Do Simmons Hardware records still exist somewhere?

[MarketHunter]

Parts laid around for years and were used long after the fact. How else to you explain the late damascus barrel guns that are occasionally seen? We just had one on here, a Trojan with twist tubes. Definitely not something they ordered special for those guns, just what was laying around to be used up.


Destry

[Bruce Day]

Forty were made up on special order from Iver Johnson Sporting Goods. Whether the barrels were just laying around, I can't say. I wasn't there. Parker filled an order , they had the barrels and they cut Iver Johnson price lower than standard fluid steel Trojans. We've seen records where Parker made numerous special deals at low prices. I've also seen V grades with Twist barrels, but don't know anything more about quantity, circumstances, etc.

[Don Kaas]

The issue is- can one use the W.K. inspection stamp to reliably date a Parker barrel without other factory records? The answer appears to be no, IMHO.

Walter King worked for Parker a long time. It would not surprise me that Walter King inspected re-barrel jobs that came in as these were one off jobs done by the repair department not in batch new gun production even when he was Superintendent. His father before him was involved in every aspect of the factory. He had a good teacher.

But as Bruce says, "I wasn't there." and no one else alive was either...

[Bruce Day]

Thanks to Mark for referring to the Hardware Collectors . I wonder if there is a similar site for the big gun dealers, such as Schoverling in NYC, etc.

I have a GHE from Tisdall Sporting Goods in Vancouver BC and just that history is interesting because they are rumored to have supplied great quantities of arms, shipped over as ancester's remains, to China for the Boxer Rebellion, and Tisdall later became the mayor and had quite a gun club in the city parks.

When I didn't have more than a couple Parkers, the history was only of passing interest to me, but now that I have all that I want or need and am not acquiring, the history seems more important......just an observation, maybe others experience the same.

[Don Kaas]

For years I collected things from E.K. Tyron in Philadelphia. Parkers, lots of Foxes, cases, catalogs, etc. It would have been so much more fun if there had been records to go along with the stuff so you could put a customer's name to a gun, for example...we are very lucky to have the Parker records we have...

[Bruce Day]

Don, I have a prized 1905 20ga CHE damascus with rondel engraving from Tryon, and have a copy of the order book page. If you would like a copy, let me know, of the order page, not the gun.

[Bill Murphy]

There are records of many companies out there in the collections of those who collect hardware history, city history, state history, tool history, meat grinder history, you name it. The internet has helped to get these people together, but we aren't all together yet. Those interested in these things will continue to try to connect with others interested in the same things. The PGCA has done their part and we are interested in others who have done theirs. There are hundreds of Simmons collectors who would be willing to assist.