Jack in regards to Family guns just an FYI I'm open for adoption and willing to retain your legacy for future generations. I'm potty trained (most of the time:rotf:), employed (except during bird season and deer season then its part time), live in a different country (only sporadic visits during bird season), when you consider all the positives it's a no brainer:clap: I'll have attorney call your attorney and get the paperwork started....what ya say....Dad:cheers:

Well, son before anything happens with the guns, clean your room, take out the garbage, help Mom fix the old mix-master (no desserts 'til done) and finish your homework. And please quit bugging me about the car. You can take it for a spin but you're puttin' gas in it. Be back by 10 or no huntin' on the weekend. If you can live with this, don't call a lawyer, call Madonna, as she has experience with international adoptions. If she gets this approved - welcome to the family. :rolleyes:
Cheers,
Dad

Jack,I know Rich and you have no idea what you are gettin yourself into..:biglaugh:

Dad-Just to clarify a couple of things. I have my own home so you can rent out my room (but not during bird season as I'll need it when I come to visit), I'm horrible with tools (I have a gunsmith on speed dial) so the mixmaster is toast, you have had it since the 50's Mom needs & deserves a new one, I have my own car and a truck and buy my own gas. Madonna is from Bay City, MI not far from me and she visits her parents regularly:whistle: so we will get the adoption completed in a timely manner. Other than the obvious dates of celebration another one for you and Mom to mark on the calender is October 30 as this is my birthday...just in case the Boswell doesn't work out.

Happy New Year....Dad:bowdown:

This little family discussion put a smile on my face.....

Chip,
You can find quite a few examples for sale with pictures at The Gun Room, www.doublegun.com. They are all dealers but you should be able to find some comparable 20 gauge VH Parkers and get an idea about the value. I do however very much agree with the philosphy of keeping such a wonderful heirloom in the family.

Perhaps before we all get off on a crying tangent over Chip selling "grandpa's gun" you might re-read his original posting where he says his grandmother wants to sell her late husbands Parker. Just by the wording I'd say that this perhaps isn't a family gun to Chip but I could be wrong of course.


Destry

Let's not forget the OP's follow-up statement. Mr. Sutton may not have had any interest in the gun his grandmother wanted to sell. He may or may not have changed his mind but says he has added some perspective to his thinking. By definition, the gun could be a 3 generation family gun at the moment. If sold outside the family it becomes a non-family gun. Not going to make much of a difference in the overall scheme of life, as most Parkers are no longer in the multi-generation family category. Those that are retain a special connection to the past that is lost once sold outside the family. Again, not a major calamity. I don't think any of us will shed a tear if the gun is sold outside the family, in fact some among us might just want to help out grandma. The discussion simply gave Mr. Sutton pause to think it through, which it appears he has done.
Cheers,
Jack

Jack, There is one thing left unexplored in this post and that is your assertion that you don't know if the next generation will take a real interest in your guns. I fear that many of us face something similar. We need a plan to focus the attention of the next generation on what really matters- my tool pile, my exceedingly large supply of gun stuff, my unfinished projects of a large and diverse nature, not to mention the holy dust that collects on all the previous. I look to you for leadership! David

I won't make any recommendations, but allow me to recount some experiences. I'm at Pheasant Fest in Omaha displaying a bunch of Parkers. We have so many people come by, maybe as high as 20,000 in the past , and we hear over and over about how grandma or grandpa had this wonderful Parker , wasn't much engraving but sure was a nice gun, and it got sold. They wished they had it still in the family. So we hear these regrets about lost family guns all the time.