I need to get copies of those old articles on this gun. Unfourtunately this gun was found after all of the Parker books have been written. But hey... That happens.

No, Mark. Jack Puglisi was acting only for himself, was looking forward to keeping the gun and it was to be a centerpiece of his collection. He was made a very generous offer after purchase.

Jack's statements were that he told the purchaser that the gun was not for sale. The purchaser made an offer that for a businessman was compelling, somewhere in excess of a commission.

Jack mentioned the circumstances at several public occasions without disclosing the amount and I have been careful not to say anything that he did not want known.

The members of the PGCA research committee found the order for the Czar's gun in the Parker Brothers order books in 1998. I believe Kevin McCormack and I found the order, shopped it around among the other committee members. The consensus was that it was a nice high grade gun, destined to be sent to Russia in the hands of a General Officer, but none of us really thought it was the Czar's gun. The reason we concluded that it was not the Czar's gun was because the order did not mention the gold embellishment described by Peter Johnson in his book. In the end, no such gold embellishment was found on the gun. When "Not the Czar's Gun" was built in Tony Galazan's shop, the over the top embellishment described by Peter Johnson was incorporated in the design of that gun, and case. Maybe Bruce would send us some pictures of "Not the Czar's Gun" for those who have not seen it. It is pictured in The Parker Story if I remember correctly.

Bruce,

I was aware of everything you commented on. I was looking for comments from those high end collectors on this web site, like you, as to how they would rate the Czar's Parker engraving compared to other A1'S's. Anything extra special about the engraving style or coverage that would set it apart.

I guess the answer is "No", each A1-S is unique.

Those who may wish to compare engraving styles of other A1-S Parkers can begin by looking at Gen. Paul Cooper's A1-S in the Summer and Fall issues of Parker Pages.

And you will also find a two issue series in the DGJ on A-1 specials. Can't remember the year.
Phenomenal pictures.

Czar's gun? I usually associate ownership with possession to at least some degree.

I have a Damascus GH 12 gauge that I purchased explicitly to be given as a gift to Abraham Lincoln. So let's see...$400 gun + $200,000 provenance. Any takers?

Greg, you might note that at no time did I term the gun as "Czar's gun". Rather I called it "Czar gun" for shorthand and stated that it was made for the Czar, as reported in the contemporary newspaper article I posted. You are correct that at no time did Czar Nicolas take possession of the gun and I am not aware that anybody anytime ever claimed that he did. He was killed before the gun could be shipped, all as fully reported in the two articles I mentioned.

If you will review the Julia catalog entry before sale, you will see that it explains the known history that the gun was intended for the Czar but was never owned by the Czar. I am not aware that anybody has made more of that than stated. The facts were fully known and you know the price it brought.

So are you saying you have a GH that was made for Pres Lincoln who was killed in 1865? Could you explain that?

Hello Chuck. In SoDak now for hunting. I call it "Czar gun" since it was never possessed by the Czar. To answer your question, to publicly rank or rate top level guns is not something I am competant in, and even if I was, I wouldn't. To me, they are all interesting. I have my personal likes of certain styles, and I find some others do not share those likes. Blondes, brunettes, redheads ?


Oh yeah. And its just a "lowly" A grade:

I've told you boys before, but I keep having to remind you. Bruce travels in circles that none of us could dream of, he's parlay to insight and knowledge that only a handful of collectors are aware of.

Bruce should run this organization, it's just that simple. He should take over the website, newsletter, and be president of the board of directors. He's that skilled in the art of Parkerology. The rest of us are mere pikers, absolutely without a clue compared to what Bruce knows.

DLH