Quote:
Originally Posted by James Purdy
I am new to the association, This thread is a topic of interest close to me. As some know I jumped into the parker club with a bhe I bought from poor quality auction photos alone. This gun fits into the undocumented factory repair group. It has newer parker barrels of the original Type steel and length, but of a later manufacture indicated by the serial font and the replaceable wear piece on the hook being later style. All else appears to be as the gun left he factory the first time. The gun will be having work done This winter to repair damage to the wrist. I treat these types of gun as I would any other piece of fine art. If the work is done right by the appropriate craftsman as a picasso would be repaired by a “conservator”
It does not deminish the gun as a whole, only its originality. Gun collectors place a large value on that originality. However, It is a state that exists only once, and I doubt many 100% condition guns of this era are untouched. A stock having a dent raised in 1925, and the repair skillfully blended would be invisible now. So it comes down to a personal subjective opinion, One that is difficult to quantify.
So I buy and shoot the guns I want in the condition that appeals to me. Plus I keep good records of work done and share that information freely with any gun that leaves my fold.
I don't chase unused guns. It is not my passion, i like the gun with a life lived, and cared for well.
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Glenn, James, and others who've posted on this thread: For those of you that are relatively new to the forum and/or to double gun collecting, welcome to a world most rewarding -- and sometimes befuddling. Let me say here that no matter how it might seem, no one person speaks for all of the collecting fraternity, and although there are common beliefs among that fraternity, collecting is as idiosyncratic as are the humans that engage in it.
People collect for many reasons, and in the American double gun collecting community I think it's safe to say that the love of the guns, a respect for the craftsmen and women who made them, and a nostalgia for the time are often common threads in our passion. Certainly, high condition, original guns are prized, but so are unique specimens; time worn, but sound examples; time ravaged, but faithfully restored, and other permutations of the American gun craft. You'll read comments from folks who talk as much about the "deal" or "find" as they do about the actual gun -- and who doesn't like to find the "stored in the attic" example for sale cheap at a yard sale? In the end, the guns draw us together, and let me assure you that we all appreciate -- although sometimes our comments don't always reflect it -- our fellow collectors' passion for Parkers.
The aesthetic that each of us applies to our collecting, in all likelihood, changes over time for various reasons. Mine certainly has. This development is only natural, but in the end there are still "purists," "user-collectors," "accumulators," and other permutations of collecting among our ranks (I use quotations because these are terms some of our members have used about themselves). The one common element that I've discerned in observing these discussions over time is that folks are sincere about their love of Parkers and all that goes with collecting them -- the mystic of the Parker gun as Dean Romig reminded me just recently.
So, what you noted in your post I'm sure struck a positive cord with many of us. I hope you'll be enriched by these discussions as I have over the years. I also hope you will continue to participate in our discussions. One of my passions, besides Parkers, is continuing to learn. I learn much from my colleagues here, and not just specifics about these fine guns.
I hope you'll post some photos of your gun(s). I'd enjoy seeing them and hearing more about your views on collecting.