10 Gauge Parker
 

I have an 1895 (based on serial number) Paker 10 Gauge with Damascus barrels with ejector. G with #3 frame and all the engraving one could ask for. Buttstock has the lab in the center. Barrels are mirror finish with no dents. The bluing is pretty much worn off the barrels but other than that the gun is in perfect condition and very tight.

Any idea of a ball park value? I know somewhere on here probably points me to the right value but I havenet found it yet.

Thanks

A Grade 2 Damascus ten with ejectors is a rare bird. I will wait for pictures before I volunteer a value. Do you have a PGCA letter which will tell you whether the ejectors were installed on the gun when it was made or returned later for installation? OOPS! Sorry, the ejectors would have been retrofit on an 1895 gun. Get the letter to find out when it was done and for whom.

I have not sent the letter off yet but will do so in the morning. Here are a few pics of the gun. Not the best pics but should help some.

I can take some more pics if there is something particular you want to see. I will be looking to sell the gun. I picked it up from an estate sale and was told it was a one owner gun but no way to prove that.

Is it better to have the gun fully restored prior to selling or leave it as is?

Thanks for any and all input.

Kirt, there is one on Auction Arms right know for a thousand bucks.

Need some better pictures, but I'm not sure it's an ejector gun, but I'm wrong more often then I'm right these days. Judging by the screw condition someones been in it more then once for sure. If you want to PM me the complete serial number I'll look it up in the serial number book for you (if it's listed of course). PS. Just looked and there are only 12 numbers listed in the s/n book in the 83600 range. And only 3 of those 12 are 10 gauge and none of those are a grade 2. So what I'm saying it we can't tell you much of anything about the gun.

Here are some more pics.

Kirk: Your G Grade Parker SN 83604 appears to be in reasonably good original condition with the exception of a couple buggered screws. I definitely would not have it restored. Complete restoration would cost around $2,000 on a $1,000 gun that would be worth $500 after restoration. With Parkers and Parker Collectors originality is everything. Invest in a letter, clean the gun with light oil and leave it as-is.

Just My Humble Opinion....George

I think if Mr. Allen wanted his complete SN listed he would not of gone through the trouble of blocking the last part. Most of us could tell the SN by the pictures,But some must be kind of a -------------- About it. Just my humble opinion.

Kirk,

Damascus barrels were never blued they black and white showing the contrast between the iron and steel that were used to make the barrels. If you search through the threads on this board you will find plenty of pictures of what original and refinished damascus barrels should look like.

It appears to be a nice honest gun. If it were mine I would try to clean-up the receiver and other metal (CAREFULLY so as not to scratch the underlying steel) and do the same with the wood (probably start with Murphy's Oil Soap). Then decide whether or not to spend $300 +/- to have the barrels refinished but only after having someone who knows what they are doing measure the thickness of the barrels to determine whether or not it's safe to shoot. You will definitely need to know that before anyone can put a value on the gun.

JDG

George, do me a favor and pull the serial number out of your post. I guess those experienced figured it out but I rather not display that info like that.

Thanks

Kirk ,Looks like a nice old G grade ,but looking by your last set of pics. the gun does not have ejectors but extractors ,that lift the shell up out of the chambers and must be plucked out by hand .

Why don't you want the serial number known?


I've always been open about posting the serial numbers of my guns, many of them high grade and valuable guns. I don't figure any of them are stolen, nor do I think that the government has hired web site monitors to write down the serial numbers of old shotguns so that when guns are prohibited, the gun police will come in the middle of the night and demand all my guns by serial number.

Parker shotguns are listed in a Serialization Book or in the Order Books by serial number, so naturally when a person comes here and wants to know characteristics of a gun, some people try to help him by looking up the serial number in the books. All parts of a Parker are stamped with the serial number.

Mr. George Lander is a true southern gentleman and was trying to be helpful since you had come here to the Parker collector's website looking for information about a specific gun.

