Well, I picked up the gun this morning. Bob V. was right. It is a rat. The pictures on AA did not do it justice- it is much worse. A fine gun abused, mistreated and left to decay. Clearly, it has seen its share of deadly salt water service on the New England coast. It probably has taken its share of blackheads, blackies and "coots" while the swirling mists and sprays of the Gulf of Maine enveloped both gun and gunner. It appears to be just on this side of "restorable"...I seriously thought of sending it back and resolved to do so-why bother with it? I've had C grades before and have a nice Acme 34" CHE...I bemoaned my lack of luck on Parkers lately
. Then a hour later, I received Mark's information from the Stock and Order Books and the mists parted just a bit and the pits did not seem quite so deep... It seems old 87238 and 87237 were in fact a bit of "a pair". They were two identical CHs ordered in 1897 simply to be "build like McAlpin gun" (Geo. McAlpin of NYC was a well known and heeled gentleman pigeon shooter). The men who ordered them, also well known gentlemen trap shootists of their time, were a father and son, Capt. A.W. and Mr. Noel Money. In Parker's tradition of getting its guns in hands of influential shooters on advantageous terms, the guns were discounted 50% to $75 each and shipped to the Moneys c/o EC Powder Co., Oakland, Bergen Cty.,NJ in December of 1897. My gun 87238 was returned to Parker Bros. one year later by Capt. Money, Noel having returned his earlier (it then shows up on the Parker Bros. stand at the Boston Exposition that year). The Captain's gun then went on to serve a number of other owners who are recorded in the annals of the Gun Works. I'd like to think younger son, Harold "the Shootinest Gent'man" Money might have picked up Pahpah's gun once or twice too during the year it lived with the Captain... This history doesn't make the gun's condition any better or lessen the cost of refurbishing that which can be refurbished but it makes the task seem somewhat more worthwhile. So, children, that's how I ended up with "Bluerock's" Parker CH...what are the odds on that?
