Parker Sample Gun
 

A guy showed me a Parker that had a different kind of damascus on each barrel. He said that they were used to show potential customers what the different style of damascus looked like. I tried to find more info in The Parker Story but it says that all of the "sample guns" were lifter-action. This was a top lever. He said they were also called "salesmen's guns." I can't find any info. Does anyone know what I was looking at?

Thanks,

Ron

I know what you’re talking about but there is no empirical evidence they were sample guns. They could simply be because of a mistake in matching up the tubes to be joined. Keeping in mind that the pattern of the two tubes could not be seen until after the barrels had been joined and had gone through the final finishing stages.





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That makes sense. Would there be any collector value in that gun? -- it was in really nice shape -- beautiful actually. But it did look a little odd

Collector value would be only as an oddity.
I guess it would be up to individulal collector preferences.





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Thanks

This is a situation that I have seen a number of times either Lefever guns for some reason. I have not personally seen it with Parkers. The only similar thing I have seen is a damascus rib on a fluid steel barrel or something like that. Again, simply factory error. Like dean said, if tubed got mixed up or mis-marked, it would not be perfectly clear until well into the process.

As to the “sample” theory… Parker offered more than just two types of composite steel tubes. So that idea does not hold much water from that standpoint.

And the factory did have samples of different sorts of composite tubes, short sections of them. For show and tell, or collected from tube suppliers.


I would wonder what patterns were they? Twist and damascus? Laminated? Or just different variations of damascus?

I was rushed when he showed me the gun. I'll see if I can get another look at the gun. If so I'll take a picture and get the serial number. I think he was calling it a "sample gun / salesmen's gun" in error. When I asked ChatGPT about them I got this:

"Yes, Parker Brothers did make what is referred to as a "salesman's gun," also known as a "sample gun." These guns were created as demonstration pieces for salesmen to showcase the variety of damascus patterns Parker Brothers could offer on their shotgun barrels.

"A Parker "salesman’s gun" typically had different types of damascus steel patterns on each barrel, such as "chain damascus," "fine damascus," or "crolle damascus." The idea was to provide prospective buyers with a tangible display of the craftsmanship and quality of their damascus barrels.

"These guns are quite rare and highly sought after by collectors due to their uniqueness and historical significance. They serve as an excellent example of Parker Brothers' marketing strategy and their emphasis on craftsmanship during the golden age of shotgun manufacturing."

Note that the answer doesn't include the information that these sample guns were all lifter-action guns.

I was thinking that even though it is not a true sample gun it is still rare -- like a rare coin that was misstruck -- and should be worth more because of its rarity.

If I had the opportunity to buy it at what I considered to be reasonable price considering grade, configuration and condition, I’d definitely buy it and be willing to pay a small premium for it. It’s a personal decision.

Here is an example where the mating of 2 different damascus types was a mistake. The gun was discounted when sold.

It is best to leave the AI out of the mix.