For insurance purposes, insure for at least $100,000.

I'm confused.. The gun shown in your photos has 217264 on the trigger bow. Since 242487 is not in the Serialization book, there's no way of knowing what it is.

His gun is 217264

Here are the numbers on everything I can find. I can take more.

I believe for insurance purposes I’d add 60k to that number .

According to The Parker Story, there were 79 Quality A1 Specials built. Fifty-five of them were 12-gauges and of those 35 had 30-inch barrels. Which means you have the most common spec A1 Special.

I agree with Craig. Much of the gun has been refinished at some point in time. There are many parts of 217264 that are finished in ways that are certainly not the Meriden norm.

The only history I don’t know of the gun is post 1951. It could have been refinished then I suppose. Harry Nye’s daughter is still alive I will ask her.

Old things
 

What pictures would I have to take to see refinish work on the gun?

Now you even have my wife wondering about it! It is like my 1967 Cadillac with 25,000 miles on it, everyone says it has to have more miles, but I have had it since 1982 it just sat around.

I get that, Chuck, But I don't understand the reference to the other SN shown in the first post.

There's no missing that Caddy. Wasn't it Mary Kay, or one of the cosmetic companies that gave Pink cars to the their top sales people?

The only feature, of non-Parker origin on your gun, that jumps out at me is the gold wash on the Deeley latch on the fore end. Close scrutiny might suggest refinished barrels, but certainly well enough.
Who is to say with any certainty what the value is? Listed on One of the sites, or on the shelf in a top shelf gunshop, It might languish at $80K-$100K, but put it front of the right two bidders in a quality auction, it could bring $125K or more. As Dave says, the configuration might hold it back some. I do recall a 20ga. Hershell Chaddick had, many years ago that went well north of that.

A 16 gauge A1 Special has been sitting idle at a top shelf gunshop for a number of years priced around $159k. The buyers at that price level are few I would imagine.