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"Frontier Issued"
“Frontier Issued” is a fancy new term coined by Rock Island Auction to describe the western arms collection of Mr. John Fox in the September sale. It is a collection of western working guns showing much wear and use, most would call them wall hangers, interesting historically but beyond being able to put into usable condition. It is interesting because the collection connects the gun to the time/place and the hard use most of these tools were put to by the men of the period on the western frontier. It seems to be that guns with character and little original finish were cast off by most collectors as unworthy in earlier times. As time marches on do you think this will change? Will worn-out Parker wall hangers that connect the gun to say the golden era of waterfowl hunting be more sought after in the future? Are modern-day collectors too insensitive to these historical items and too quick pass them off?
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There are individuals out there that collect old thimbles, some who collect porcelain Frogs, so there will be a market for these. The big money will be those with historical significance..Find one from Custers screwup or one from Gettysburg that can be traced and there will be added value..One that Tom used to kill Pigs with on his 40 acres, not so much.
The younger people today know next to nothing about frontier times and care less....It probably will be a small market.... Place a pristine Parker alongside a new Benelli and tell most younger hunters the choice is yours....Where is the smart money???? |
I thought they call guns like that “relics”.
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I guess as years pass things go from junk to relic to important historical artifacts. LOL!!
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These old relics make great wall art. I have bought and sold a few, just for wall decorations.
Over the years I have upgraded the wall hangers to where we have some seriously functional "shooters" hanging on walls now. That's how collecting works, I think. BTW, I remember when Damascus guns were considered relics just because of the barrel steel. |
Well. I have seen this sign more than once
“We buy junk - we sell antiques “ |
This is an interesting topic...
I think all of our classic American SXS's can be similarly categorized, and some just as romantically. Prarie Issued - Upland Issued - Flyway Issued - Low Country Issued, all of which, like Frontier Issued, assign the guns to an era of life in America. And a lot of these guns also remain in "wall hanger" condition. . |
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It is the same with rifle scopes....The old 3, 4 and 6 powers that were efficient and balanced well on a rifle are no longer adequate to kill Deer at 300 yards..
Most of the young crew today need 4x20x50mm, with big knobs and a reticle that looks like a Christmas tree. All to kill a Deer out of a tree stand-you mean you actually walk around?-at 100 yards. Not all but very many, and admittedly there are some who use the new stuff with amazing accuracy....However, the outdoor shows have changed how America hunts... I doubt they will find anything shiny in relics... |
Hust because it's new doesn't make it bad, but it's just geared so that we'll always want to buy what's new, bigger, and better... that's the hype.
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3-9x40 is the most popular . Most of those being short actions like a 243 , I have actually never met another hunter locally that used a 30-06 which is often called the most popular deer round . My favorite cheap and simple scope was the Redfield 4-12 Leupold was making a few years back . I think the common advice you see " your scope should cost as much as your rifle" is misguided . The scope should best fit your specfic application you intend to use it for . |
In the future please refrain from adding words to my quotes.
I know what you meant, and also know there was no offense meant. However, down the road I may have to defend what I did say. I prefer not having to possibly defend, nor remember what I didn’t. I agree on the sales pitch. Addition: I see another post was added before I replied, which was not directed at Milton Star. |
Wooden decoys were once burned, then traded for the new fangled plastic, then sold off to picker for $1.00 each, then they were recognized as American Folk art in the 1960's and market prices exploded and is still very strong. Many new young faces attend auction previews and many more participate on-line. If they hunt be assured they hunt with plastic decoys and not vintage wooden decoys but they must feel a connection to the objects. The same may happen with American side by side shotguns they are in a sense American folk art mostly hand crafted. Future generations may hunt with their black guns and own Parkers because they appreciate them as man made objects from a different time.
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My Father collected old cars and loved the Model A of his youth. The current old guys want 60’s muscle cars and you have to look hard for someone willing to pay big money for a pristine Model A.
