To Restore or Not to Restore

[Shawn Craig]

All:

Please forgive if this sounds like a noob question. I inherited a Remington Made Parker after my dad died last December. Dad loved shotguns of all kinds and he held onto this one thinking it might be worth something.

The gun is post Remington #237XXX VM 16 GA. The "Parker" is on the bottom of the Receiver and not on the side. The bluing on the barrel is gone. The flame treatment on the receiver, if there ever was any, is gone. The receiver and barrels are engraved. There is a duck/goose engraved on the left inside a circle. The circle on the right side is empty. The butt stock has some issues. One of the previous owners carved his name just above the butt plate.

Overall to me it looks like a neglected old gun that you usually see at the swap meet. The real question I suppose is - Is this a diamond in the rough or should I sell it at the next gun show to somebody looking for a gun to use as parts?

Please forgive me if that sounds too matter of fact. Dad raised us around shotguns and rifles our entire lives, and we have our own collections. Now we are tasked with sorting dads collection of 20+ shotguns of various manufacturers and actions.

Is this old girl worth refinishing? What is the market or value of a refinished Remington built Parker?