Merkel 302 made in 1953

Just...lovely.

[QUOTE=Daryl Hallquist;317555]No, during the period of the Special Paragon the high grade guns were not marked as to grade. The Special Paragon had differences from the Paragon according to the catalogs and advertisements. The Special Paragon had a point pattern checkering, the single animal on the front end of the sideplate, the Baker name on the frame below the front end of the sideplate and a bit more engraving compared to Paragons of the same period. Wood on the Special Paragon was said to be an upgrade, but it is hard to distinguish wood quality between the grades. All , of course, were European walnut. Later, in the 700 or 800 serial number range, Baker again started marking the grade on the gun. Not sure why this change went either way.

Attached is a De Luxe quality gun, signed by Frank Mason.

Thanks, Daryl!

That fox chasing the ducks is some nice scene engraving, Jim!

Admiral Fletcher’s A grade Parker with a scene that could have been the shoreline at Annapolis. Look carefully and you can see the sailing ship offshore.

My 1906 Wm. Read & Sons catalog shows the Baker Paragon at $60. A photocopy of a little Baker catalog that I have, that someone inked 1905 on the cover of, shows the Baker Paragon at $60 and the Special Paragon at $75. It has the same picture of the Special Paragon as this The Sportsman's Review, Jan. 7, 1905, ad --

Attachment 90737

The next Baker catalog I have shows the Baker "Krupp," Grade "N" as the $75 gun --

Attachment 90739

while the Baker "Paragon," Grade "P" is still $60 --

Attachment 90740

It seems from my collection of catalogs that prices were pretty stable from the latter 1890s to about 1915, then inflation related to The Great War drove prices up very sharply to the early 1920s.

My EE Lefever. Nothing fancy or pretty, but it's kinda neat and a great shooter!
Chris

I also have this neat Baker, does anyone know the grade?

Nice guns, Chris! That might be an A or B grade. Hopefully someone who knows will be along after a bit. The Lefever is really nice with the single trigger and straight grip.

The Baker appears to have twist barrels, if so, it is a B Grade. If it were Damascus, it would be an A Grade.