What is your favorite grade and period for engraving?
 

My favorite are the early AH's from the 1890's with the multiple birds and animals with the lightly cut tight scroll, the CEP guns are representative of this period. What say you?

What you've shown Craig is hard to argue with, but my nominee for favorite grade are CHEs from about 1905 having Rondel-style engraving. Someone awhile back posted a pic of a Parker that had double Rondels on both sides of the receiver (might have been a B-grade) that really turned my crank, hopefully they'll post it again, but for now here's a nice example of a CHE with single Rondels:

Greg I must agree the rondel engraved guns are special and I sure wouldn't turn down a nice example.

I like the style used on some of the older Parker lifter guns. They are less busy but finely executed that include a combination of scroll and wildlife scenes.

I may be alone in this, but I like the Grade 2's and particularly the early Grade 2 hammerless Parkers. I like that they are simple and yet have game engraving

I agree with Robin. D lifters and above.

just to purty to choose from....but i am kinda like mills the lower grades are really nice...charlie

I kind of like the underdogs.

Jerry Smith had an early AH that is to die for.

I believe I have handled and examined that AH that Jerry had/has. You should buy that gun Mills... Jerry would be very pleased.






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Jerry sold his early A at the Southern, I do not know who the buyer was.

I love em all, but the AHE's from the mid teens with the semi deep engraving are fantastic

Good for Jerry. An awful lot of people looked at that AH.
It had seen a lot of use and was obviously somebody's favorite gun. I wish I could have seen it when it was new - it presents a lot more questions than it answers.





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Unfortunately, that was out of my budget. I first saw it at the Fall Southern and it was still available in Baltimore. I was surprised it had not sold. Like Dean says, it was well used, but had a nice patina to it.

Engraving
 

I like the early hammer guns, the engraving in that period is just great, Gary

I think Gary's new B 20 has spoiled us for most other engraved Parkers.

http://parkerguns.org/forums/attachm...1&d=1445261846

I am a big fan of the engraving done on DHs in the early 20s such as this gun Brian Dudley sold. I love the look of the dogs. I would probably have higher grades I liked, but I choose to stick to the guns I can somewhat afford to covet.

Greg that C grade looks very familiar.

I suppose you can say I've evolved into a EH/GH Grade 2 person especially the earlier EH/GH style .

An EH from 1889 .

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...psneqb7a0o.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...psgcfnw3o0.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...pskwt85laa.jpg

And an 1884 Grade 2 .

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...ps91309b8b.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...ps4fe686ca.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...ps0ade3e8b.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...psf7265fef.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...ps7fca5e9f.jpg

My recently acquired DHE 16 made in the heyday of hammerless engraving No. 163160

And if you've ever wondered where the term "flying turnips" came from, the engraving on this floor plate should answer your questions.



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Periods of distinctly different styles of engraving is exemplified here in dogs (decidedly male) attributed to Frederick Anschutz (or someone who studied under his influence)... also on a DH but after about 1920 of so right up to 1930 when Anschutz passed away.



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I had a DHE in the high 179,000 range that had beautiful deep engraving similar to Dean's. I have always liked the D grades of that era.

Small world Dean...My GHE 30" 16 gauge is 163195 They were in the shop together. This isn't the first time we did this.....

Is it mere coincidence or is it.... :eek:






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I couldn't agree more gentlemen! Hard to resist those "D's" especially the woody, piquant afterglow of vintage 1914 specimens. :nono::whistle::nono:

http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/...1/DSC_2816.jpg

http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/...1/DSC_2110.jpg

http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/...1/DSC_2189.jpg

Wow, it may not be a Parker but that is one nice gun!

Don't get too excited Robin, it's only a Fox. But a very nice one at that.:bowdown:

yes sir a nice one for sure...charlie

I like my new Fox, AKA "The Growler" If it quits raining here I'll get in some more practice with it before Hausmanns. Next week it goes to the Pigeon ring at Pauls shoot.

Here are a couple cell phone pics (poor quality sorry) of my 1890 AH #59517 - CEP gun. I tried to get a shot of Mr. Gough's signature. honestly it is not my favorite type of engraving - I do prefer the deeper cuts and love to see a rondel, but I do stare at this gun. With 10 dogs and numerous birds there is much to revisit when I pick it up.

Mark
I love Gough's dogs-very distinctive. The ones on the AHE 16ga I posted are very similar. Was that gun once Larry Fry's then to TN to you?
David

Steve Cambria, (toolman) is one sick puppy. I think it's about time the Fox and Parker guys schedule some match shoots between individual shooters, like the old days. :corn::corn::corn:

David -

I do not know the answer to that although I do not believe so. This gun sat at Orvis for at least 8-10 years. I have found posts on this site about it (type in serial number) from Austin Hogan and others. They had priced it for the economy at that time (20 -25K). It gradually worked itself down to an affordable level. I have exchanged numerous emails with the widow of the owner. She is a wonderful person and I expect I would have enjoyed shaking hands with her late husband. They are from the northeast - not Tennessee.

Mark

Here is a Gough gun that just sold at Amoskeag last Saturday. It's a Columbian Exposition gun, an AH that is now an AHE. Gough signed all 3 major panels. When it came back from the World's Fair in 1893, it was sold to a fellow in Connecticut.

wow

I went to Amoskeag last week for the sole purpose of examining that Parker AHE.
The engraving is about 'over the top' as we would expect to see on a Gough engraved exhibition gun - simply breath-taking!






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I like engraving...in that it adds a great deal to a gun's appearance when taken as part of the gun. But I've never been able to just sit and pore over engraving.

That said, I like the deeper cut, non-dog/elk/bird patterns that place more emphasis on layout and symmetry.

Does anybody know how many CHE roundels were made?

The style of engraving is not generally listed in the stock books, or at least not often enough to accurately assess the quantity made.

I agree that the roundel style is especially attractive.


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The AHE sold at Amoskeag is only one of many $300 dollar guns shipped to the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The shipment was over 100 guns, many $200, $150, and $100 dollar guns too. It would be great to compare the engravings on these guns if we could get members who own these guns to show pictures of them. Did Gough engrave all of these guns and were they all unique in there style and format? Parker must have started building these guns well in advance of the Exposition. You can't build these guns overnight.

I got to handle Mark's AH in the parking lot at the NE Classic at Hausmann's last Friday afternnon after the shooting was over. An absolutely gorgeous gun with a very special and neat top rib feature.

That parking lot Social hour turned into a fabulous Show ‘n Tell where all manner of some great Parkers, some Fox’s and I think a Smith or two were pulled out of cases and shared with the gang. Some really nice guns were passed around. It sure was a highlight for me. Thanks Gents.