Why NOT the taboo against refinishing Parker shotguns?
 

At least not to the extent of other vintage firearms? A refinished Colt, Smith & Wesson, Winchester, Ithaca, etc if refinished, or even a replaced part or refinished component, really lessens the value. It doesn’t seem to be the case with Parker shotguns, or at least not to the extent of other firearms.

Why is this so? Perhaps Del Grego’s work legitimized it to some extent?

Of course, British shotguns are regularly refinished and refurbished, and still maintain high value. As do Parker shotguns.

It’s only original once!

Refinished vs Original is mainly a Collector issue. I would say you are correct that Parker’s will still bring a good price if refinished properly. I haven’t done the research but I believe there are more shooters of these great guns than there are strict collectors. Also, casual collectors (like me) buy them for various reasons regardless of their originality status. This is what makes them special and sets them apart from other shotgun makers. There is something for everyone. My question is why are posting at 3:30 in the morning? Lol

3:30am must be a duck hunter LOL! I mostly gravitate to original condition Parkers. But if a gun is very uncommon and it is in my wheelhouse I will except less than original condition, like properly re blackened barrels. I own a few mint benchmark guns but most are for my hunting and shooting pleasure. I believe most participants on this forum are shooter/collector types not pure collectors.

In my experience, a 95+% original condition Parker is always going to command a much higher price than a refurbished/refinished Parker of like grade no matter who did the work. And seldom will the cost of restoration increase the value of the gun by a commensurate amount. Shooters, like me, don’t care so much about originality because they’re not looking to pay for originality in the first place.

Originality is great but it's a shame for a gorgeous piece of wood to spend eternity hiding behind years of use, as far as case colors go these guns look great with a long white beard.

As far as utility, an A1 Special Parker is the value equivalent of a Mossburg 500. The last 99.9 percent of value for the Parker is collector value, not utility. A collector can like or not like any amount of refinish or originality that exists on a particular gun.

Bill, I know where you are going with this but I respectfully disagree. IMHO, there’s a huge difference in the quality of a Parker, any Parker, and a Mossburg, any Mossburg. And I ain’t walking up to the trap line toting a Mossburg.

There certainly is a big premium for high original condition Parker Bros. guns. To my eyes a lot of dealers are trying to cash in on this by advertising as "all original" guns that have been redone.

I would argue that a gun with two barrels, especially when it is choked differently, has greater utility than a single barreled gun like the Mossberg. All have their place, but few have a place like a Parker.

As far as I know it effects the value of a parker just as much as anything else.

...and to the highlighted text I would add, "And that is extremely hard to execute or find."





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I’m with you on refinishing. I don’t see the value I’m not giving a gun proper maintenance. I’d much rather buy a shotgun that’s been refinished and reblacked when needed.

I also know where John Davis is going. Although a Parker is a better choice than a Mossburg 500 for many uses, there are thousands of other guns that are as good or better than a Parker for many uses. I choose to use a Parker for all uses, but I realize that other guns are almost as good. I guess we aren't addressing the OP's question, but it's still fun to discuss collector value of refinished guns and how much of the value is in utility and how much is in collector interest. Mister Davis and I put almost equal value in both categories. I am a collector, but shoot every discipline with my Parkers, rarely use any other gun. However, some Parker guys rarely shoot their guns and all value is in collector interest.

I have no issue with refinishing guns. I prefer wearing clean clothes too and cleaning up every day.

Begets one of my all-time favorite auction catalog descriptions, "original as redone"...or most recent, "probably professionally if not factory redone"....

Some guns deserve a little help. Adding a bit of oil to a dry, dull, oil starved stock seems prudent to me.

Brad B
 

I had Brad Bachelder restore my 10 gauge 1885 Parker Hammer Gun back in 2014.
What a beautiful job he did...A true artisan.
He told me that " The Gun Is Now a Museum Quality Work Of Art "
HV

I took a friend and his spectacular AH Grade 10 gauge to Brad's to examine (no repairs needed). Took it out of the case, and Brad's eyes bugged out. He called his staff out to look at the gun, saying "Boys, this is the way they built them". Quite a gun

At some point ugly needs to be dealt with and that responsibility is the owners alone.