I personally would select gun number 2. I like honest used but not abused guns. I try to not buy projects but I will restore poor repairs or damage caused by negligence on a rare gun I desire. Lets say a rare example with better than average condition has multipule rust spots on the barrels and someone cleaned the rust with steel wool causing a big light area on one third of the barrel, I would have that barrel restored by a craftsman capable of producing a factory finish. Everyone has their own opinions and standards. Buy what YOU LIKE!

That’s a good way to look at it. It’s not very often that alterations will increase the value of your gun - especially in the lower grades. Usually it’s the other way around because quality work ain’t cheap. So when you add the cost of alterations to the cost of the gun you quickly get upside down. Higher grade guns can be a different story..... sometimes. There are collectors here who have taken special Parkers, had them restored professionally and increased their worth. That’s the exception rather than the rule. Most of us who have been at this for awhile have paid our respects to the Parker Graveyard for Unrealized Financial Dreams and left our bouquets of red dollar signs. So my advice to anyone reading this who seriously wants to “Invest” in these guns with the intention of making money is to find someone who is successfully doing it and ask for their advice. If, you want to know how to buy guns and only lose several hundred dollars when it’s time to sell I’m your man - but I ain’t cheap!

I have a dear, dear friend who is in his 94th year, and in the four decades of our acquaintance, I have seen him time and again, buy what I would consider to be a benchmark gun (many makes, including Winchester 21s, Dickson round actions, Westley Richards, Parkers, etc) from a high end dealer, then immediately send it to Jack Rowe, Kirk Merrington, et al to make it more perfect.

After emptying his wallet and waiting many months, he would shoot a box or two of cartridges, show it off for a couple of months, and then lose interest. He would inevitably sell it, usually for less than he paid for it, not to mention the consignment fee.

But he loved the hunt for the perfect gun!

If you can afford it, it's good fun.

But few of us can lose money for sport.

I cant imagine that, if someone had a choice, anyone would desire worn case colors or worn engraving over high condition.

If anybody thinks they’re going to add to their retirement fund by buying and selling Parkers, or any classic SXS be it American made or from overseas, think again. And the caveat to that is “You don’t make money when you sell them - you make your money when you buy ‘em.”






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Sorry but I'm a little confused. I have a pair of honestly high condition 16's, one VHE and one VH. I have owned both guns for a few years and kept both as I found them. Given that I don't mess with originality, I still want to own a 20 DHE in good condition. Would you let your 16's go to get the 20, or are the 16's the better investment over time?

Go with the 20.

A 20 may be a better investment, but I would still much prefer to shoot a 16.

Dean is correct, as he so often is. It's just like the livestock business, you make you money on the buy, seldom on the sell.

Please explain how that works.