Perhaps that will change when the gasoline engine passes the torch to electric, hydrogen, etc. |
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Dear Mr. Neil - I didn’t alter your post at all - it is still there in its entirety with nothing added or removed, and it still conveys the exact message you had intended. In deference to you sir, I have removed the objectionable “quote” with my thoughts added. If in the future you want to find your own words simply go into the search function and type in your name and all of your posts will come up. If however you typed my name in the search function you will find all of mine, including my post where I “quoted” you and added my words to it... but I deleted the part that was offensive to you. I apologize for having offended you. . |
It is all good and I understand how quotes can be retrieved. However, I have seen the same circumstance cause a difficult situation on other forums. We have etiquette that we abide by in the field and while handling firearms. There is also an internet etiquette that says adding additional words to another’s post, is frowned upon. I also understand it is often used for humorous purposes when the individuals are familiar with each other. As mentioned, I know you meant no offense. However, I wouldn’t do the same to you, especially knowing I’m the new guy here.
Apologies not required, however appreciated. |
An interesting thread (thanks, Craig). You can't go wrong if you acquire what you love (and keep it). There are folks in the next generation that have interests in guns from the past. Just not many. So Milton's question posed by a younger acquaintance of his needs a thoughtful answer. I wonder how well I'd do answering that?
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I think its normally a waste of energy , you have to have a love for these old guns to understand their value . |
The buyers of today are the millennials and they are not into many of the things we thought important...Cars, guns, hunting, houses to name a few...Also many of them are- right or wrong-strapped with school debt. I work with at least 10 who are paying off school loans of $100,000 to $200,000 and there isn't much left over for the extras after $1000-$1200 goes off the top each month....One Doc is at $600,000 and it isn't over. They are good workers and great individuals. Have taken 5 or so of them shooting and paid the bill....They would love to go on a regular basis, but the budget doesn't allow it...Parkers???? Not right now....
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I often catch myself sounding like my parents' generation. Hmmm...
Many of the guys I see and read of in publications like Project Upland are millennials. They do it their way, but I see upland hunting values in them that I have held myself for so many years (and got from my father). And I also see some nice double guns. Aren't some of "us" on the younger side, too? |
AJ at Project Upland contacted me almost two years ago and asked me to write something for their magazine from the "older generation":crying: about Parker guns and hunting with them. In our conversations I said I recognized they were predominantly of the "millennial generation" to which he strongly agreed but he thought his readership would like to get a view into the way we have been doing it for so long.
I wrote an article of about three magazine pages that I thought covered it pretty well along with some Parker history and a few nice pictures.... I guess it didn't represent what they wanted to convey because it was never published. . |
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If you want to see "relics" you should attend the gun auction held every few months at my local cattle auction. Never have I seen so many old, rusted, broken single shot shotguns under one roof. Lots of Winchester rifles too, but man are they rough. Farmer tools for sure.
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Meanwhile, back on the original topic....
I couldn't find a link to that particular lot but I would think the collection might be pretty interesting if it came with a story of it's life. " John Bird bought was a ranch and and cowboy who live in Wyoming. He carried it every day until he died in 19XX. Always kept it handy to deal with two and four legged varmints." Or, "owner was a gambler in Arizona who died from ________ in 1890." In other words, they are more than just worn out revolvers, there is a story that explains how they got worn out. There has always been a tremendous amount of romance about the west and I can't imagine a collection of shootin irons that tell stories of the men (or women) carried them every day. |
Verification, verification , verification....
Grandad said he killed 2000 plus Grouse with this old Parker. How much???? Some said Granddad would talk to a stump if none were around to listen. :) you can trust me on number 2. |
I bought a piece of property several years ago in the mountains that joined me on the north When surveyed they found a boundary line marked by barrels off a single barrel shot gun. In the old corn crib there was a double barrel shot gun, a" hardware gun" The stock was rotted up to the pistol grip where it had been put in the corner of the crib, obviously by its former owner, the crib had fallen in years earlier, could not find a name just a solid piece of rust. The old house on the property was built in the late 1800,s I have often wondered how this came to be did the owner forget where it was or maybe died, thus leaving the old gun to slowly die to the elements? Gary
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