DelGrego Restoration

[Bruce Day]

"Not on a par with originals..."
Really ?

Top is your V re-case colored , bottom is my Quality 4 original.

I'd like to be able to point out lots of differences, but.......


As for unrestored cars that have just been brought back mechanically, those of you who know my 21 year old Suburban with 260,000 miles and some fender and rocker panel rust, that is exactly what I have done. Those of you who have put down my old beater, and you know who you are, eat your words. I have just been ahead of my time.

[Bill Murphy]

Patrick, I will address two of your situations. First, buying a blued Parker is not a mistake. Someone has to own it and you have the initiative to restore it, so there is no mistake. I own two blued Parkers and both are valuable guns and neither have been restored to color. Second point is your question about documented factory restorations. One point is that such guns are not numerous. Another point is that most of them have been used a bunch since the refinish, so value is kind of a tossup about when the wear occurred. Remington repair codes are another form of "kind of documented" refinish. Remington colors on Parker Brothers guns, accompanied by Remington repair codes, is known as a clue. In answer to your question, if the gun is in nice shape, and you can document the refinish, it would be considered almost original. One example is my DH 12 gauge mid twenties 29" barrel gun, complete with full Remington style refinish AND Remington repair codes. Of course, this rare gun would be worth a bunch in mint original condition. However, what is it worth the way it sits, almost mint with factory 29" barrels and Remington repair codes? A bunch.

[John Taddeo]

2 cents worth... Just like anything , if at any time a particular item becomes "the thing to have" and the availability is outweighed by the demand then the price tag and collectability will follow no matter what the beliefs of the past may have been.. Think back on what you "could have bought" and at what price.. I guess diversity in the old gun safe portfolio isn't always a bad thing, and speculation is what it is, because the prices very seldom drop and you never know when the old dust collector might be tomorrows fad.. People bought pet "Rocks" at an astounding rate for Gods sake..

[Patrick Butler]

Originally Posted by John Taddeo

2 cents worth... Just like anything , if at any time a particular item becomes "the thing to have" and the availability is outweighed by the demand then the price tag and collectability will follow no matter what the beliefs of the past may have been.. Think back on what you "could have bought" and at what price.. I guess diversity in the old gun safe portfolio isn't always a bad thing, and speculation is what it is, because the prices very seldom drop and you never know when the old dust collector might be tomorrows fad.. People bought pet "Rocks" at an astounding rate for Gods sake..

You are right there are fads. I knew Gary Dahl (Pet Rock) in Los Gatos, CA and he laughed all the way to the bank...

However, I do believe that the movement from restored to original objects will continue and as an investment an original high-grade SXS like Parker is the way to go. Given the fact that anyone can have a well-worn Parker fully restored for say $3,000, there tens of thousands that could be produced.

I agree that demand is fickle, but price always reflects demand and the number for sale. I do remember a recent comment from DelGrego that his three generations have worked on 60,000 Parker guns. Given that many Parkers you wonder how many have been passed as original by other individuals, especially as DelGrego Sr. had the original Parker parts to work with...

Regarding Parkers as an investment, I plan to keep most of mine, but I'm, like many members, well over 65 and I wonder if in the next 10-20 years James Julia and the like will have a lot of great high-grade original Parkers (you know, the ones we never sell) at auction?

Back to the price equation of demand and numbers, what if the next two generations have much less interest in these incredible guns? When I shoot sporting clays, all you see are autos, nice U/O and I'm asked, is that a reproduction? Perhaps Parkers will be a long-term fad. I sincerely hope not.

Patrick

[J.B. Books]

Originally Posted by Patrick Butler

Back to the price equation of demand and numbers, what if the next two generations have much less interest in these incredible guns? When I shoot sporting clays, all you see are autos, nice U/O and I'm asked, is that a reproduction? Perhaps Parkers will be a long-term fad. I sincerely hope not.

Patrick

Adding to this thought, I suspect when the day comes that lead shot is banned demand and price for classic doubles will fall off a cliff for all but the high condition high grade guns and even those may be effected.

[B. Dudley]

Last year I looked at a Twist barreled PH 12g. that a gentleman I know had recently acquired. It was built in the early 1890's and had exceptional metal finishes (95%), but a little more wear to the wood and wood finish. And the Case colors were not of what would be seen on a 1890's gun. More like what would be on a gun built in the 1920's. Closer inspection showed a 1910 type wear plate installed in it which pointed to the fact that the gun had been back to the factory at some time after that point. I concluded that the gun had to have been re-case colored and barrels re-blackened by Parker when it was returned.

So, it was a factory refinished gun. Like Bill stated, I would lean more towards considering it to be an original gun.
But I will tell you what, it was a PERFECT example of what Parker factory finishes looked like. And there was no mistaking that they were factory finishes.

[B. Dudley]

Trust me... The Delgrego shop has not seen 60,000 Parkers.

And, no gun with the typical striped Cyanide case colors will pass as an original gun.

[Patrick Butler]

Originally Posted by Brian Dudley

Trust me... The Delgrego shop has not seen 60,000 Parkers.

And, no gun with the typical striped Cyanide case colors will pass as an original gun.

Yes, that is a huge number, even given the some 60 years they have been in business.

However, it was just an off-hand phone remark that I probably should not have passed on. OK, strike probably.

Patrick

[Mike Franzen]

Look at the "Centennial Parker" that Gary Carmichael had restored. That gun is worth more after resto than it was before it was sent out. Restoring to enhance value can be a tricky call though. Low grade guns of little collector value probably can bring more on the market at large than the same gun that shows 100 years of wear and tear. That being said, a low grade resto probably won't sell for what the total investment was to bring it back. Picture two 30" PH 12 gauges side by side on a dealers table. One has a hundred plus years of original "patina" and the other is a quality resto. Neither have collector value but the resto will probably bring a little more from the shooter market.

[John Taddeo]

Ok.. just one more cent.. When a restorers name is featured in the "Parker Story" and has an interview on CNN and is the title of this thread I have got to say it will and is used as a selling feature (just watch an online gun site) and whether we like it or not does affect price.. Is it still a restored piece.. Yes.. But does "Joes gun restorations down the street" ever appear in a description or in a publication.. Nope... The others are either a Turnbull, or a "well done restoration".. I have to say I love em all and have no bias to ones choice.. Look on the bright side, its pretty damn hard to butcher "Joes Restoration..