Czar Nicolas A-1 Special
 

From Julia's in 2007

And its not even on a gold towel!!!
Horoshow! [sorry no cyrillic aphbet keys]

I'll have to stop by the Holiday Inn for a towel.

I'm saving my turnips for something like this.

Turnip Bruce , formerly known as Checkbook Bruce.
Now if I don't fall off the truck.....

Bruce- we gonna eat turnips later this week at Carla's place if we can't find any ditch parrots?

Nooooo. I have to save them if I ever want to get another gun.

Turnip Bruce

WOW, I sure could go for a raw turnip and a salt shaker.

Bruce,

How would you and your Mid West buddy rate this A-1 special compared to other A-1's you've seen? I've only seen pictures of other A-1's. I saw the Invincibles at the PGCA banquet but couldn't look at them real close. Is the engraving more ornate than other A-1's or anything else that would seem to indicate that the gun was made for someone special?

UGGGHHHH
I am so glad i stopped the vegetable side of the farm. This time of year everything would smell like turnips and i hate turnips.

Chuck, there were two excellent articles on the Czar A-1 Special, DGJ and PP's, written by Austin Hogan, whom you see holding the gun. The articles accurately describe how the gun was made known to the Parker community and how the gun came to become available for re-sale. Without going back to those articles, it is my memory that the gun does not have any inscription that ties it to the Czar. However, there are contemporary documents saying the gun was made for the Czar and that it was to exhibit the best that Parker could do. See the attached newspaper article from the Meriden paper.

I believe that the consensus among collectors is that this gun has excellent deep cut engraving consistent with other top A-1 Specials. The only downside ( disclosed by Julia's) to this gun was that the stock had been replaced and was not up to A-1S standards. Trevallion could make a Parker perfect replacement with time and expense , however the Julia's purchaser stated that he was not concerned about that and was going to take the gun duck hunting.

The purpose of the posting at this time was that the other A-1 Special had just sold in San Francisco and there was discussion here about its engraving. Interested forum readers might want to compare the guns.

The SF gun sold for $60,000 plus 15%. The Czar gun sold for $250,000 plus 12%. Contemporary fine A-1 Specials were selling for $100,000 to $175,000; the unknown at the time was to what extent the value would increase because of the Czar connection. The gun drew considerable attention from high end collectors at the time although there were the usual adverse comments on this forum at the time from those who did not have the ability to enter the game.

Lest we forget, a beat up Springfield military rifle assigned to Lt Col Custer's command, tied to shell casings at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, and with Crow Indian carvings, sold for $500,000. Beat up Colt revolvers from western outlaws and lawmen have sold about that high.

Other collectors may have their own rememberances and views.

Best,
Bruce

Jack must have been the 'middle man' and had a buyer lined up for the Czar Gun. I went to see it about a week after he bought it, but it was gone all ready. Wow! His commission must have been a tidy sum! The various auction fees were $37,000....:eek:

I need to get copies of those old articles on this gun. Unfourtunately this gun was found after all of the Parker books have been written. But hey... That happens.

No, Mark. Jack Puglisi was acting only for himself, was looking forward to keeping the gun and it was to be a centerpiece of his collection. He was made a very generous offer after purchase.

Jack's statements were that he told the purchaser that the gun was not for sale. The purchaser made an offer that for a businessman was compelling, somewhere in excess of a commission.

Jack mentioned the circumstances at several public occasions without disclosing the amount and I have been careful not to say anything that he did not want known.

The members of the PGCA research committee found the order for the Czar's gun in the Parker Brothers order books in 1998. I believe Kevin McCormack and I found the order, shopped it around among the other committee members. The consensus was that it was a nice high grade gun, destined to be sent to Russia in the hands of a General Officer, but none of us really thought it was the Czar's gun. The reason we concluded that it was not the Czar's gun was because the order did not mention the gold embellishment described by Peter Johnson in his book. In the end, no such gold embellishment was found on the gun. When "Not the Czar's Gun" was built in Tony Galazan's shop, the over the top embellishment described by Peter Johnson was incorporated in the design of that gun, and case. Maybe Bruce would send us some pictures of "Not the Czar's Gun" for those who have not seen it. It is pictured in The Parker Story if I remember correctly.

Bruce,

I was aware of everything you commented on. I was looking for comments from those high end collectors on this web site, like you, as to how they would rate the Czar's Parker engraving compared to other A1'S's. Anything extra special about the engraving style or coverage that would set it apart.

I guess the answer is "No", each A1-S is unique.

Those who may wish to compare engraving styles of other A1-S Parkers can begin by looking at Gen. Paul Cooper's A1-S in the Summer and Fall issues of Parker Pages.

And you will also find a two issue series in the DGJ on A-1 specials. Can't remember the year.
Phenomenal pictures.

Czar's gun? I usually associate ownership with possession to at least some degree.

I have a Damascus GH 12 gauge that I purchased explicitly to be given as a gift to Abraham Lincoln. So let's see...$400 gun + $200,000 provenance. Any takers?

Greg, you might note that at no time did I term the gun as "Czar's gun". Rather I called it "Czar gun" for shorthand and stated that it was made for the Czar, as reported in the contemporary newspaper article I posted. You are correct that at no time did Czar Nicolas take possession of the gun and I am not aware that anybody anytime ever claimed that he did. He was killed before the gun could be shipped, all as fully reported in the two articles I mentioned.

If you will review the Julia catalog entry before sale, you will see that it explains the known history that the gun was intended for the Czar but was never owned by the Czar. I am not aware that anybody has made more of that than stated. The facts were fully known and you know the price it brought.

