By now I guess that most of you have had a chance to review the Parkers in the March 11th auction in Maine. I thought that you might find it to be of interest that Parker 171493 (Lot 3509) was originally purchased by Von Lengerke & Detmold on February 28, 1916, almost exactly 98 years ago. Here is the original entry in the VL&D inventory and sales record for 1916.
The date of acquisition (2/28/16) is at the left. The check marks indicate a 12 gauge with 30 inch barrels. The entry "c exsnv" is a coded entry for Cost=$106.94. Of course VH is the grade. A new inventory was prepared each year and the Try Gun appears in every one of those inventories.
In 1929 VL&D merged with Abercrombie & Fitch under the A&F name and so the Parker was entered in the A&F inventory in that year. Here is that entry.
Bob Beach
Archivist
Griffin & Howe, Inc.
The inventories of the two stores were merged in January 1929. The entry for Parker 171493 indicates that it was added to the A&F inventory on January 19, 1929. Again the Parker is in every yearly inventory except from 1943 to 1945 when it was in the "Shop". The shop would have been Griffin & Howe which was then a wholly owned subsidiary of A&F.
The Parker remained in inventory at A&F until 1956. Here is the final yearly entry for Parker 171493 in the New York store.
As you can see, by then there were two Parker try guns in the A&F inventory - one from VL&D and the other from A&F. On March 12, 1956 Parker 171493 was transferred to the Chicago branch of A&F known as Von Lengerke & Antoine. We do not have the VL&A records for that year nor for any inventory years after that until 1963 through the early 1970's. I'll check those books when I next go to the records room and edit this if I find anything.
But now you know where this Parker was for the first 40 years of its 98 year life. Imagine the people who held this gun in their hands when getting a gun fit at Abercrombie & Fitch.
There is only one other Parker in the auction that is in our records, number 234517 (Lot 3505).
Bob Beach
Archivist
Griffin & Howe, Inc.
Parker Try Gun 171493
Threaded Mode