Thanks for all the input. I assumed they were ejectors but wasnt positive. I assume ejetors are spring loaded to toss the round out?

Being a 10 gauge grade 2 I was hoping it was worth more than some have suggsted. Might just hold on to it.

Because there are lots of people that will CLAIM they had their gun stolen and provide a serial number that they found online then try to take claim to it. You end up having to prove its yours instead of the dirtbags having to prove its theirs. Inocent people made out to be criminals.

I think that's an old wives tale and it's just not true. Anyone who's going to make a claim like that is going to have to establish they owned the gun in the first place, i.e. a police report that was filed in the past listing that gun as being stolen. The police aren't going to get involved with any less evidence that a crime has been committed.

I wish that were the case but it is in fact the main reason people dont share the numbers on line. It has happen and if you want to count on the police to be good at their job then you have more faith in the system than I do.

Its easy to file a report that the gun is missing with the claim you dont know how long its been missing for. Its happen and will continue as long as we have crooks amungst us.

The other issue is duplication. Yes its pretty hard to duplicate a Parker but look at the AR industry and you see a lot of people doing builds on their own and some actualy do copy others serial numbers.

If that is true, a person should keep their gun secret, never post pictures,and never have pictures of the gun published.

In many years of fooling about with old guns, I have never heard of what you suggest.

But I suppose its true that people can and do make unprovable and far fetched claims. There are crackpots out there.

To be the devil's advocate, I had a gun stolen, did not report it properly. Today, after many years, I found that it is in the hands of an innocent third party. I have no feeling whatever that I could begin to recover that gun under any known law or legal procedure.

What! Are you implying that some documentary proof might be required? Bill, its much more fun to wildly speculate.

It may be the main reason that people don't post the serial numbers, that's true, but there is virtually no reason to be fearful. As for filing a false police report, it's a felony, and I know there are a lot of stupid people in the world (and I have represented my fair share) but again, you have to have proof you owned the gun in the first place.

It's a free country so feel free to be as paranoid as you want, but you have very little to fear by posting a serial number on the web.

I have little insight into the criminal mind. However, if I were going to try the false reporting scheme I would select one of the many high grade, high condition guns posted here. I think I would not go after the well-worn, buggered-up, lower grade ones.

Did not report properly? What does that mean? Did you report it at all?

If you can, and you have proof that its yours you can legaly get your gun back. Yes it sucks for the innocent third party but thats the way it goes.

I was going to buy a gun off Gunbroker and I wanted to confirm that the serial numbers was not on a stolen gun list. They guy refused to provide the info. Turns out he was later arrested for selling stolen property. Had I purchased it, I would have been in possession of stolen property and at the least they take it from you when its discovered.

So, does anyone have an idea of what this gun is worth? Some are saying its rare since its a 10 gauge, others have sent me messages that its not worth $500? I cant find a "G" grade in my Blue Book so not sure where to start to get real numbers.

So, I guess the moral of the story is be wary of people who won't post serial numbers? By the way, to be charged with possession of stolen property one has to know of have reason to know the gun was stolen. A charge requires more than just possession.

I think posting the serial number is quite different than providing it to an inquiring buyer.

Yes, you have to have known the property was stolen to be "charged", and at the least, like I stated they take it from you. At the worst, you have to deal with lots of questions with implicaitons leaning towards you knew. My father went through this very process when he purchased some stuff at a garage sale and it was not pretty becuase the cops basically insisted he knew it was stolen because of the price.

Anyway, any thoughts on the guns value?

I think without knowing the condition of the bores (and I mean checking for pits/dents/whatever) as well as knowing what the true bore diameters is now, everything is speculation. Also, is the gun tight on face, lever to the right etc. etc. There's just too many variables without having measurements. I'd say take it a smith who has the right tools and check it out and get all those details. Then we might be able to give you an idea. I'll say if it was on one of he auction websites I wouldn't much on it without knowing some details first. This comes from being burnt in the past on those same websites. They made lots and lots of Parkers and condition is everything on the more common guns. PS. Barrels are everything on a Damascus gun. Everything else can be pretty much fixed. Barrels can't. My 2 cents.

