Engraved Trojan

[Bill Zachow]

That has got to be the finest A1 Special Trojan I have ever seen. Thanks for showing, Bruce

[Tim Wells]

Originally Posted by Bruce Day

Really? I didn't know that.

Parker AH grade, factory engraved.

That's why I said "tend to be" which was certainly not intended to suggest all inclusive, and while those dogs for example are a little more detailed than what I was referring to, they are still quite a bit less detailed than what you would see on a gun that someone had a freelance engraver do.

This is because you are requesting a certain look and since the independent engraver isn't banging out "production" work he has more time and inclination to make more realistic renderings rather than an outline of a dog or deer or whatever.

If you care to look up some of the production work done back when these guns were new you can see varying degrees of realism even within the same brand. The higher in grade you go for instance, the customer would expect more realistic looking animals in a factory pattern and rightfully so.

My comments were not intended to degrade Parker factory jobs or any other brand, just stating a fact for comparison. When it was posted that some "forum experts" think engraving other than factory decreases the value, I couldn't disagree more and that is why I tried to illustrate my point the way I did.

Some folks like factory patterns and want original factory engraved guns only, so they seek those out. To such a person, a gun engraved by independent folks might not appeal to them and wouldn't see the value in it. While others are just the opposite, so different strokes for different folks I reckon. Either way, all engraving is intended to be functional art and done so that it enhances the value, otherwise why do it at all? Nice gun by the way.

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by Tim Wells

Factory patterns for the most part tend to be on the basic side especially animal scenes. They had to be cut fast and there was no time to put too much detail in an animal which is why they mostly looked like cartoons rather than lifelike renditions.

Tim, I think that might be said of the lower grades (I'm talking Parkers here) but more to the point, specific engravers had their own style of engraving and executed their own rendition of birds, dogs, and (ugh) elk. On grades 2, 3, 4, and 5 a certain engraver might render beautiful depictions of setters and pointers while another engraver working on the same grades makes these same animals look like 'smoos'.
Yes, the engravers couldn't spend as much time on a Grade 3 as they would be expected to painstakingly spend on a Grade 6 or 7 so naturally the overall appearance of the engraving suffered a bit. But I think the biggest difference in the appearance of the birds and dogs, etc. was in the mind and hand of the engraver.

These examples are all different engraving periods by all different engravers. The renditions are their individual concepts of setters and they are all from Grade 3 and 1 grade 4 Parkers. (The first and second may have been done by the same hand)

Incidentally, only one of these guns is mine... No. 1



.

[Tim Wells]

Nice photos. One of the points I was trying to make but perhaps needed clarification is that I was mainly referring to modern engravings on old guns. At the time these were engraved it was well and good and perfectly acceptable for animal figures to be on the primitive side.

Nowadays no engraver I know of, and I know a bunch of them, would ever cut an animal like they did back when these guns were new unless the customer specifically asked for it to be that way. This year at the FEGA show in Vegas a customer wanted just that very thing from one of the best engravers in North America. This man is used to making lifelike game scenes but the customer wanted it to look like it was cut by the factory, probably a Winchester as I recall. So, it does come up once in a while.

I'd be proud to own any of those above. Pieces of our history, double barreled time machines of sorts.

[Tim Wells]

Can one of you educate me a little please? When I look at the photos of the original post I do see the Trojan marking on the rib. However, I was under the impression that the Trojan was only offered one way with the tell tale sharp angles at the forward lower ends of the frame and no rib extension or other frills.

This pictured gun has a rib extension and is rounded under the forward frame like all the higher grades and has those sculpted ridges on the fences. I thought Trojan was their field grade, no frills gun and all these features were part of higher grades. I'm new to Parkers so cut me some slack for my ignorance, just trying to learn here.

[OH Osthaus]

Understand that this is a highly modified Trojan

Sculpted and engraved

[Bill Murphy]

The little rounded Trojan extension rib is not the same as the standard doll's head extension standard on higher grade hammerless Parkers. The rounded Trojan extension rib is characteristic of earlier models. The later models had no extension rib, nor did early exposed hammer Parkers.

[George M. Purtill Member #28]

Ok I am admittedly a guy that hates upgrades. I love this gun.

[Bill Murphy]

You are not alone. I love that gun and appreciate the understated round extension rib. The engraving is what I like, heavily carved and well executed.

[B. Dudley]

Originally Posted by Rick Losey

Understand that this is a highly modified Trojan

Sculpted and engraved

Yes, the nicest one I have seen. Between a little bit of frame filing and what the engraver did, it looks like a sculpted graded frame. The only part on the gun that remains Trojan is the rib extension (at least as far as I can see since the forend is not shown). But I am sure an engraved could make it look like a dolls head was there when the gun is closed.

My only criticism of this gun is the checkering. It could have been much finer given what is being done with the rest of the gun.