)

I have no idea how to evaluate barrel condition on the interior.

Anyway, here's a photo album of the gun with pictures I took tonight. (https://photos.app.goo.gl/BCNp59XEsEacdLua6)

Unrelated, but my dad apparently also had about 1 and 2/3 boxes of 12ga shells, probably from the late 60s. (Mom met him in the early 70s, and has no memory of him ever going shooting, so these guns have basically been unfired and sitting in one closet or another for at least 50 years.) I've included a picture of one of the boxes for fun.

I look forward to hearing folks' thoughts on this piece.

It's interesting having the Ithaca Lefever Nitro to compare to it. Both seem solid, but (A) the Parker was cared for way more (or used way less?), and (B) the Parker is just so much more of a work of art by comparison. The engraving is just gorgeous, and the detail on the wood is really striking by comparison. Both have engraving, but the Parker is way more detailed and finely wrought than the Ithaca, even though they're separated by only 32 years. It's like seeing the difference between Art Nouveau and Art Deco in shotgun form.

[Jerry Harlow]

That is one nice unaltered straight-stocked DH!

[Dan Shay]

That is one nice unaltered straight-stocked DH!

Thanks! I'd love to figure out how it wound up in my dad's hands. I have a hunch it came from his father, who had (at one time) one of the largest antique firearms collections on the East Coast I'm told. (My only remaining proof of this is the flintlock blunderbuss he gave me when he was liquidating his collection. It's all rusted to hell and gone, but the lock and trigger mechanism still work!)

[David Noble]

Perhaps your dad didn't shoot the Parker much, but he took good care of it.
He may have been saving it to give to someone special in his life.
No way I could I sell that gun. If you have any children, give it to one of them.
They'd likely be hhonored to own their Grandfather's (or possibly Great Grandfather's) Parker!

[J. Scott Hanes]

Dan, welcome to the PGCA! There is more Parker knowledge existent in this membership than you can imagine. Be willing to ask any question you wish and someone will be able to assist.
As far as what you do with the gun, please take your time in whether you want to sell it. While it is in very good condition, it is not a 'museum piece' per se; very few Parkers are. They were made to use for hunting or casual shooting [a few are used extensively at clay targets] and enjoying. I am guessing you are under 40 years old; maybe under 30 and your Dad has passed. I get it that he did not use it much so there is likely no connection to any adventures he shared with you with the Parker, so your memories with your Dad lie in different activities. But do your research when you can and hold onto it for a while before making a final decision. Your Dad kept it all those years for a reason; maybe it is for you, maybe someone else in the family. Either way, it is yours for now to do with it as you wish. Good luck.

[Dan Shay]

Perhaps your dad didn't shoot the Parker much, but he took good care of it.
He may have been saving it to give to someone special in his life.
No way I could I sell that gun. If you have any children, give it to one of them.
They'd likely be hhonored to own their Grandfather's (or possibly Great Grandfather's) Parker!

Dan, welcome to the PGCA! There is more Parker knowledge existent in this membership than you can imagine. Be willing to ask any question you wish and someone will be able to assist.
As far as what you do with the gun, please take your time in whether you want to sell it. While it is in very good condition, it is not a 'museum piece' per se; very few Parkers are. They were made to use for hunting or casual shooting [a few are used extensively at clay targets] and enjoying. I am guessing you are under 40 years old; maybe under 30 and your Dad has passed. I get it that he did not use it much so there is likely no connection to any adventures he shared with you with the Parker, so your memories with your Dad lie in different activities. But do your research when you can and hold onto it for a while before making a final decision. Your Dad kept it all those years for a reason; maybe it is for you, maybe someone else in the family. Either way, it is yours for now to do with it as you wish. Good luck.

Thanks, all! I'm actually in my late 40s.. Not to get too personal, but I actually do know what he wanted me to do with it, because, well, he told me before he passed. He actually said "Sell it and put the money in your daughter's college fund."

Neither I nor my mom knew he had this gun. As far as I know, it spent 50 years just sitting in his closet, along with a couple other shotguns and an old .22 target rifle (I knew he had the .22 and one of the shotguns -- an Ithaca Model 37, but didn't realize he had two SXS shotguns.)

He figured I wouldn't get much for the other guns, but the Parker he said specifically to sell. He'd had it appraised years ago (although I'm not taking the value he told me as the current value), and figured it'd actually be worth a bit, whereas the others weren't really worth much (and based on a quick spin on gunbroker to check, they don't seem to be).

Anyway, I'll figure out what to do with it eventually. In the meantime, it's resting comfortably in my safe.

Can anyone explain the two numbers on the barrel underside? The 4 and the 3? I gather one of them is supposed to be barrel weight, but...why are there two numbers?

[Steve Huffman]

I think you are missing a 4 it looks like the unstruck barrel weight is 4lb 4oz and the 3 is the Grade like stamped on the water table if I remember correctly nice gun for sure

[Donald F. Mills]

The 4 would be the unstruck (before final filing and polishing) barrel weight for 4 lbs even. Is there was a superscript number with it that would indicate the number of additional ounces. The 3 is a new one for me being that far towards the breech.

[Harold Lee Pickens]

Very nice grade 3, one any of us would be proud to shoot/hunt with. It won't put your kid thru college, not even a quarter at today's inflated prices, but probably command $3 to 5 grand. Nitro Specials are solid quality guns, but were an entry level shotgun. We love seeing guns like yours come to the surface, thanks for sharing yours.

[David Livesay]

That's a very nice gun in beautiful condition. You won't have any trouble selling that gun.

[J. Scott Hanes]

Good for your Dad that he gave you direction on what to do with it. No reason not to grant his wish; the product will be in whatever your daughter brings to the world!

The numbers on the underside of the barrels is the weight of the barrel set; 4#, 3 oz before they were 'struck' for final finish. In other words, before filing and sanding or whatever process was used to get to final finish.