For someone who wants it, it is throwaway cash for sure. To start a conversation on which Parker has buyer character and which ones don't, start a thread that asks the question. My take is that guns that were used in historic sports like waterfowl hunting, pigeon shooting, early trap shooting, are of interest. Owner provenanced guns are interesting. However, I don't see the lust for the 24 gauge and 18 gauge Parkers, rare as they are. Sure, I would like to own them, but I don't pursue them like I do some others. The 24 and the 18 did not spend time in the field like the others, although the 18 gauge does have a waterfowling story, true or not.

Bill; Don't ask me why but the guns that really interest me are the odd barrel length guns, the 25" and the 27" etc., hard to find and unique, although I am sure these don't interest everyone. I agree there are probably as many different opinions of which guns are collectible as there are collectors !

Nor do the 24 and 18 gauge guns lend themselves to casual shooting (due to the scarcity of ammunition) which most of us like to do at least occasionally with most of the guns in our collections. I have only one Parker that I will never shoot - all the others I do. For a gun that I can't shoot, even if I want to, my interest level is very low. If this 18 gauge had the original 16 gauge barrels too, I might own it now . . . but it doesn't . . . and I don't.

Further, as I understand it, the condition of this gun is only good.

Russ, when I first contacted the seller in February (after having waited to do so for about a year and a half after learning it was going to come up for sale) he was more or less "feeling the market" and indicated the owners had been told not to accept anything less than $20K and that is what I was quoted but the seller told me he would entertain offers and would forward them to the owners.

There are collectors who would welcome such a unique Parker to add to their collections merely on the rarity factor and there are a bunch of firearms collectors who have no interest in shooting them at all . . . different strokes for different folks I guess.

Dean; I'm sure you are right, I put the auction on my watch list just to be nosy and see who bought it ,I was a little suprised no one bid on it !

Yeah, what is it about those odd barrel lengths that intrigues us? My favorites include a couple of 34s, a 33, a 29, a couple of 27s and an 18.

34" Parkers are not "odd". They are even.:rolleyes:

18! I bet its choked full and full :eek:

I think an 18" would be difficult to shoot well - unless from the hip.

Don, all of my 34s are odd, not even.