Prices Realized (RIA)

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by Bill Murphy

Dean, "widder" or "widow" is kind of a generic term for a consigner who wants these guns the heck out of here, now.

WOW

Thanks Bill - That explains a whole lot about guns and things that have been offered to me indirectly by "This widow friend of mine..."

[TARNATION !!!]

Originally Posted by Bill Murphy

Scarce gun if it is a factory non ejector skeet gun. Should sell for about four times what a common VH in the same condition would sell for.

Thanks Bill. So 4K is not out of question and even a bit low if all checks out? The book shows the configuration and barrel length as presented at auction. Would 2 3/4 chambers be from factory or lengthened? The picture looks like a "used" gun with a bit of CC left on the side of the frame still.
Cheers,
Jack

[Dean Romig]

If we're refering to the RIA auction of Parker ser. no. 238381 it actually is advertised as being marked "SKEET IN" and "SKEET OUT" as Jack pointed out, so this is what causes such a gun to sell at a premium. I agree with Bill that this gun sold very reasonably.

[Bill Murphy]

Have never seen an original non ejector skeet gun. I would kill for such a gun. Ed Muderlak has an unusual 12 gauge skeet also, splinter forend. I'm sure I saw that gun at an Ohio Gun Collectors show years before Ed bought it. I would be interested in that gun also. Parker skeet guns are normally like a row of beans, all alike. It is the unusual features that make some of them interesting.

[TARNATION !!!]

It was lot 1845 on Saturday. Click here for details
Can you gents enlighten me about SKEET IN & OUT what exactly is meant by those words?
Thanks,
Jack

[Dean Romig]

The "SKEET IN" and "SKEET OUT" chokes were developed specifically for the game of skeet. From station 1 on a skeet field Skeet In is the more open choke and is used for the incoming targets, hence the "in" part of the name. Skeet out is of course, used for outgoing targets where a bit tighter choke is desired. At station 4 it really doesn't matter much which barrel you use for either the high house or low house targets but the more competetive skeet shooters prefer to use the in and out chokes as they were designed to be used.

Then there are the "Skeet 1" and "Skeet 2" chokes which are just the opposite. Skeet 1 is used for your number 1 target at station 1 which is the outgoer requiring a tighter choke while Skeet 2 is open and used for the incomer.

[TARNATION !!!]

Thanks Dean. So for roosters, the Skeet Out barrel would be the only one getting much action, although I have had a couple over the years coming right at me. Usually miss that shot but gettem on the "skeet out" about face. I did have a double on a pair of sharptails that came to me like a pair of ducks. Actually did get the first one as a "skeet in" and the second one was an about face and "skeet out" shot. Unfortunately, it was with my Winchester 1200 pump, so no Parker double pin for that. This was back in the late '70's. My long time hunting partner had put the pair up but they were way out of range for him. I was at least a couple hundred yards away and saw the birds leave and then head to me. I was "investigating" an abandoned dirty thirties farm house at the time. First sharpie almost dropped onto the roof and the second was onto the trail that lead in to the house. Now wondering if I can find any pics of that place. It is long gone now but the hedges are still there. Haven't been to that spot for a few years. Maybe next year. Too much snow now to even hope to get back into that spot. Thanks for the enlightenment.
Cheers,
Jack

[Bruce Day]

A friend and first time Parker owner bought the GHE at a good value. This will be a great gun for a first time owner and one that he can use as an all around shooter. I understand he is joining the PGCA and likes the PP's publication.

There seem to be many decent Parkers available. I don't know if it is the economy or because of an older generation of collectors reducing their holdings. Anyway, this is a good time for a person who has been wanting to buy a nice Parker to shoot.

[Bill Murphy]

I have a theory about Parkers and their availability. In the early days, Parkers were being manufactured in quantity and anyone needing one just placed an order and paid retail, then went hunting. In the thirties and forties, the economy and the pressures of the war caused Parkers, both high and low grades to be sold off at much less than their retail price and true value, which also led in a small way to the downfall of Parker sales and marketing of newly manufactured guns. In the fifties and early sixties, there was little interest and traffic in Parkers, either as users or collector guns. Collector grade Parkers largely stayed in the hands of people who had owned them for years. With the advent of the Peter Johnson book and an economy that allowed and appreciated more conspicuous and discretionary consumption, Parkers started to be rooted out of the attics of long time owners. This phenomenon continued from the mid sixties well into the eighties and to a lesser extent, to the present day. Parkers were being taken off the market for many years and placed into large groups rather than one gun per hunter. The collectors and accumulators of this period continued to age, and the nineties saw the first wave of a collector's selloff that continues to the present day. Because of the state of today's economy, there is not only the continuation of the grey haired selloff, there is accellerated interest on the buying side because of the depressed pricing. So now the accumulated collections of the sixties through the nineties are spread thinly similar to the early days. Certainly some of these auction guns will go into large collections, but many will go to either new collectors or collectors who do not have large accumulations. These are the serious collectors of the next twenty to forty years, when the cycle of the sixties through the nineties will start again. Because of the repeating cycles, there will always be good Parkers to be purchased.

[Dean Romig]

Good logic Bill. I think you're largely right.