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Barry, I'm willing to bet that in that photo David is showing the location of the T Haas proof mark See look where his finger is pointing!

Just kidding CC and yea I do remember the Barry photos at Northbrook. I didn't have a clue what we were looking at! Dave Norin and I were having a great time listening to you and Hugh Lomas. Of course I'm still upset that your ancestors threw my ancestors out of Scotland and then Ireland.

Last edited by Doug Mann; 12/21/06 12:24 AM.

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John Mann Esquire,I think it would be Interesting to compile a list of'Extraodinary Gentlemen'(LEG) that have been instrumental in keeping all these 'Lumps of Old Iron and wood in the Forefront of the 'Collectors(&Investors),say from the 1930's...I've been reading through my collection of American Rifleman(Bound in Red Stuff)back to 1931(Only problem is these all survived a basement sewer back-up in Indi-town) and I've spent Hours trying to seperate the pages!.But 21yrs later the pages tend to turn to old paper thats been down the 'John Crapper" Tuff to read, but Ive been copying as many of the photos that I can, "How to get the Rust off of Grandpappys Old .44Russian Smith&Wesson that he Killed Three Fingered Jack Dunlap with in Arizona,See gravesite in 'Boot Hill'I went there and took a couple of photos in 1976, The Stiff wire-wheel on the 1/3rd hp.'Lectric' was king for most restoration jobs back then!!! C/C

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Doug, this is the pic of Dennis Potter, yourself, and Dave Norin, editor of "Gunmaker" at last springs Northbrook( special thanks to Murray H)
[img][/img]


All the best,
Barry Lee Hands
http://www.barryleehands.com

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And speaking of american custom guns, this is a three bore pnumatic golf ball shotgun. Notice the "homeless" style caison. This gun fires six golf balls with an electrically actuated charge of 150 psi from the big red tank. I dont know the range,
[img][/img]


All the best,
Barry Lee Hands
http://www.barryleehands.com

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Barry,
According to the order book, the Czar's golf ball gun was not on a shopping cart.

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Barry,Better watch your timing when shooting your'Vertical shots" the Shuttle' is due to pass over your place, I think tomorrow! Where are you going to put the Gold Oval I've made for your'Custom Cart'?? Serious stuff now, The King of Romania's Pair of Purdeys are absolutely Perfect, after your'Cutting' the 'New-Bits' that I made, Harry Kell would have been proud to Shake your HANDS'.....I'll send photos of 'The Job' to Ken Hunt, he likes to see how We are keeping the Romance Alive!!..I will take "The Kings Purdeys" to Julia's for the'Photo Session with 'The Czar's'..Whoops!The 'Intended Order' for the Czar Nicholas II Parker Bros. 12b."I wonder where Czar N'II Marlin Shotgun that C.F.Ulrich carved the most Fantastic' Romanoff coat of Arms, both in the Steel, and into the Stock is these days???Maybe it went down(April 12 1912)With the 'Titanic'??? C/C

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“CZAR NICHOLAS II” PARKER SHOTGUN AT AUCTION

Someone recently contacted me and directed me to this forum regarding the various discussions of the up-coming “Czar’s Parker” shotgun. I was certain that the recent discovery of the real “Czar’s Parker” shotgun would stimulate a tremendous amount of discussion amongst Parker enthusiasts, and can see from the discussion there are a number of questions. I have some information which I think will address some of the questions, and would like to share this with everyone to hopefully expand the discussion.

First, for those of you who don’t know me, my name is Jim Julia. I own James D. Julia Auctioneers. One of my auction divisions specializes in quality firearms. In the last 2½ years we have conducted 5 quality gun auctions grossing a total of $30 million dollars. In this same period, we have sold approximately $6.5 million of high quality shotguns. In 2005, we auctioned Jim Parker’s collection of approximately 150 Parker shotguns. I’ve been involved with antiques of all types for approximately 40 years now, and have aspired during, that time, to maintain a reputation for honesty and fair dealing. To that extent, I employ consultants from all over the country to catalog for my various auctions, and in addition, provide a written guarantee for all my descriptions. The descriptions that I guarantee are limited guarantees; however, they are to ensure a fair representation of the goods being offered for the benefit of both the buyer and the seller. My expertise for firearms comes from my consultants. I have a general knowledge about firearms as I do about Tiffany Lamps or fine painting, but my true expertise is in marketing and presentation and things associated with the auction process itself.

