The Story Behind The Story
 

Most of you PGCA members have received your Parker Pages and have read the wonderful article by Mike MCKinney concerning the "Landfill Parker." As an old New England talk show host, Larry Glick, used to say, here's the story behind the story.

Mike briefly mentioned about me contacting him but I want to tell you what brought this all about. I received a research request from "Mrs. Weaver" in the beginning of February 2017. She was a non-PGCA member and so there was a check enclosed for $100.00. I don't have the research form she sent me so my memory is a little cloudy but I could tell from the comments that she didn't know much about shotguns, let alone Parker Bros. shotguns. The gun tuned out to be a GHE .410 made in 1931. Luckily, she included her telephone number on the research form. I decided to call her because I wanted to tell her she had a valuable shotgun if she already didn't know that.

So I called her telephone number and got an answering machine. I left a message telling her who I was and that I was calling about the research letter request I'd received. Nobody called me back and I figured she wasn't interested in talking to me. About a month later while taking my afternoon nap (I know, I know) I was awakened by the phone ringing and groggily answered. Most of the time I don't answer if I don't recognize the caller ID but I answered the phone. Still a little confused, I had a hard time understanding the guy on the phone due to his southern accent. He explained that he was Mrs Weaver's son Fletch. We had about a 1/2 hour conversation and I told him that his gun was worth a good amount of money if in decent condition. I asked him a bunch of questions about the gun but I don't know how accurate his response was since he was not familiar with Parker shotguns. He did say that it had a steel buttplate which I told him was not original. He also mentioned that the gun was being cleaned and inspected at a local gunsmith. I cautioned him about not trusting a valuable gun to a gunsmith who may not have knowledge about vintage shotguns.

Mrs. Weaver and Fletch live in western North Carolina and I knew that Mike McKinney lived in that general area. I asked Fletch if it was OK to contact Mike and see if Mike could examine the gun in person. He said that would be good. I then contacted Mike and gave him the lowdown on this GHE .410 and the phone number for Fletch. Mike was very interested and he said he would call them.

I talked to Mike after his meeting with Mrs. Weaver and Fletch and Mike said there was some more interesting things about this gun but he wouldn't tell me, he said to wait till the Parker Pages article appeared. That's when I read about the circumstances on how Mrs. Weaver acquired the gun.

Helping people like this gives you a good feeling. I'm glad Fletch is now the new owner of that GHE .410!

Thanks Chuck for the "rest of the story" I also enjoyed Mike's article

Years ago, Ron Kirby gave me a similar story about someone who wanted to have their Parker looked at. It turned out to be a wonderful .410 VHE Skeet. It turned out that the owners lived about four blocks from my office.

I can't wait to get my Parker Pages to read about this!!

Robin, call me up and I'll read it to you. It is a new service I am offering older folk. Kinda like 'Books On Tape".

Whats so hawd for y'all to understand bout a good ole southn boy a goin by the name of Fletch?

Now Chuch, wah Ah say wah do ya haf ta go an mock tha way us Sawtherners speek. Ifn you yanks spoke proppa english dis wottint be an ishu.


:rotf:

Chuck, down there, If in is one word, spelled if'n. It would be used in a sentence something like this " If'n you was to go to the stop sign where that house used to be, and went south a spell.."

We Yankees do have our accents also, or so they tell me.
My daughter went to college for 5 years in Florida, and has never lived north of the Mason-Dixon line since. While I had some difficulty understanding her before she moved south, a half hour conversation with her now consists of lots of 'What? What did you say? say it AGAIN, Slowly"

Not that odd at all, George. I have been to a few shoots, south of the Mason-Dixon, and met a lot of nice folk. But, when I think about it, I don't think I've seen a single one of them up here. Sandanona? Nope. Ten Mile River? Nope, none there. Addieville. No can't say as I remember a one of them there either. So, George, it isn't so much we only think I-95 runs South, It's a bit more like many of ya'll don't believe it runs North either.

It took a bit to find you number and I was about to call when the postman delivered the long anticipated Parker Pages. But, thanks for offering your services!

And here i thought all the smart replies would be to my afternoon naps! Edgar, is it OK if i use some of those southern words in your next letter? :p:rotf:

Chuck: Thanks for the rest of the story it made me smile. I perform a similar role for the AHFCA in that I pick up our mail at our PO Box. We have members that only communicate by USPS mail, no computers etc. I get a few requests by mail per year from the same kind of folks that have a Fox for which they want information that came down through a family member. I also get a kick out of helping these folks and making sure they realize what they have and they don't get taken advantage of by the market. Craig

Good stuff Chuck. Thanks for filling us in and a big thank-you to Mike for doing the leg work and writing the story for all of us to enjoy in Parker Paged - Very well done!!





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I'd like to thank Chuck one more time for putting me in touch with these folks, Bill Mullins was the person who said it was a "lifetime Parker experience" and it really has been. Ms. Weaver and Fletch will be here either tomorrow or next week to pick up their gun. I really hope that either myself, Fletch or Ms. Weaver will get to tell the real "rest of the story" and possibly fill in some blanks.
Chuck, I also wasn't surprised about your naps, but I was surprised you couldn't understand my good friends without asking again what they said, George Purtill can always understand me.

I have only one comment. "Doctor Dave Rozier".

Great job on the article,Mike! I really enjoyed it, and you can add expository writing to that impressive resume of yours! What a special privilege you are enjoying with this process. Thanks to Chuck for thinking of you.

All the best, my friend.

Dave

Amazing gun, and outstanding story!

I was pleased to see this, and other such stories, inside Parker Pages. I believe they illustrate the fact that the human - and historical - side of collectible guns is often as fascinating as the guns themselves.
And on occasion, more so.

EDGAR: IT DOES ?????? George:rotf::rotf:

Lots of people come south to Hilton Head and then seem unable to get out.

Mills: It's because they become mired in Gullah :rotf::rotf::rotf:

Best Regards, George

Never heard of anyone going north to retire.

DANIEL: Ever heard the phrase "Been There Done That Not Again" ? It has been said that "Lincoln Freed The Slaves" but he also freed the Yankees to come South and settle.
:rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf:
Best Regards, George

Funny.

Back to the original post, I thoroughly enjoyed Mike's article and Chuck's "story behind the story." I wonder how many other such Parkers are hiding away under similar conditions?

George Just left Mt. Pleasant yesterday. Seems to me Charleston and Mt. Pleasant would lose 70 per cent of there population if someone climbed up on the bridge and yelled Yankee go home and they obeyed.

Er, Ahh...

DANIEL: Problem is it's much too pleasant down here & if they took Hwy 17 North they would probably get lost in the Myrtle Beach traffic. If they took it South they would become even more enraptured.

Best Regards, George

George, if some poor unsuspecting fool came in here and read all this crap, they'd swear you didn't like Yankees, but since we know that's not true, why don't you just drop it?

Well, this thread went to hell:banghead:

Just for my own protection, let me say that I was born in the Rebel stronghold of Washington, D.C. and spent my first three years in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

As so many threads do.

I've been guilty of running a thread off on an unrelated tangent for which I do apologize.

The subject Grade 2 .410 and the story behind it is certainly a 'once in a lifetime' event. Thanks again to Chuck Bishop and Mike McKinney for treating us to it.





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Got my PP today ,it was a fantastic story !!!