Dollar Grade Gun

[Kevin McCormack]

Do you have a PGCA letter on this gun? If not, you should get one. This may very well be an "in-between" gun - one that was ordered out as a demo or "teaser" gun to show what could be done on the higher grade guns, especially by special order.

I once owned a 10 ga. 32" lifter gun in the 135XX range that was clearly above a $200 Grade gun but also not quite a $250 Grade gun. A careful search of the Parker record books revealed that it was an "embellished" $200 Grade gun (e.g., a bona fide "$225 Grade" gun) that had been sent to a high-volume CO dealer for display at his store for prospective customers desiring a high grade Parker Gun. It was massive 4-frame gun weighing in at just under 12 pounds. It was also incorrectly identified as a B Grade gun.

The gun was manufactured in 1878 and wound up in an estate sale in MO in the late 1940s; I purchased it from an heir of the man who bought it at auction in 1947. According to him, they used it to hunt cornfield pheasants in MO and IO routinely using 2 7/8" 10 ga. smokeless powder shells up through the 1970s, ignoring the Damascus barrels. The gun won the Best Original Hammer Parker Gun at the Concours d' Elegance of Fine Guns at The Vintage Cup, Orvis Sandanona, September 22, 2001.

[Dean Romig]

I'd call it a $200 quality gun, maybe a $225 QUALITY, or the predecessor to a B grade or grade 5.





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[Stan Hoover]

Beautiful gun, thanks for sharing!

[WHO]

I believe it is a $200 grade gun. I own a gun with a serial number 6xxx and the stock is stamped with the serial number and a 6 (for the grade) under the trigger guard. It might be worth a try to check yours to see if it is stamped.

[todd allen]

I don't think a letter is available on this gun, someone, Ron Kirby I think, found a note in an order book where it was traded in in 1927, if I recall correctly.
I have a copy of the page with the entry, but I can't figure it out. The writing might as well be in a foreign language.

[Dean Romig]

Can you post a picture of that page entry Todd?





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[todd allen]

Ok, let's see if I can do this from my phone

20230217_193022.jpg

[todd allen]

I hope someone here can make heads or tails out of the above ledger. The only thing I've gotten out of it is the serial number about mid page.

[Dean Weber]

I will take a stab at some of it. Here goes.

A. Mahan
Cortland, N.Y.
1 - 10 ga. w/ 30" damascus , pistol grip, weight 8/0 to 8/4, 14 3/4 lop, serial 7720 at $125.00
1 - 10 ga. w/ 30 inch, Less 1/4, can't make out this word, then serial 3130 at $125.00
3rd entry is some type of accessory for $3.50

I believe date at top of ledger is Oct, 8th 1877. I believe the entries on the left hand column are an order number. In this case order number 1922 received on Oct, 4th.

You can see the left hand column 4 digit numbers are sequential in 2's. I.E., 1920, 1922, 1924, 1926.

I may be all wrong, cool gun.

[todd allen]

Thanks, Dean. Not sure on the 10 gauge, as this one is a 12.
Might be easier to interpret the Dead Sea Scrolls.