I don't want to be an alarmist, but....

[Phil Yearout]

Originally Posted by Dean Romig

.... And that brings up yet another obstacle we need to recognize in younger folks - girls and peer pressure..

Hmmm...now that you mention it, I do remember my amount of hunting and fishing declined dramatically when I realized you could attract more chicks with a guitar than with a shotgun .

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by Austin J Hawthorne Jr.

I think one way to slow down the declining prices would be for dealers/owners to establish a base line. What I mean is this, lets set a price on an average condition Trojan 12 gauge at 700-800 dollars...a VH at 1000-1200...a PH at 1400-1500...a GH at 1700-1800, etc. etc. So, lets say you are a dealer, and you see one of the above guns selling for less than the amounts shown. If you buy it, you remove it from the market and can set your own selling price. I understand that you may not sell it quickly, but if you remain firm a base price will be established. If a private seller needs a quick sale, and offers their guns for less, buy it and list it at the base price. If there are 471 Parker's on gunsinternational, and say 300 of them are in the lower grades, and we buy them, now there are only 171 left and they will probably be high grade, or high condition, guns that are for advanced collectors that may have the disposable for such guns. I think what I am trying to say here is that we, as collectors/shooters have to establish a guns value and not leave it to those folks that will only buy a gun if they think it's cheaper than it should be. I've never seen a 60,000 Range Rover sell for 30,000 just because there are alot of them out there.

The Blue Book of Gun Values pretty much "establishes" baseline prices on the doubles we collect and shoot, but it seems that that publication has a pretty hard time keeping in step with what is actually happening in the used gun market scene.
The other problem is that a seller (not necessarily a dealer) is too eager to lower his price for the sake of making the sale. There are 'predators' who watch these offerings and pounce when the price drops to something below wholesale. It's a vicious cycle - it's like a reverse auction and the seller is rarely totally pleased with the outcome.

Regarding the $60,000 Range Rover selling for half of its actual value... I hope we never see this happen with classic American doubles, though I am beginning to see evidence of it recently... or is it just a "market adjustment"...?






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[John Allen]

The Blue Book take 11/2 years to gather data and go to press.The day it is printed the prices are obsolete.They have great research articles and a lot of important information,but the prices are worthless.Especially on older guns.What most people do not realize is there are no fixed prices on any high grade guns.The price is dependent on condition,rarity,and geographical location.

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by John Allen

What most people do not realize is there are no fixed prices on any high grade guns.The price is dependent on condition,rarity,and geographical location.

And the sell price is dependent on how many actual buyers are prepared to pay for it.





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[John Allen]

You got it.The best thing to do is for the younger guys to take advantage of the great buys coming their way and us older guys enjoy the guns we have and be able to say when you get to the end "I had some great guns,great dogs,great friends, and killed a hell of a lot of birds"

[Copper John]

I was just discussing this with someone less than an hour ago, funny to see there is a thread started here...

I am a millennial. I'm 27 and I dont know anyone else my age who is into these guns. I have one very dear friend who is a fellow grouser who hunts exclusively with a D grade 16 and a repro 28 but he is 10 years older than me. We have both discussed whether we should stop buying parkers because they may drop sharply in value as we get older and maybe we would be able to pick up really nice guns for less money down the road.

I dont know what to tell you guys, I'm embarressed to say that the majority of my generation isnt at all interested in hunting. Also most of my friends look at me like a grew a second head when they find out what I have paid for relatively inexpensive Parkers.. And most of my friends are young professionals who could probably afford Parker guns if they were interested in them..

A good friend of mine who is a well paid attorney hunts exclusively with a franchi over and under. Its quite sad that I have to look over at that when I am out in the field with him..

Just 2 cents from a millennial.

[J.B. Books]

I am curious, what were the prices on Parker's after WWII and prior to Johnson's first book on them? Did his book help to create a mystique and improve the market for them? What were the prices and market for composite barrel double guns prior to Sherman Bell's articles in the Double Gun Journal? Same thing for 2 7/8" 10ga guns prior to his articles vs. today. What role and effect do outdoor writers have in this situation?

People don't get their information from books and magazines much anymore. Even web pages like this are becoming passe. Social media is how younger people connect and get information, how do classic double guns and hunting fit into that world?

[Dean Romig]

Fear not John, tha vast majority of our generation are not interested in hunting either. Though some of us grew up hunting on our own land, most never had that opportunity... and far, far fewer today are able to enjoy it. 'Urban sprawl' is as much the culprit, coupled with the ignorance of the folks who move from urban areas to the former farmlands which ,now, are the 'No Discharge' suburbs.





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[Dean Freeman]

My name is Dean. And I'm a Parkaholic.
You tube is my television now and I'm depressed by the lack of Parker Gun content found there. Larry Potterfield has a fantastic series where he completely rebuilds an old lifter. Aside from that there's little else. I'm not saying that more content on YouTube would be a panacea, but it would be a start. Imagine watching Brian Dudley at work, or seeing some nice collector pieces go afield. There's no reason our members, or even the PGCA couldn't have a channel on YouTube spreading the good word.

[DoubleOframe]

Has the PGCA ever considered a group page on Facebook to attract new members? The American Custom Gunmakers Guild and other similar organizations have group pages. There are options to create both private and secret groups. There are younger hunters like http://www.northwoodsr.com and http://uplandlowlife.com who share their passion for hunting and double guns on Facebook, Twitter, etc you just have to be on these sites or you may never hear about them. They also work with RGS and Orvis to promote hunting.