So are you saying you have a GH that was made for Pres Lincoln who was killed in 1865? Could you explain that?

Hello Chuck. In SoDak now for hunting. I call it "Czar gun" since it was never possessed by the Czar. To answer your question, to publicly rank or rate top level guns is not something I am competant in, and even if I was, I wouldn't. To me, they are all interesting. I have my personal likes of certain styles, and I find some others do not share those likes. Blondes, brunettes, redheads ?


Oh yeah. And its just a "lowly" A grade:

I've told you boys before, but I keep having to remind you. Bruce travels in circles that none of us could dream of, he's parlay to insight and knowledge that only a handful of collectors are aware of.

Bruce should run this organization, it's just that simple. He should take over the website, newsletter, and be president of the board of directors. He's that skilled in the art of Parkerology. The rest of us are mere pikers, absolutely without a clue compared to what Bruce knows.

DLH

Come on DH, give it a rest; just look at the pictures, forget the text. Bruce is Bruce; and, old Fred is old Fred, even if his feet stink, his dogs still like him.

I'll change when Bruce changes.

DLH

Bruce, I am not faulting you for calling it the Czar's gun. I recognize that title is in the public domain by now. Rather, I am poking fun and wonderment at the gun world for assigning such a name to a gun that to the best of our knowledge never was owned by the Czar. In fact, I don't think anyone can even show he even knew it existed at all. So if a gun of such stature can bring the big bucks I don't see why my Lincoln's Gun can't do the same. The fact that he was dead a little while before I bought it for him means nothing. There's no law that says I can't buy a gift for the deceased.

Gentlemen:

Bruce is a real gentleman I met him only once: at the Collector's show in Denver several years ago: he was manning the PCGA booth - three years later there was no PCGA booth at the show in Denver.

Bruce was generous with his time and knowledge and his enthusiasm for Parker's was infectious He invited me to call him if I ever had a question about Parkers. Several months later, I called him about a Parker. He was on a fishing trip but he returned my call! He knew the gun and gave me his view about the gun. It's the best gun I own: not an A-1, a DHE 16

My membership in the PCGA (only an annual member, I admit) and interest in Parkers is largely due to Bruce's generosity and enthusiasm.

If the Parker community had other ambassadors like Bruce, we would all be better.

Thanks Ross. Bruce and his farmer buddy are very generous with their time and their willingness to show us those wonderful guns - mostly Parkers - that we might otherwise never be fortunate enough to see... or even suspect something like "that" exists.

Yup, we're lucky to have those guys and others like them. I'm impressed with the way they keep coming back after being insulted again and again. :clap:

Perhaps a "Thumbs Down" icon could be added to the commentary

Just Wondering, George

Just a thought here. People with an outlet to share knowledge and expertise and the willingness to do so are rare. If someone has an issue with that person's personality, he or she should be respectful and show some restraint with regards to disparaging comments or remarks. If not then someday, and I sincerely hope that day never comes, such knowledgable people will refrain from sharing it with others. That would be a tremendous loss to all of our community. Please keep your words soft and sweet for you will never know when you will be made to eat them. Thank you, Jim DiSpagno.

Bruce, how about some pictures of "Not the Czar's Parker" for those who are not familiar with this great gun and case.

Great idea.What do you think it cost to make the "Not the Czar's Parker?".and case.

It cost a bunch. "Not the Czar's Parker" and case were displayed at the Gold Medal Concours at the Vintage Cup several years ago. It was available for inspection for at least three days at that event. It is quite a gun and lived up to Peter Johnson's mistaken impression of an over the top example of gun decoration. Thankfully, the real Czar gun turned out to be quite conservative as A-1 Specials go.

Bill or anyone else,for those of us not in the know, what is the chain of ownership and sales prices associated with the fake.

The case is really awesome and the gold work on the stock has me wondering how they got it to stay put. I had never seen gold inlay on a modern gunstock before.Someone had a great imagination when putting that ensemble together and a deep wallet.Maybe someday someone will publicly tell the tale of how it came to be and all the people involved with real names.

BTW
After 8 years of cold war Russian schooling I do know this: phonetically it is the Tsars's Parker, not the Czar's Parker.
Photos anyone?

I know I'd like to meet the guys who did the stock and case.

The Eagle
 

I suppose this is the first clue its a fake.

The gun was built, probably start to finish, in Tony Galazan's shop. The gun was sold to a person who initiated legal action to recover damages when the gun was found to be a fake. There was serious doubt that the "customer" ever thought that the gun was for real because he was an experienced dealer and collector. As I recall, the verdict in the case was "Play nice and go home." At the time of the Gold Medal Concours display, the gun was owned by one of us. It probably is still owned by that person.

Tsar? Maybe we've been wrong all along. Maybe it is Caesar's Parker.

George: Seems that dbl eagle or whatever it is should be rotated 180deg? Is that the issue?

George --
I vaguely recall seeing the "Not Czar" gun at the Las Vegas Winter show, circa late 1990s. It was on Don Criswell's table; He was a well known dealer from the LA, CA area. The tag price was more than my net worth, but I don't recall exactly -- something around 30 to 40K. Somehow, we got pictures as published in TPS but I can't recall whether they came from Criswell or whoever purchased it. I recall that you furnished us some documentation on the court case and that case was in 1985? Hope this helps with your question,
Regards, Charlie Price

OK, I think it is time for some photo's of this gun to be posted, not by me because I do not own it, what say you? I think it still resides in the same location as last I saw it?