Research Letters

[Randy Roberts]

Originally Posted by Josh Loewensteiner

In some respects, I see this as an indication of how many "collectible" Parkers are out there. Ordering letters on mundane guns doesn't happen often, I would bet, but it goes to show you that maybe the more interesting or top 3-5% of Parkers are the ones that we are all looking for.

Interesting view/comment to me Josh, "Ordering letters on mundane guns doesn't happen often, I would bet". When available I request a letter on all of my Parkers, just seems like the thing to do for me anyway. I would not dare ask Chuck or anyone else to take the time to do the math but it would be interesting to see how the letters shake out by grade. With so much disparity in the numbers of grades from one to the next I am uncertain as to what this information might bear out but it could be interesting. Anyone else care to comment on how you qualify requesting or not requesting a letter on your Parkers. What's the determining factor or factors for you ?

[TxHuntermn]

Originally Posted by Randy G Roberts

Interesting view/comment to me Josh, "Ordering letters on mundane guns doesn't happen often, I would bet". When available I request a letter on all of my Parkers, just seems like the thing to do for me anyway. I would not dare ask Chuck or anyone else to take the time to do the math but it would be interesting to see how the letters shake out by grade. With so much disparity in the numbers of grades from one to the next I am uncertain as to what this information might bear out but it could be interesting. Anyone else care to comment on how you qualify requesting or not requesting a letter on your Parkers. What's the determining factor or factors for you ?

I order letters on all but Trojans.

[Dean Romig]

Or the ones that best fit our shooting or hunting requirements.





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[Dean Romig]

I have ordered letters on most all of mine as well as a few letters on Parkers that don’t belong to me... Burt Spiller’s VH 20 for example.





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[Double Lab]

I order letters mostly to see if there is any provenance linked to the gun. At this stage of the game I can pretty well tell if the gun is "right". Basically, if I can shoot the gun well it is "right" for me.

[Mills]

Provenance is the main reason I order letters. Often, you get an actual owner when there is a record of a gun being returned to the factory for repair.

[stumpstalker]

For me, my guns are elevated to being less mundane when I order a letter on, say a VH, and find out what were original features and from what retailer it was vended.

I have a total of six Parkers, and all have letters except for the Trojan (for which letters are unavailable).

I also ordered a letter on a gun I do not own and was not for sale, out of curiosity and for research.

It is well-worth being reminded of the time and energy expended by PGCA volunteers to make this information available to us. It is a story in itself, and as this thread indicates, a continuing one.

[Bill Murphy]

Stumpstalker, letters on Trojans are available. Who told you they were not available. I order letters on every Parker gun I own, in case something interesting comes up. For forty dollars, I have been surprised many times.

[Randy Roberts]

I assumed that provenance would be a major player in terms of deciding when to request a research letter on your Parker. Personally I never placed a lot of emphasis on provenence until recently when I learned something for myself. Provenance is not important in a gun at all, until you have one that has it.

[stumpstalker]

Originally Posted by Bill Murphy

Stumpstalker, letters on Trojans are available. Who told you they were not available. I order letters on every Parker gun I own, in case something interesting comes up. For forty dollars, I have been surprised many times.

Bill:

Thanks for providing me with the fact that Research Letters are also available on Trojans. For some unknown reason I thought a line had been drawn at Trojans.

However, as for the one I have, the feature on the PGCA website that announces if records are available on a particular gun says that none are of the one I have. It is a 30-inch-barreled; 2-frame; 12-gauge Trojan; serial number 230608, thus a 1929-year gun.

My father bought it from a local farmer who kept it in his truck for pest-control. His son-in-law came back from being stationed in the U. S. Army in Germany and provided him with a more modern Sauer gun.

A few months later the farmer saw my father again, and with a kind of melancholy, beseeching air said he didn't like "that new gun". My father just said, "sorry".