Thanks, Researcher! I see now that letter qualities were a subset of the numerical grade.

Does anyone have pictures of mint condition grade 1 laminated steel barrels? I've done a search and discovered that some higher grade guns had laminated steel of a different style. There looks like a few different styles even within grade 1, I believe one is "pointelle", there's another style that's more of a swirling pattern. I'd be interested in seeing some examples of those.

Here are a couple from Grade 1 Parkers. One is mine while the other is a friend's.

Mine is an 1893 T/A hammer 16 and the other is a set from my friend's

The first two pics are of mine and the second two are my friend's.

Two obviously different patterns and the Laminated barrels on my friend's PH are not what a PH would normally have been made with. They would/should have been Twist Steel for a hammerless Grade 1 of that vintage but his research letter says "Use customer's barrels." so they obviously came from a different gun.




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Thanks, Dean! That PH seems really unique as to pattern.

It's extremely unusual as far as Parkers are concerned and we don't even know if thos barrels even started out on a Parker... but they're sure pretty!





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I think this i what Dave is referring to...
I have no idea who owns this Parker but when I saw it on the forum here a decade or more ago I just HAD to save it.


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Researcher, do you happen to have the grade 2 price list by quality like this list?

It's interesting to note the $50 to $75 extremes within this grade.

Here are the upper grades from that price list.

Attachment 93106

Researcher, after looking over these price sheets, the question comes to mind: were numerical grades actually used in 1882 or were the letter qualities how they were correctly distinguished by Parker at the time of manufacture?

Interesting to note L and H were the same price, likewise the F and G because the $5 charge for pistol grips created the pricing overlap.

Dean, you could always come up to Concord and help me clear the snow off the driveway. Always a battle to get one of my boys to do it. Just sayin. :-)