Mr. Allen, the gun is not rare and it is worth more than $500, so both of your advisors are not tuned in to the gun market. People who know the Parker gun market well number more than a covey but fewer than a flock.

1890's vintage 10's are far from rare, they may somehow be rare in that particular configuration. Barring some uncommon attribute that has not been pointed out here, I'd say the gun is worth less than $1000. But the right answers to the many questions posed above could well prove me wrong.

My local FFL is a gunstock builder and gun smith and as far as the barrels go he said they are the cleanest damascus barrels internaly he has seen. They are mirror finish with no pitting at all and there are no dents anywhere on them. The gun is tight and fully functional! He did not check the bore measurements but I can do that. What are the specs?

I got the gun at an estate sale and the Grandson stated that the gun belonged to his grandfather who baught it new. He claimed his grandfather use to tell him stories about how that gun put food on the table during the depression. I picked it up in Oregon.

Lots of Damascus Grade 2 extractor 10ga guns out there.. A person can check on numerous sales sites to see what others are asking . This gun has condition issues and would need work.

There is good reason to check mirror bores on a 115 year old waterfowler.

Finding a Parker in Oregon is rare in and of itself. If you're still in Oregon, take it over to Keith Kearcher in Bend, he is widely considered an expert on evaluating these types of barrels.

Believe on a 10 gauge nominal bore diameter is .775.

Yes today, I believe others have posted that they have measured factory bores that ranged way above that do to the tooling of the time and no set standard.

For what its worth ,here is my two cents worth ,as it has been pointed out on this forum many times ,make sure what you have , by a competent gun smith familiar with Parker shotguns ,list it on Gun Broker ,start at $0.01 and the market will let you know the value very quickly !You can put a reserve and if you get the price that pleases you ,then you sell, if not ,the buyers of such guns will bid to what some one is willing to pay for the gun , I recently sold a nice " used " condition GH grade 12 Ga. with a little bit nicer condition than yours but in 12 Ga. not 10 ,the guys bid it up to around $650.00 and she was gone ,the gentleman that bought the gun e mails me occasionally and is very pleased with the gun and enjoys using it ,and it brought fair market value ! Just , " For What Its Worth ":)

I also sold a VH 16 Gauge on Gunbroker a few months ago. I also started it at a penny with all the exposed "warts" if you will listed. It sold for $700 as I recall, which was what I had in the gun, counting adding a new pad and having one barrel dent removed. Thus I made nothing and I lost nothing. What I will say is when I purchased the gun it has some "warts" listed and many other I found not listed. I will continue to troll looking for others that I think are a good deal. However, the days of purchasing guns without knowing what some of the particulars are is gone. Also are the days of buying "As Is" unless it truly is a project gun and I don't care what "As Is" is.

Geez sound like Bill Clinton now with Monica L.

Almost wish you had not shared that. If it were my grandfathers gun it would be priceless to me - no amount of money would induce me to sell it. Keep it, enjoy it and when the time comes pass it along to the next generation.

Kirk: I have removed the SN from my post per your request. I was merely trying to give you the information that you asked for. All the info posted here, especially that from Mr. Day, should be helpful to you in establishing value for your gun. While not extremely rare it is an interesting old waterfowler and could, probably, tell quite a story if it could talk. Part of that story will be in the PGCA letter when you receive it.

As for Mr. Huffman: "Opinions are like a......s, everybody seems to have one."

Just My Humble Opinion, George

In that serial number range, your gun could have left the factory with bores at approximately .775 or they could be bored at approximately .795 to .800. Anything much over .800 would be considered a gun that had been cleaned up. If your gunsmith does not have a bore micrometer, he is known in the trade as an average gunsmith, not one to work on or evaluate your or my gun.

Bore measures at .774