Here is another C ,a CH 12 Ga. ,Sorry about the strong cyanide colors but " That's The Way It Is " ! Kind of pretty in it's own way ! Russ

pretty colors RUSS ...trade you 2 cats and a 3 legged hound dog.... charlie

Thank you for the offer Charlie ,I don't need a cat but the three legged Hound would be nice :rotf: ,I am sorry to say ,I sold it during the process of purchasing my first 28 Ga. a straight grip ,26" Barreled VHE Grade ! Russ

No Russ, just a couple of mutts.

Obviously there are C-grades and then there are C-grades. What a difference in engraving styles and quality! It's very enlightening to this beginner to see a variety of C's in order to understand this variation. Thanks for sharing all the photos!

John you are correct, there is a lot of variety amongst the C grades. For those who were able to attend last years Annual Meeting the theme was C grade guns. We were treated to an informative discussion about the grade by Mr. Day who was backed up by a large (10' appx.) screen video display running in the background. On top of that we had 20+ C grade guns from 410 thru 8 gage and all were wonderful examples.

My 16 ga C

Larry: That one super beautiful C about as nice as it gets ---------Here is a picture of my C I noticed the scroll is a little different than the example Bruce posted------they are all very interesting and unique. Craig
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t.../DSC_0004a.jpg

Larry showed the C that has the topknot quail. Those are Gambel's quail native to the far west, sometimes known as California quail. I know of three Parkers with Gambel's quail. Certainly rare in Parker engraving. Also rare are the C grade rondell side plate engraving produced from 1900 to 1905 on a minor percentage of the C's . I've also seen it on one D and one B. I think it can be attributed to one engraver but I don't know whom.

I had a question the other day about what is a rondell. I coined the term as applied to Parker round side panel engraving about 7-8 years ago after noticing it and learning that no one had been mentioning it. It reminded me of the rondell insignia on British air force ( RAF) aircraft. I think the use of the term has caught on, but if anyone has a better descriptor, have at it.

Bruce: Very nice rondell C, I have a good friend with one that has been to Turnbull's. Boy it would be fun to make a Parker collection out of just C grades, all just a little different.