Parker books purchased

[Chuck Bishop]

Back in July, Tom Wooden and I were contacted by a gun store in Florida about possibly purchasing the original Parker Brothers Order and Stock Books. John Davis traveled to Florida to meet with these people and examine what they had. You can read about this in the Parker Pages when it arrives at your door step in a few days. I won't go into how this all came about, you can read it for yourself. The BOD negotiated with the owners and the Books were bought.

The Order Books have already been digitized in their entirety. Nothing gained there except ownership. It's the Stock Books that we are now able to recopy. Recopying the Stock Books will give us additional information on things such as Weight, Patterning, Frame sizes, and in many cases the type of shell used in the patterning such as weight of shot, drams, and powder used plus many times the chamber size is also listed. We have a total of 52 Stock Books and I've re-copied 5 of them so far. No more copying until I pick up the rest of the Stock Books at the Southern.

What does this mean for someone who already has a letter and wants the additional information added to their letter? I'll let that up to the BOD to decide what the cost should be.

Looks like I'll be busy for awhile!

I should add that the books were re-photographed using a Nikon digital camera. Each picture is 5 to 7 mb in size so they can really be blown up on your computer screen.

[Brian Dudley]

This is great news for the association. There is no better home for the records.

[Reggie Bishop]

Chuck you will need a raise!

[Chuck Bishop]

Reggie, I'm waiting:whistle:

[William Woods]

Thanks to those involved in this effort, both current and future.

[Kevin McCormack]

Following is the text of a post I sent to George Purtill in January of 2016 in response to his inquiring about an article on the origins of the Parker Gun:

"George, "The Gun Report" article referred to is most likely the seminal article written by CDR Roy Gunther, "Charles Parker, The Man and His Guns" (Vol. 36 No. 1, June 1990, pp. 16 thru 27). It is a thorough detailed treatise on the origin and development of Parker Guns, including many photographs, illustrations, and a patent drawing of Miller's patent for a double shotgun for Meriden Mfg. Co. This single work more than any other put the "key in the lock" shortly thereafter in Remington Arms' granting CDR Gunther access to the Parker records. The aftermath is pretty much history."

The "Parker records" I refer to are the Stock Books, much larger in format compared to the Order Books, which somehow CDR Gunther wrestled up and onto Xerox machines at Remington, copying all that had survived. When I visited him at his home in Averill Park just east of Albany shortly thereafter, his entire living room, dining room and connecting hallway were lined with stacks 2-3 feet high of copies of the Stock Book pages. I still marvel at his having done it alone.

[Andrew Sacco]

Thank you all involved. This group continues to amaze me with its foresight and attention to detail. That was the right step to take.

[Mark Conrad]

This is awesome news, these books should be in possession of the PGCA.

[Dean Romig]

The acquisition of these volumes helps to secure our exclusive ability to provide complete research letters on specific serial numbered Parkers and the revenue generated by these research letters.

This is very important stuff!!!!!




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[CraigThompson]

Well Chuckles it seems vacations over and back to forty hours a week plus unpaid OT ! Glad you enjoy your job :cool:

[Bill Murphy]

I remember well the day Commander Gunther turned over the stock book copies to the PGCA. The Commander, Kevin McCormack, and I were in the company cafeteria at The Arms, eating a leisurely lunch. The Commander disappeared when we were finished eating. I was later to find out that he went to the parking lot to consumate the gift. I hope my memory of these events correspond with Kevin's take on them. Kevin and the Commander had a relationship that I unfortunately did not have. However, some time later, the Commander sent me one of his extra copies of the "book", postpaid, no charge.

[Dean Romig]

Chuck, can we presume these are the books, both stock and order books, that Remington Arms disposed of two years ago?





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