When I first went into the wonderland that was the seventh floor at Abercrombie and Fitch in 1960, when I was about 14, there were two aged Parkers on the floor racks. They were both Whitworth barrelled Pigeon Guns. They were both brown and worn, the ejector gun more brown and more worn than the non ejector gun. The extractor gun was priced at $650, and the ejector gun was priced at $600. In my youthful opinion, neither were worth another thought. I don't remember coming out of the store that first day with any catalogs, but I put myself on the mailing list, and when I got the predated 1961 Used Gun catalog in the mail, there they were, still for sale, with details. I had never picked them up in the store, but I dogeared the catalog over the years going back and looking at them in print. The floor racks were free for gun handling, even for 14 year olds. My first trip to the store was by myself, but before that New York trip was over, I dragged Dad up there for a look. Now that I revisit our old catalogs, I find that my Dad's name is on some, mine on others. I guess we were both on the mailing list. Today, I would have a hard time explaining to my grandchildren how a 14 year old was turned loose to wander the streets of Manhattan with a notebook full of gun store addresses and a verbal tutorial of how to navigate the New York street system. I have another story about my teenage adventures on the seventh floor, one I have probably told here before, but I will save it for another time.
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