Need advice, which auction house would/did you use?
 

Hello everyone. Looking to sell my Parker GH, which auction house would/did you use? Also, I recently had a local appraisal done. Since the very knowledgeable members here see these on a daily basis, I would appreciate their opinions as well on its condition and value. The history, this was my grandfather's and when he passed it went to my father and then when he passed ten years ago to me. Serial number 201545, Model GH 12ga. with 30" Damascus barrels and 2 1/2" chambers with ejectors. The appraisal says 99%+ casehardening remains along with 99%+ scroll engraving on all sides and game bird scenes on the left and right sides and on the underside. 99%+ checkering on the forearm, pistol grip stock with grip cap, silver initial shield and Parker logo butt plate. Lastly, he states "Shotgun appears in like new condition and possibly unfired". I was only allowed five pictures, if possible I will add more pictures later. Thank you in advance, Robert

As a Forum Associate you are not allowed to suggest selling your gun on the PGCA website.
Once you become an Annual Member ($40) you can sell all the Parkers you wish but selling guns here is a privilege of paid membership only.






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Robert, thank you for visiting the forums. I hope you will find this a friendly place, and indeed there are some very knowledgeable people here. You can, and should add more pictures to this post if you would like to have the best opinions on your gun.
Your gun is a very well preserved specimen, however I would not put it in the class of a "benchmark" gun. A 99+ percent case colored gun would have so small an area of loss that it would be difficult to even find and the colors would be more vivid and display subtle changes in hues and color throughout. What I can see in your pictures is that some areas are displaying a degree of fading and are developing a bit of patina. All that said, I am basing this on photographs that could be subduing the state of the case colors but I still would stick to my statement that they are less than 99+ percent.
The trigger guard has lost 80 to 90 percent of its original nitre blue finish, at least on the outer surface.
Would like to see additional pictures of the wood and checkering and the barrels including the barrel flats, and the breech face and water table of the frame.
From the pictures provided, I cannot agree that this gun has ejectors. I think it has extractors only, but I hope that additional pictures will prove me wrong.
Your gun has more condition than several of my own and I'm not faulting it by any means, but I believe the appraisal you were given was a bit over generous.

It looks to be a very nice gun. It is high condition. But it is not a 99% gun. Not even 95% by the looks of it. And I can assure you that it is not “unfired”.

A 30” Damascus 12g GH is a common gun. Yes, the condition is not seen every day, but I would say you may be disappointed in an auction sale. I think a private sale at fair market value is the better way to go for you. Or consign it to a knowledgeable dealer that can get that value for you.
There just is not much there, inherently l, to get people excited about at an auction. Just my thoughts.

In my humble opinion, times would have to be pretty hard for me to sell a gun that was passed from my grandfather, to my father, and then to me. Money can't buy that.

The Serialization book, not always gospel, says your gun should have 28" barrels. A letter may shed light on it's past, and for a member, is $42., vs $100 for a non member. Just joining the PGCA will save you a 20 dollar bill.
Selling a gun such as yours,at auction, by itself will net you much less than it realizes, and buyers are careful to take into account the buyers commission when they draw the line, especially on the lower grades. If getting it sold is your plan, Joining the PGCA and selling it to a member will get you the most.All that said, Don't quit your day job.

From Grandfather to Father to you and you're selling it. There's either a really good reason for that which is none of my business or you're going to regret this some day. It's a nice gun but the best thing it's bringing to the table is the family history. Best of luck to you Sir.

That appears to be a nice old gun. If you paid for the "99% condition and appears unfired appraisal" then I would contact the appraiser and demand a refund. If you want to sell the gun for what it is worth simply list it on Gunbroker with 30 good clear pictures of all surfaces of the gun. Include critical data such as the chokes, stock dimensions, frame size, etc. Start the auction at $1 and in seven days this gun will sell for exactly what it is worth and perhaps a bit more. Lastly, no ejectors on your gun per the serialization book. If your appraiser told you it had ejectors then slug him when you are asking for the refund. Good luck!

PML

But don’t slug him until after you get your money back.





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Beautiful old Parker! I don`t know a lot about value. But... I do know as a collector of vintage shotguns, I would be really,really happy to find a 100 year old shotgun in that condition...

Trap3