Family Heirloom - Parker DH?

[Nathan Hocking]

Hello all,

I am trying to help my dad identify two shotguns that he recently inherited from his father. I would be very grateful for some help from the experts (relative to me, anyway) identifying this shotgun and understanding if/how it is unique, as well as what it may be worth.

The S/N stamped on all 3 pieces of the gun is 212399. I believe this is a hammerless Parker DH Grade 3, with a Titanic Steel barrel, manufactured in 1925. I don't know what the T with the circle, the HT A in the triangle pattern, the 4 superscript 4, the J.G. in the circle, or the 12, 2, or 3 markings mean. Picture of all the important parts are below.

Please note that (speaking on behalf of my dad), we are not interested in selling the shotguns, and I am definitely not trying to use this website as a platform to peddle a family heirloom!

Thanks so much in advance for any expertise you are willing to share about this shotgun.

Kind Regards,
Nathan

[Setter Man]

Wow. Just wow.

[Spin Drift]

Very nice DH"E".

[James L. Martin]

Very nice DHE 34 inch straight grip

[winplumber]

Serialization has this listed as a 2 barrel set Do you have the other set ? Nice gun for sure ,your forend picture has a 1 on it so it goes to that set is there a 1 on the barrel
as well ?

[Nathan Hocking]

Originally Posted by Steve Huffman

Serialization has this listed as a 2 barrel set Do you have the other set ? Nice gun for sure ,your forend picture has a 1 on it so it goes to that set is there a 1 on the barrel
as well ?

Interesting!

I'll have to ask my dad about a possible second set of barrels. But I think he would have mentioned that, so I'm guessing, "no."

[Chris T.]

Wow!!!! You'd spend a lifetime looking for another one like that.

[Harold Pickens]

Randy, I knew that one would get your attention. I saw that 1 on the fore end and was hoping for a look at the #2 barrels and fore end. Nathan, that gun is a knockout!!! The engraving is still so sharp and defined.

[Researcher]

I believe this is a hammerless Parker DH Grade 3, with a Titanic Steel barrel, manufactured in 1925. I don't know what the T with the circle, the HT A in the triangle pattern, the 4 superscript 4, the J.G. in the circle, or the 12, 2, or 3 markings mean. Picture of all the important parts are below.

The gun is a Quality DHE, which is also known as a Grade 3.

The T in the circle is the barrel steel type marking -- Titanic

The 3 near the rear of the right barrel flat is the grade as is the 3 under the serial number on the watertable.

The J.G. in the oval is the mark of James Geary contractor/foreman of the barrel making department.

The 4 superscript 4 is the weight of the unfinished barrel set.

No one is really sure about the HTA, but speculation is High Tensile Alloy or Heat Treated Annealed.

The 2 on the barrel lug is the frame size -- the number of sixteenths over one inch of the center-to-center firing pin spacing. In this case 1 2/16 inch or 1 1/8 inch. If the other marks on the bottom of the barrel lug are 12 (I can't make them out in the picture) that is the gauge of the gun.

[Nathan Hocking]

My grandpa was meticulously organized, and had a file with information from the Parker Trojan. These old notecards are pretty cool, and I am guessing probably fairly rare.