What I am wondering though, is did Parker blacken such barrels at the factory to hide the inconsistent patterns? Over a hundred and twenty years all of the finish could wear off or be removed by the owners, and this may lead us to believe they left the factory with the patterns visible.
Would a buyer in 1883 plop down the additional money for a grade two grades higher than the lowest for a set of barrels that looked like this?
Even in 1883 I would think an aware buyer would see such a set and consider them as seconds (unless covered by the blackening). This gun beside one with matching tubes would be passed over every time is my thinking. This is the basis of my question. Did they cover the patterns in these tubes in order to sell them?
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