How NOT to restore engraving
 

Here's a DHE on GB, http://www.gunbroker.com/item/707999578, that has lovely floorplate engraving but see what you think of the left side receiver. Arg!

I'm at a loss Mike - I don't see any evidence of the engraving having been restored on the side of the frame.

As we know, on the lower grades (probably up through Grade 4 in many cases) the game scenes in the ovals on the side panels and on the floor plates were usually engraved by a more experienced engraver while the scroll work was often done by an apprentice or an engraver with less experience. (this is only a general rule and can't be said of each and every Parker produced.) The gun in question exhibits, to my eye at least, that the scroll was definitely done by someone other than the engraver who engraved the dog and scenery in the oval vignette. And the dog was obviously engraved by someone with a lighter hand than the person who executed the scroll.

This is my opinion only - there are no records that would either support or contradict my opinion.

Best, Dean





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I may have jumped the gun Dean. I agree completely with your observations on the different hands on the dogs and the scrolls. It just looked like an attempt to chase worn engraving with a very amateur hand to me. The side scrolls dont look the same as those on the floorplate, and the peaks or semi-scrolls around the border of the receiver side are not what I have seen on Grade 3's before. You may be exactly right, but I, for one, would have sent this back to the factory a hundred and twenty years ago and told them to send me another. Thanks.

I would be curious if the barrels started life at 30" and are perhaps damascus extractor barrels. Just taking a guess based on what I see.

Patrick

It's a bogus gun with the rib stamping even more bogus, with no pictures. The engraving is a non issue. The rest of the gun is bad. Sorry, Mike, you didn't look deep enough. The seller has no idea what an ejector gun is. This is the only shotgun in seven pages of his ad. Always look at all the guns being sold by someone you want to do business with.

Yeah, this one has been out there for a while, and there is a lot that is not right about it. The engraving is not quite one of them.

Bill, I saw the bogus rib stamping and the replacement buttstock, and wasn't even considering buying the gun. The engraving just struck me as a further example of bogus work, that I hadn't seen before. Look at the scrollwork on top of the breechballs and it seems as shallow and original and carefully done as the floorplate. Not so the receiver side scrollwork. Who knows. Just rubbed me the wrong way. Thanks for your observations anyway.

OK, here's a good time to learn. What makes the rib stamping bogus? Is it the uniformity or the period after "Brothers"?
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Mike,
The steel type has been wiped out and rib matting hand cut over it.
This tells one of two things, blued over damascus, or sleeved. Likely the former.

Thank you Brian! It was worth waking up today, I learned something.

I have nothing in on this gun and don't know who the seller is but at the starting price of the gun and being a NO RESERVE auction with a BUY NOW for just about a Hundred $'s more , don't you think the seller knows the problems with the gun and has it priced accordingly ? After all it is a D Grade priced about where most half decent Trojan Grades start ! Just Saying !

For what it is I would prefer the decent Trojan and they are both a thousand dollars into the wish bucket on price. That gun is a serious POS in my thoughts. Opinions may vary.

Patrick

The seller does not realize how bad the gun is. It is the only shotgun he lists in seven pages of other junk. The buy it now price is about $1200 too high.

I had a GH like that once - the 'Damascus Steel' was obliterated and engraved matting was done over it. The barrels were cut back from 30" to 27" and the barrels were blued. The only reason I bought it was I got the shop down to $300.
I sent the barrels to Dale and they came back looking very nice indeed. There was never again a question of what had been done to the barrels.





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Bill and others ,I don't disagree the gun has issues and like I said , I know nothing about the seller and what he knows and doesn't know but how many times on GB do we see these same kind of things or worse and the price is two to three times the sellers starting price ! Looks to me if you didn't have the 5 G's for a nice D Grade ,it could work for you providing it is a functioning gun !

Yeah, at about $300.00.

Okay Bill , You Win :rotf:!!!!!!!!!