Cased Parkers
 

Over the course of the next month or so, I will post photos under this title of some cased Parkers. Some are mine, others belong to a buddy. I like straight grips, he likes pistol grips. This is only to promote interest in vintage Parkers.

To start things off, here is a 12ga 28", case hardware engraving done by Dick Washburn, a long time PGCA member from Duluth.

WOW! Is that an A1 special?

Harry, the owner's new puppy says "arf".

Thanks for the pics Bruce. I had heard about the engraved hardware but it's nice to get to actually see it. Very nice.:bowdown:

Dick did a beautiful job on the engraving. It looks very Parkeresk.

#2 in the series.

This, a 12ga 28"

Bruce, That has to be #241601; if so, you have done right by it.

Fabulous Bruce! I'm a proud son of Lawrence, Kansas... I came home from the Hospital in diapers about 2 blocks from Huey's place. I wish that qualified me for a discount on his exemplary work. Thanks for sharing.

Bruce,

A very beautiful Parker and case. "Saigon 1967" made me drift away for a moment. I spent most of 1968 in I Corps on and around the DMZ, but from October to November I was runniing the delta from Vung Tau to Saigon. Kind of tough to think about at times.

Harry

Weird times... Kids fighting a man's war... Dark times.


Back to cased Parkers :rolleyes: (and a Johnny Carson golf-swing)

That was my father's keychain fob. I didn't go until 1971 and was there for subsequent tours in 72 and was there at the end in 73. It was something I had been working toward since I was 12 or so hanging out by the flightline watching the jets take off. It was a honor to be in SAC and wear wings like LeMay, Vandenberg, Dougherty, Twining, all the great bomber pilots.

Here's an H with conventional weapons. Or we carried four internal nukes and a clip of 6 short range nuke missiles on a revolving carriage. On the D in Vietnam we carried 108 internal and external 500lb fragmentation bombs or a mix of 84, at 60 750 pounders internally and 24 500 pounders on the wing racks.

None of my Parkers are in the condition to deserve a Marvin Huey case like Bruce pictures, lovely as they are. I use all the travel worn Abercrombie and Fitch compact cases I can find to house my travel worn Parkers. They just look at home in there. My .410 VHE skeet is "quail worn" and looks right in the Kevin McCormack refreshed Abercrombie case with proper snap caps and accessories. The case is in much better condition than the gun and was originally a 28 gauge case, as most A&F .410 Parker Skeet cases are. My rare and unusual Parker Brothers 1897 #38 two barrel case is original to the Bernard barrels that occupy it, but the back end of the gun is a fine DH #74,151 courtesy of BOD member John Davis. The CH that was ordered with the case is missing its stock and action. It is #86,988 if anyone has it and would be willing to contact me. My eight gauge #7 frame hammer gun is housed in an original Parker Brothers case. Unfortunately, I will have to admit to any future owner that the case is original to a gun other than mine, because it is a 36" case and my old friend has 34" Stub Twist barrels. It is the only original Parker Brothers eight gauge case I have seen. I guess there are a few out there for those of us willing to search. That is all I have to contribute, since we are not talking about leg of mutton cases here, which are a bit more common, though nice to have with an original Parker inside. This is a wonderful thread that deserves some more participation. Go for it.

Bill, I have some more in this series, then I have it in mind to start another with more worn guns and cases, and I hope you will contribute photos. Its all about keeping interest and desire for collecting strong at a variety of value ranges. I love seeing photos of original, worn V grades in their original, worn cases. If they have an old BGICO wood rod or brass Powers rod, all the better.

Bill - Where the heck are your pictures????

I wish I knew more about the picture business. However, many of my guns have been on display at PGCA annual meetings, various side by side shoots, the Concours de Elegance, in magazine articles and Parker Pages, and are in constant use wherever I go. Some day, I will learn the internet picture posting business. My friends Kevin McCormack and Berle Cherney have photographed some of my beaters for DGJ and Shooting Sportsman and I hope they will continue to do so. My favorite was Austin Hogan's article about the Annie Oakley "Gold Hearts Gun" in the Parker Pages. The restoration is finally complete, thanks to Dewey Vicknair and Ken Hurst. Once I get the old relic cased, I will bring her out again, maybe to the Annual Meeting.

I remember the "Gold Hearts" gun from the Southern a few years ago soon after you bought it... I am anxious to see it in it's glory. Were you able to empirically link it to Annie Oakley?

Dean, I like your use of one of my favorite words in a fitting situation. Yes, I have empirically placed the gun into Annie's hands and into her possession. Thanks for asking.

:smiley7:

Bill ... I recently acquired a complete set of Parker Pages but haven't read them all ...Yet ... I'd like to read the "Golden Hearts" story, what issue of was it in ?

Jim Kucaba ... AriZOOna Cactus Patch ... Email: JimKucaba@aol.com

Jim, if you had instead bought the Parker Pages DVD set you could simply use the search function and click right to it. :)

I found a ref to "Golden Heart" on page 37 of Autumn 2007 Volume 14 Issue 3 but is "A Most Unusual Parker" by Bill Murphy and Mark Conrad? Could this be the one you are looking for, it has a gold heart cap pictured?

THANKS ROBIN ! ... That issue will be easy to find ... Jim Kucaba

I won't bring it out until it is cased. I need a nice trunk case that will fit a set of 34" and a set of 30" 12 gauge barrels. The case does not have to be in high condition. Thanks for helping if you can.

How about the case that was made for the "Not the Czar's Parker"? I don't know if that piece of work was pictured in TPS along with the story of the gun.

No, the case was not shown in TPS.

I have seen the case and it is definitely a piece of work suitable for a gun with gold hearts all over it.

It is. You know I learned a lesson with this gun. I had only my old beat up P 16 and had been looking for a DHE with skeleton butt. This came available from Herschel Chadick for little more than a D, I called, he had just got the gun and said that he wanted to turn it in a hurry, I checked on the gun a bit and bought it. The gun was in better condition than advertised, all original, and within a year D grades were sellling at what I paid for this. This was about 10 years ago, the gun has more than doubled in value based upon current similar sales and Herschel did right by me. I use the gun a lot at clays and game, its a great shooting, lightweight 12. I've shot Purdeys and H & H's and apart from this being a boxlock, I feel that this gun is the equal of those in engraving, visible workmanship and liveliness. I've seen other Parkers just as nice and think American craftsmanship and design of the time was first rate. I know some people prefer earlier Parkers, I have some, and I look at each on an individual basis. I have seen some Remington Parkers that I thought were wonderful guns. This one here started me looking at C's and higher grade guns, where I had not considered it before and thought that if only I could find a nice D that would be all I wanted.

I should mention that 241,601 is the last C and one of the last high grades documented in the records. There are others later but lacking documentation and some collectors want documentation.

Live and learn, eh Bruce? :biglaugh:

Here's the third in the series. The case plate engraving was done by PGCA member J J Roberts.

12ga 32"

This absolutely defines the gun and its accessories as an art form. No further commentary necessary. Fabulous! Thank you.