If it has twist or damascus barrels, then it must be a $100 wall hanger. At least thats what the guy at the corner gun shop will tell you.

Where do you live Steve?

This is perhaps the most exciting thread in quite a while. A MM buddy was on the bridge of the RV KNOR when Ballard found the Titanic. Now I know how he felt.

Brian, Mr. Dennis has posted that he lives in Orlando.

I still can't get over how exciting this 'find' is. Coincidentally, we were just discussing another nice little 20 that may have been cut from 30" to 28", and I am in agreement that it falls in the 'who cares' category.
I have been in the position of fighting the two demons on my shoulders when I land a windfall: One being the proceeds gotten,(potentially telephone number type figures) and the other being an item like this won't come around again. I usually listen to the 'hang on to it and love it' argument; let them decide when I'm gone. I think it will be fun for you to trace the ownership lineage and see how far back it goes in your step-dad's family. If you choose to convert it to profit, and I'm not remotely suggesting that's what you should do, I think the best avenue would be one of the better known gun auctioneers. It's only my opinion, but I wouldn't do anything to it until you've had the benefit of truly expert advice. Having the barrels properly refinished, and having the wood refinished properly is something that many of our guns have seen without detriment. It makes them more pleasing to the eye without serious detriment to it's value. I'd seriously resist any other metal work, such as re-casing hardening the action for colors.
I see a Parker Pages artical here for sure.
All of the above is strictly my uneducated opinion, and we all know what they say about opinions.

ok, I was gonna say, maybe some of us might be able to point Steve in the direction of an appraiser of sorts in his area that is well versed in Parkers.

Per your request, here's some barrel shots. Agghhh... I now know how hard it is to get a good photo shot down a barrel of a gun. Here's my best of several. It looks pretty dirty on the front end to about 1 inch in.

Someone asked about the butt plate. Here's a couple photos. Looks original?

It's always a good thing when something like this turns up. Gun looks pretty good and this all comes together at a season when we sometimes find ourselves looking for a reason to smile. I'm happy for all concerned and you don't often see Mr. Murphy excited on this forum.

Steven, yes, the buttplate is original. Next step is to wait for the letter. Robert, I am for sure excited. My research files, (in this case, just store bought stuff) allowed me to tell Steven what he needed to know to protect himself. He also knows to protect the gun by not touching it in any way. No screwdrivers, no sandpaper, no steel wool, no nothing. The next owner will not want anything to have been done to it.