Parker Display at the 1895 Sportsmen’s Exposition

[Dean Romig]

Does Tony allow cameras/photography in his store? Perhaps a nice article for Parker Pages would be appreciated by our members Edgar. And one on Robin Hollow too... and other fine 'pre-enjoyed' gun stores in other parts of the country. Austin wrote a really nice article about Jack's "Puglisi Gun Emporium" about a year before Jack died.

What do you say everyone - wouldn't you all like to see such write-ups in Parker Pages?





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[Mills]

That would be cool, Dean

[Bruce Day]

Originally Posted by edgarspencer

The table only lists 13 of what the artical says were 75 guns shown in the 1895 Exposition.

Mills, you would appreciate a trip to Tony Galazan's Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing Co. The area of his massive showroom, dedicated to Parkers, looks very much like the type of display cabinetry in the 1895 Exposition photos (minus the glass doors)
Most of Tony's showroom is antique showcases from large stores.

Edgar, turn the TPS page.

[Drew Hause]

The 1895 Exposition was also covered in Sporting Life
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL2509024.pdf
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL2509025.pdf

The 1896 Sportsmen's Exposition is reported here on p.252
https://books.google.com/books?id=rUMhAQAAMAAJ
I couldn't get a direct link but scroll down to "Contents" and you can get close to the page

Sporting Life 1896 review
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL2624011.pdf

1897
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL2826022.pdf
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL2826023.pdf
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL2901022.pdf

[edgarspencer]

Originally Posted by Bruce Day

Edgar, turn the TPS page.

I hate it when that happens

[MarketHunter]

It's odd to me, as successful as this event was, there wasn't much else like it in the country that I ever read about. And I think they only did this the one time?

Destry

[Bruce Day]

Economic Collapse of 1893. Lasted until 1897. Worst until the Great Depression. Likely decimated gun sales of costly firearms.

They call this period the Gay Nineties but there was also this severe recession. I don't know enough to understand the period.

[MarketHunter]

That might be a reason, but even after 1900 there's not much of this sort of thing. Even up into the 1950's there wasn't anything like this I've ever read about.

[Drew Hause]

Destry: There was a New England Sportsmen's Exposition in Boston which I believe pre-dated the NY show
https://books.google.com/books?id=da...J&pg=PA203&lpg

A summary of the Madison Square Garden shows starts about 1/2 way down here. Some included indoor and on the roof trapshooting
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...9wVEBQ/preview

The 1901 show

[Drew Hause]

Short versions of the Panics of 1893 and 1907, and the effect on gun prices here
https://docs.google.com/document/pub...agUSXhewGB03SE

Prices for both Smith and Parker guns, and in every grade, fell from 1908 to 1913. The $105 Smith 2E in 1898 went for $95 in 1908, and became the $75 AE Specialty grade in 1913.