Another Henry F. Tenney Parker

[BRDHNTR]

Received an email out of the blue yesterday from the brother of a close friend who tells me he has another HFT parker. It's a 12 ga VH ser # 231162 circa 1929 vintage. What does the book indicate about this. I've not seen it but he's shipping it to me for evaluation on condition etc. Believe it to be 28 inch barrels. Picture below is all I have at this point. Looks like butt plate is missing.
Any info on this in the good Book?

I'll post more photos when I receive this double next week.

[Double Lab]

Sorry Allen, no info in the book for this one.

[BRDHNTR]

This is the second VH I've inquired about where there's been no info in the book. Is this particular to the lower end Parkers? What would explain no record? records lost in transition from Parker to Remington. Were Parker's record keeping practices not consistent?

[OH Osthaus]

there are some members that know a lot more about it than me

but I do not think the missing data has anything to do with grades-

the gaps occur mostly in ranges - blocks of numbers some quite large - and many of the numbers not in the book still have info available for letters -

So I think it was just a matter of what was available to the author when he made his lists

[BRDHNTR]

Thanks Rick. I was wondering that since the trojan and vh grades were produced in such large numbers compared to the higher grade doubles, that Parker Borthers might not have been as concerned about their record keeping for these 'production' models than others. Thanks for the quick response. I wish this was a 20 ga or 28 ga he was shipping to me. I need another 12 ga likje a hole in the head.

[Kevin McCormack]

Originally Posted by allen newell

Thanks Rick. I was wondering that since the trojan and vh grades were produced in such large numbers compared to the higher grade doubles, that Parker Borthers might not have been as concerned about their record keeping for these 'production' models than others. Thanks for the quick response. I wish this was a 20 ga or 28 ga he was shipping to me. I need another 12 ga likje a hole in the head.

NO, NO, NO! Parker scribes were religious about their record keeping, and did not discriminate according to grades or numbers produced. True, there were errors occasionally, but the simple truth is that a number of Stock as well as Order Books are missing - read TPS! Some books were inadvertantly destroyed, some 'borrowed' and never returned, and a very few probably stolen. It is a fact that when the basement machine room in "The Arms" was flooded, some of the Stock Books, being of much larger format than the Order Books, were actually used like flagstones for stepping stones between rooms. The had been stored there in large wooden machine parts crates and were put into service to keep employees' feet dry!

[Ed Blake]

Its really just luck of the draw. Parker records are not available on some years. It's not a big deal IMO overall, but when you get into the higher grade guns it can be problematic if you can't authenticate. Upgrades on lower grade guns have been known to happen. I have several guns that are not in the record book. Early 1900s and around WWI.

[Dean Romig]

When the Parker records were copied at Remington, from what I understand, some blocks of lower grade guns were not recorder - the thinking by those who omitted them was that only the high grade guns' records were to be copied.

We're just darn lucky we got what we got, despite some of the inherent problems when there is a bit of miscommunication.

[BRDHNTR]

Thanks Dean. I figured the transition from PB to Rem. might have something to do with it. BTW, are you going to the Southern? If so, are you driving down or flying. Jean is pushing me out the door to go.

[Autumn Daze]

Also there are several books that suffered the ravages of time and were lost, damaged/missing etc. We know that at least a few books are in private hands.