OK, I'm home (actually got home 10 minutes ago, but wanted to give Dean enough time to get out all his party decorations and put on a clean shirt for the photographers)

:bowdown::bowdown::bowdown: Despite the demanding of his Coronation and Jeweled Sceptor prematurely, I Concede Dean's astounding knowledge of Fred Anschutz Dogs:duck::duck:

Gary, my error was just as you described, in grabbing the gun I thought I photographed last night, but one next to it.

OK Dean, Let the festivities begin.

Thanks for checking, Edgar. I’ll sleep better tonight :)

From all the photos I've saved, I see the sort of ampersand symbol appearing very regularly once the J.G. in oval stamp of Jim Geary begins appearing in about the 162xxx range. I see the ampersand symbol pretty regularly into the 180xxx range.

Attachment 130644

Attachment 130645

Attachment 130646

Attachment 130647

Here is one in the 174xxx range that also has the two dots.

Attachment 130648

I wish I had the intellect to understand what Mr. Dean and Mr. Edgar were saying but I find their interaction entertaining. I would like to see the two of them together sometime just to listen to them.

I have and it's as you would expect.

Be careful what you wish for, William. I went to the reunion concert in Central Park, for Simon & Garfunkel, and they don't much like each other either. I got hit off the head by a flying beer can, and a girl next to me threw up on my shoes.

Dave, Thanks for taking the time to pull all those together. It's more than likely I have had other guns with the '&' on them, and just never noticed it before, perhaps, in part due to the tiny font. I may have bought and sold a dozen or more Parkers over the years, and now can only wonder if any of them were also so marked. I consciously shy away from the 180xxx range for the lack of factory records but recall a BHE, 184xxx if memory serves, which a friend and fellow member has. I'll ask him to check. Your post, now, has me leaning towards Meriden as the source, rather than the remote chance an independent gunsmith used the mark.

edit: Dave, I just looked at four guns between 151xxx and 159xxx, which bear the "&" mark, adjacent to Geary's marks; two 20ga Damascus 151xxx, both with two dots; a 28ga 153,xxx; and a 28ga 159,xxx. I guess I'm not surprised that in more than 60 years of owning Parkers, I was not more observant.

Despite how we may sound in our forum interactions Edgar and I are great friends and have the highest respect for each other. Edgar is a brilliant man.





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:shock:How high?

I did some more looking and all the barrel flats where I can see the area down into the low 149xxx range have the J.G. in oval and &. Serial 148762 has W.K in the oval and the & --

Attachment 130659

The highest serial number I've recorded with the & is 180703. The J.G. in an oval continues into the 219xxx range as the PARKER BROS. OVERLOAD PROVED stamp came into use.

The symbol really looks like a "Concern for POWs" or "Breast Cancer Awareness" ribbon and a small c.