Time Capsule

[BRDHNTR]

They were made to be shot. If you want a closet queen/king, go to Vegas.

[C.O.B.]

I must agree with Dean in that I wouldn't shoot such a gun. To remain new unfired is a rarity in the gun world and should be respected as such. To shoot this and render it to used condition woulld be a shame, ther are other guns that can be used.

[Opening Day]

Originally Posted by Rich Anderson

I must agree with Dean in that I wouldn't shoot such a gun. To remain new unfired is a rarity in the gun world and should be respected as such. To shoot this and render it to used condition woulld be a shame, ther are other guns that can be used.

Guess I should step in here and have a say. As most of you guys know I have a new unfired VHE skeet gun in the box that I care for. And that's what my job is, to care for it for the next caretaker. A gun unfired or in mint condition needs to be preserved to show others what real case colors look like (not what they think they should look like).... At one of the annual meetings the display theme was 16 ga Parkers Jimmy Hall's A 1 16 ga took first place (as it should have) and a lowly VHE skeet gun that was new in the box took second due to it's condition. All I am saying is, if you have a gem like that you are only a caretaker of it and you owe it to future generations to keep it in the condition that you found it. Just my two cents but you can find a gun in 80% to 90% condition if you want to use it and fire it but you only find a 100% gun once. Eric

[edgarspencer]

I agree with Eric, Dean, and much as I hate to say it, Rich too. A new, unfired gun in the condition it was dispatched from Meriden is a benchmark to which many, including future collectors, can look to as a guide. To say it was made to be shot so go and shoot it is precisely what I would have said 50 years ago, when I began to accumulate guns. I never had an opportunity to see something made by a company, long, long gone, with a reputation such as the Charles Parker Company has, in precisely the condition it was in, as handled by the final inspector. I have more than a dozen pieces in the same configuration as this gun, and they are most likely the same in feel, and performance. A 1933 $20 gold double eagle was minted to be spent; The Flying Jenny 24 cent airmail stamp had the center plate mixed up, and the plane got downsideup, but it was made to be licked and stuck to a letter. If you're stupid enough to take a gun like this out and shoot it, you're gonna go mail Aunt Matilda a letter with the $825,000 airmail stamp, then go buy a burrito and a six-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon with your twenty bucks.

[Opening Day]

Originally Posted by edgarspencer

I agree with Eris, Dean, and much as I hate to say it, Rich too. A new, unfired gun in the condition it was dispatched from Meriden is a benchmark to which many, including future collectors, can look to as a guide. To say it was made to be shot so go and shoot it is precisely what I would have said 50 years ago, when I began to accumulate guns. I never had an opportunity to see something made by a company, long, long gone, with a reputation such as the Charles Parker Company has, in precisely the condition it was in, as handled by the final inspector. I have more than a dozen pieces in the same configuration as this gun, and they are most likely the same in feel, and performance. A 1933 $20 gold double eagle was minted to be spent; The Flying Jenny 24 cent airmail stamp had the center plate mixed up, and the plane got downsideup, but it was made to be licked and stuck to a letter. If you're stupid enough to take a gun like this out and shoot it, you're gonna go mail Aunt Matilda a letter with the $825,000 airmail stamp, then go buy a burrito and a six-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon with your twenty bucks.

I know it is a "bitch" to own a gun that you can't shoot, but, when you get to show it to others for comparision or just for knowledge, it's worth it. I know a couple of years ago, after I showed the skeet gun at the annual meeting, a man contacted me about selling the gun, after talking to him I found out the only reason he wanted to buy the gun was to shoot it and tell his buddy's he was the first to shoot it....... As you know I turned the offer down. It's hard but when you show it to someone that has never seen an original gun it makes up for it.. Eric

[Chris T.]

Eldon, There was an AAHE 20 ga. attic find in the last Julia's auction!

[Eldon Goddard]

I personally would shoot it if it were mine, but I understand the other side of the argument. My view is that nothing lasts for ever that stamp, that double eagle gold coin, and this mint parker will not be around forever. This gun is 85 years old what is that to the grand scheme of things. Will this gun be in this condition in 100 years or even 50 most likely not no matter what you do. Even our most treasured possessions like the declaration of independence and the Mona Lisa with all the money spent to preserve them continue to degrade. It is inevitable.
That being said I keep coming back to this tread to stare at this gun. The checkering especially is amazing.

[Eldon Goddard]

Originally Posted by edgarspencer

I agree with Eris, Dean, and much as I hate to say it, Rich too. A new, unfired gun in the condition it was dispatched from Meriden is a benchmark to which many, including future collectors, can look to as a guide. To say it was made to be shot so go and shoot it is precisely what I would have said 50 years ago, when I began to accumulate guns. I never had an opportunity to see something made by a company, long, long gone, with a reputation such as the Charles Parker Company has, in precisely the condition it was in, as handled by the final inspector. I have more than a dozen pieces in the same configuration as this gun, and they are most likely the same in feel, and performance. A 1933 $20 gold double eagle was minted to be spent; The Flying Jenny 24 cent airmail stamp had the center plate mixed up, and the plane got downsideup, but it was made to be licked and stuck to a letter. If you're stupid enough to take a gun like this out and shoot it, you're gonna go mail Aunt Matilda a letter with the $825,000 airmail stamp, then go buy a burrito and a six-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon with your twenty bucks.

From a monetary perspective you make an excellent point. If the value is deminished from shooting it you would be stupid to shoot it. I was not thinking in terms of money.