2 Parker Brothers Shotguns

brownbergington · 03-13-2015, 06:32 PM

Hello everyone. I've been researching for hours without much luck. My grandfather is selling his entire gun collection and I'm attempting to help him place a value on the guns. I also want to share the history of the guns but I'm having trouble grading them. Any help would be appreciated.

He has 1 Parker Brothers gun with a 2 barrel set from 1908 (1 twist and 1 damascus). The other Parker Brothers gun is from 1904 and is missing the stock. Pictures are attached with the identifiable marks and numbers. I literally know almost nothing about these guns including the gauge.

A couple of specific questions: is the 2 barrel set the same gauge? Anything rare or special about either gun?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks everyone. I'm looking forward to learning! This has been cross posted to shotgunworld as well.

1908 Parker: https://drive.google.com/folderview?...2M&usp=sharing

1904 Parker: https://drive.google.com/folderview?...kk&usp=sharing

Kevin McCormack · 03-13-2015, 06:35 PM

Your listed https: sites are not accessible as listed.

brownbergington · 03-13-2015, 06:38 PM

Fixed. Thanks for the heads up.

Pa SxS · 03-13-2015, 06:59 PM

The first gun is a DH, 10ga. 2 barrel set. The Damascus barrels should be 32" long, the Twist barrels should be 30". Sorry I can't help you with valuation. Review the links on the PGCA home page to learn more about Parker shotguns.

brownbergington · 03-13-2015, 07:20 PM

I thought the same as well Pa SXS, but the barrels look like they are different sizes, almost like a 10 ga./12 ga. set.

Researcher · 03-13-2015, 07:22 PM

As I posted on the other site when I directed you here --

128056 is a Quality 2 (the 2 above the serial number on the watertable) hammerless or GH-Grade (the G below the serial number on the watertable) which is a 1904 vintage gun according to the serial number chronology in the book The Parker Story. The GH-Grade of that era came with Damascus barrels. The gun is a 2-frame gun, the 2 on the bottom of the barrel lug. From the picture of the barrel lug we can see the gun has been fitted with the post-1910 bolt and replaceable bolt-plate on the lug, so it was back to Meriden sometime after 1910.

146931 is a Quality 3 hammerless or DH-Grade of 1908 vintage. The DH-Grade guns of that era normally came with either Damascus barrels or Titanic Steel barrels. From the picture of the barrel lugs we can see this gun has also been fitted with the post-1910 bolt and replaceable bolt-plates on the lugs, probably when it was back to Meriden to fit the extra set of Twist barrels. The 3 on the bottoms of the barrel lugs indicate it is a 3-frame gun which were most often 10-gauge, but it appears that the set of Twist may be smaller like a 12-gauge. Often when a customer sent a gun back for an extra set of barrels he opted for a lower price set like these Twist barrels which are standard for the Quality 1 or PH-Grade gun. That extra screw through the trigger guard on 146931 is not a good thing.

We need a dozen or so more pictures showing the stock and forearms and we need to see the muzzle end of the ribs on the barrels to tell if any have been cut which would greatly effect market value.

It appears that 146931 got a PH- or VH-grade stock at some point in its life, and of course that Remington butt plate with the Phillips screws is non-original.

Good job on the additional photos. However, one thing I was looking for were pictures of the top rib at the muzzle to see if this little unmated band is present, indicating the barrels haven't been cut --

6pt-Sika · 03-13-2015, 08:08 PM

Certainly possibilities there !

Pa SxS · 03-13-2015, 08:21 PM

Researcher is correct, the twist barrels are 12ga. The GH is also 12ga.

brownbergington · 03-13-2015, 09:54 PM

Added the pics of the barrel to the links above. It looks like the Twist barrel on the DH has the band and the barrel is 30''. The DH Damascus barrel is 32'' and does not have the band.

On the GH gun, the barrel doesn't have the band and is 26'', also a Damascus barrel.

brownbergington · 03-13-2015, 10:01 PM

I'm really curious if I should let him sell them to someone else or if I should be buying them. I've never hunted next to these guns so my attachment is only due to the fact that my grandfather owns them. I just don't want something that is beautiful and valuable to go to someone outside the family if they are worth keeping for another 50 years. I think these are only 2-owner guns.