Parker Miscelleniana

[Bruce Day]

Here's a couple new/unusual/ expanding collector community knowledge issues that a person interested in Parker details may find interesting.

1. Potential first matted rib finding.

Here are photos of SN36,491 , an 1883 C Bernard 30" top action hammer 12ga. The rib is matted and the inscription is hand engraved. TPS on p.112 identifies the first matted rib found at time of writing as 51898 and speculates that matted ribs first came in the mid 1880's. PP's identify the first known matted rib as 51702.

This Bernard has all the late top action hammer gun improvements except for the two piece hinge pin. It's possible that the barrels could have been replaced post manufacture by Parker, but they letter as is. Mark is doing a letter. It would also be interesting if there were plain rib barrels SN'ed after this one.

2. Engraving selection request.

The records are surprisingly silent about specific requests for engraving. We've seen photos of spaniel heads, foxes in dens, etc., and it seems reasonable to assume that buyers made requests for special action frame engraving. However, Mark Conrad reported that he has seen requests for "no animals, scroll only" but not "use photo of Carole Lombard naked" or such items of personal interest.

Well, I got a letter from an accomplished collector enclosing a Ron Kirby research letter about a 1912 CH 10 ga with 38" Acme barrels with special engraving instructions " Eng. bottom of frame Dog & Deer, sides 2 woodcock & ducks." Maybe there are others, still looking, These are of course different from the presentation gun engraving requests, which are usually rib inscriptions, grip cap or stock plate.

Bruce Day , interested but not an expert

[Kevin McCormack]

David Bichrest, a Winchester (!) collecter and dealer from Maine, turned up an AHE 12 ga. Damascus gun years ago that had been special-ordered by a lumber baron from Maine. The floorplate was engraved with a sea otter lying on its back, drifting through a kelp bed while eating a mussel.

[Bruce Day]

Yes, some are clearly special order engraving, and its a mystery why there are so few requests existing in the records. If you know the SN of the Bichrest gun, it would be interesting to see the order book entry.

[Gill Frye]

The serial number for that gun is 66,202.