Interesting Lifter on GB
 

There is a 1874 lifter on GB that is interesting(somewhat at least…) It is listed as a DS in the serialization book. It has decarbonized steel barrels, but what looks to be a higher grade level of engraving on the receiver. From the few pictures I can see I am not interested, but do I like “pin” style lifters though.

Could it be a higher grade gun with decarbonized barrels? Did that happen often? Seems like the price in the research letter of $75 would go along with a higher grade gun for 1874.

Anyway I thought I would share as someone else might be interested. Just search for “Parker Lifter” and it will have 1874 in the title.

Jay

I like the dog engraving on it.

I did see that last night. It is in the 2.000 serial range. The book just lists it as a "DS" underlifter with 30" 12g barrels.

The gun is not too heavily engraved, but surely more than an 0 grade would be. Other guns of that era with that amount of engraving have seen were Damascus barreled guns that would be considered the dollar grade equal to a grade 2.

Maybe the customer wanted Decarbonised barrels on an engraved gun. ?

I have seen several Grade 2's with laminated barrels, but not decarbonized.

It would be nice if the seller posted a few more pictures to see if there is checkering on the stock. Maybe someone at the time thought decarbonized barrels were better? or as Brian said they may have preferred them on an engraved gun. An interesting gun that if I saw in person I might talk myself into for the right price...

Based on the little that i saw, it did not look like the stock was anything to write home about. Looked pretty butchered up.

The two most valuable parts on that gun are the right and left hammer. $850.00 for a $150.00 dollar wall hanger.

Will someone please tell the rest of us what the Gunbroker item number is?






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Here you go Dean !http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=549308920 :bigbye:

According to a Parker Brothers catalog of the period, the $75 gun was listed as follows....

Decarbonized Steel Barrels, Solid Breech, Back Action Locks, No. 12 Gauge...... 75.00

and there is only one other gun listed as lower priced....

Best Gun Iron Barrels, Plain Finish, No. 12 Gauge......................... 50.00

So, judging by the price in the Research Letter produced in 2003, which clearly states that the barrels are "Iron" - something doesn't jive, because the barrels are obviously "Decarbonized Steel" as engraved on the rib.

Incidentally, the next higher priced gun was made with the customer's choice of....

Laminated or Damascus Steel barrels, Solid Breech, Back Action, No. 11 or No. 12 Gauge......110.00






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Dean, Is that a sinistral stock? Gary

It could be Gary, but it is more likely a result of the angle of the gun in the pictures and probably a lot of drop in the stock dimensions. I've seen quite a lot of pictures of guns that were severely distorted by the camera's wide-angle lens.

If it were built with a sinestral stock you'd think it would be mentioned in the letter.





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The engraving just peaked my curiosity on this one(it seemed out of place), especially since it had decarbonized barrels.

I'd be curious to see what the engraving on the side plates looks like.

I just sent the guy a message asking for some more photos.

Mills,

As I mentioned earlier, I once had an early lifter that was engraved very similarly. It was serial 4216. It had damascus steel barrels. See below photos of the engraving on that gun.

Attachment 47754

Attachment 47755

Attachment 47756

Attachment 47757

Brian, what is the dollar quality of that gun please?





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I do not know. I never had a letter on it or anything.

I always considered it an equivelant to a grade 2.

That gun should be late enough that the forend checkering pattern would tell us if it was a grade 1 or a grade 2 (2 point pattern or 3 point pattern).






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I do not have the gun or any of it's parts anymore. I will have to look back through the photos that i have of it to see if i have any of the Forend checkering.

He put up some pictures of the side plates. Looks like a grade 1 to me.

Actually Mills, the gun is too early to have any identifiable engraving motif. The breech ball (or fence) sculpting and forend checkering were the first identifiers of quality level or dollar grade.





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Here is a pic of the forend from gun 4216 that I posted pics of earlier. It does not have the center "third" point in the checkering.

Attachment 47761

That checkering pattern, along with the level of engraving, seems to indicate a dollar grade or quality that would become the Grade 1.





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