Dean,
This post got me wondering when the first Parker with a checkered butt was made so I checked in the Parkers Found section of the winter issue of PP and did not see a listing. If any of our forum members own a Parker with an original checkered butt they should post the serial number and we could get the oldest number entered in Parkers Found.

ps: I hope you plan to bring that beautiful little 20 gage to the show this weekend for our display.

I tried to buy it two years ago but the owner finally decided not to sell it. All I got were the pictures and an ache in my heart...

Dean, was the C grade notation of "no butt" in the stock book or the order book? OK, here are the stock book entries I found. The William Wagner AAH comp gun order states "no heel plate". I think Mark Conrad can tell us about the present status of that butt. Next, another Wagner AAH, order states "no butt plate" "no safe". Next, PH #81140, order book states "no heel plate". Next, GH, #80882, order book states "no butt". Next, PH, #83894, order book says "no butt", "no safe". Next, VH, #90477, order book says "no butt". Next, GH, #85991, order book says "no heel plate", "3 inch chamber". Next, PH, #87173, order book says "no butt plate". So PB used several designations for whatever it is, checkered butt or an unfinished butt. If a customer, in these cases, a dealer, wants to finish the gun to a specific length with a recoil pad, he wouldn't want to contend with a skeleton butt or a rubber butt (dogs head) because the peak extends far into the heel of the stock. Of course, we have only the Wagner comp gun to inspect.

I hope if any reader of this thread has one of these guns he will chime in and let us know what sort of butt treatment the gun has now or when he first received it.
Thanks Bill for those notations.

Dean, maybe you could check with Mark about the Wagner comp gun. We saw it at the 2010 meeting but I don't remember what the butt looked like.

Bill,
Go to page 25 of the spring 2010 issue of Parker Pages. There you will find a picture of two handsome fellows admiring the Wagner gun. That was truly a great event.