Eric, I am wondering if the casecoloring has a varnish like coat on it?
I had a 90% vh that had remnants of that type finish on the standing breech and was wondering if that is what the factory did.

I am glad to live in a time where Parkers are still around and that there are still some in original condition. However this will not go on indefinately no matter what we do. That was the point I was trying to make. One day all these guns that we love will be nothing but the iron oxide they came from. We can delay this but it will happen eventually.
I think you have convinced me that some should be put aside for preservation as long as possible. The others that are no longer in original condition can be used and enjoyed.
Luckily for everyone there is only one Eldon Goddard in the world.

No, you're right; it won't go on indefinitely but given care and attention, it can go on a long time. That's better than nothing.

Tom, I'm not sure Eric will be able to answer with respect to this gun, but I can. It has no coating on the outside of the receiver. There was a fine film of old dried oil on the breech face and water table. The gun appears to have been stored broken down.
It was an old practice to wipe tools down with linseed oil when they weren't going to used for some time. Farmers would wipe their harrow blades with linseed also, as well as most hand tools. This accounts for a lot of the dried film seen on guns too.

Mine does not have any type of coating on the receiver, I do know a lot of people who put finish on the receivers to cut down on wear of the case colors but I don't think that they came from the factory like that.

According to Lawrence DelGrego, whom I discussed this with when I was considering coating the case colors on my 16VH that he had just reconditioned, Parker did not coat their case colors when they left the factory. When case colors were coated,(by owners) it was usually with a shellac and this made the frames susceptible to capturing water underneath the coating which led to rust buildup. So the coating of case colors is a practice to be discouraged.

I have never heard of using shellac, but many people use Linspeed (boiled linseed oil and Japan Dryer)
Purdey and Holland both coat their receivers.
Most damascus barrel people use something akin to Linspeed also. In fact, I'd have to ere on the side of using it, as opposed to not using it.

Allen, you seem to be in pretty tight with the Delgrego people. why not get them to give up their ill-gotten record books. Seems to me they get enough business out of the PGCA, it's the least they could do.

It's always interesting to see these threads pop up. You never know which way they'll go. 6 months from now it could have been a case where everyone is harping about how guns were made to be used, not sit in a closet, and it's his gun so whatever he chooses to do with it is his business. But this time around everyone is taking the 'preserve it' tack. Oh well.

I once knew a guy who bought a '78 corvette Indy Pace Car with 7 miles. This was in the 90's. It still had the plastic wrap on the seats and he pulled it around on a trailer to show it off. Then, he couldn't resist driving it a little but he first disconnected the speedo cable so it stayed at 7 miles. After a while, the plastic got ripped up so he removed it, and one couldn't help notice the tires were getting awfully low on tread for being used just 7 miles. His plans really went south when he missed a turn and drove it under a barbed wire fence which put about 7 miles worth of scratches on his hood and fenders. Oh well.

Then there's a guy I know who was quite proud of his new girlfriend, he slyly confided in me that she was 'almost a virgin'........oh well.

Some 'almost virgins' perform very well. Oh well. lol

Here's another one
 

12ga, 1&1/2 frame, 30" VHE. Some day I'll get the lighting right.