In my opinion, the “Czar’s Parker” shotgun is arguably one of the most significant Parker shotguns ever produced by the venerable firm in Meriden, Connecticut. I believe this for a couple of reasons. First of all, certainly, over the years it has reached fabled status. Another very significant aspect about this shotgun, in my opinion, is what it meant or could have meant to the Parker firm. The Parker shotgun was one of the finest shotguns ever produced in North America, and while Parker produced superb shotguns and had attained a very reputable position in the double gun world, it’s reputation in the world context did not equal that of the old-time English double gun firms such as Purdy, Holland & Holland, Boss, etc. The regard of the Parkers in various countries outside the United States had just simply not risen to the level of what the gun actually was; subsequently, the production of this gun for one of the most important figures in the world and his anticipated using of this gun to hopefully favorable response represented a major opportunity for the Parker firm to better establish itself amongst the reigning superior shotguns of the world at the time. Colonel Colt, approximately 50 years earlier, had learned this lesson extremely well, and to that extent he expended tremendous amounts of money preparing special Colt firearms engraved and embellished with gold, etc., which he presented free of charge to notable persons both in this country and around the world. The result was a worldwide recognition, respect, and comparable sales orders for his Colt firearms.

REGARDING THE HISTORY OF THE “CZAR’S PARKER”:

[*]I anticipate that many, if not all, of the readers in this forum are aware of Peter Johnson’s book, Parker: America’s Finest Shotgun, published in 1961. I believe this is where the first real public exposure or story of the “Czar’s Parker” shotgun first really appeared to Parker collectors. It is now known that much of what Mr. Johnson had described as the Czar’s Parker was, in fact, not accurate or true. The extraordinary description, however, with purported lavish gold and embellishments certainly created a tremendous amount of speculation and eventually resulted in the production of an upgraded fantasy Parker made to conform with what Johnson’s information had described. [*]When another book, The Parker Story (Gunther, Mullins, Parker, Price, Cody) was published, a great amount of very serious scholarly research was done and a special chapter in this book went into considerable detail about the Czar’s Parker and a great deal of more accurate information was now available at this time as the result of research in the Parker archives. Nearly all of the information presented at that time has proven to be accurate as a result of the recent discovery of the real “Czar’s Parker” [*]Until October of this past year, I had never read about the Czar’s Parker, nor did I know that such a gun existed. At that time, I received a phone call from a young woman who explained that her mother-in-law owned a famous Parker shotgun. She went on to explain that her late husband had inherited it from his father who had purchased it directly from Parker, and she referred to it as the “Czar’s Parker”. I was immediately intrigued, set up an appointment to visit the owner and view the gun. After hanging up, I did some research on the gun by reading the article in The Parker Story which turned out to be very accurate, and also talked with my shotgun consultant, J. R. LaRue, about his knowledge of this special shotgun. On the day of the appointment, I met with the elderly owner together with her family and her family lawyer.

[*]The very affluent owner had decided to sell the shotgun essentially because she thought it would be fun and exciting. There’s certainly, by no means, any necessity on her behalf to have to sell that or anything else she owned. Her husband had passed away several years earlier, and once every few years she and the family had her guns reappraised by a firearms specialist, and recently the appraiser had talked to her about the possibility of selling the “Czar’s Parker.” According to the family, she had been made a significant offer on the gun. As a result of a later family discussion, it was decided that it would be far more exciting and interesting to offer this famous gun at auction, and this is what originally precipitated the phone call to my firm.
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IS THIS THE REAL“CZAR’S PARKER”?

[*]This gun unquestionably is the gun that has for years been referred to as the “Czar’s Parker.” The actual Parker records note the production of this gun by Serial #168304, which is, of course, the correct serial number on the gun I will be offering.

[*]The authors of the book, The Parker Story, researched the archives of the local newspaper, the Meriden Journal, and discovered in the archives for March 7, 1914, an article which not only specifically stated that the Parker Company was producing a shotgun for Czar Nicholas II, but the article included certain specific details which could only have come from someone inside the Parker firm.

[*]Accompanying the Parker is the original letter sent by Wilbur F. Parker, Jr., to the purchaser of the Czar gun (the now deceased father-in-law of the current owner). In the letter, as cited in The Parker Story, Mr. Parker specifically states that the gun was originally ordered by the officers on the staff of the czar, and that it was to be presented to him. From the tone of the letter, it is also clear that Mr. Parker was familiar with the buyer and refers to his recent hunting trip in the Canadian woods. He also attempts in the letter to encourage the buyer to consider having an exact 20 gauge made for his wife, also. (Yes, I checked with the family, and the 20 gauge was never ordered, unfortunately.) In addition to the original letter, also kept by the original buyer were the hang tags and the Whitworth Steel Barrel certificates. All of these are original. They are not photocopies of the original. The details on the hang tags conform to those still existing in the Parker records and conform to the gun I am selling. There is no question in my mind that this is the gun that is referred to as the “Czar’s Parker.”
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WAS THIS GUN IN FACT MADE FOR CZAR NICHOLAS II?

[*]I don’t believe that there is any conclusive or positive way to prove that it was, but of equal importance, there is no way to prove that it wasn’t, and the assumption really has to be that this gun was made for the Czar of Russia. In order to assume that it isn’t, we must establish that there was a great conspiracy within the Parker management to substantiate or even foster this. I am sure that there are many scholars out there who are very familiar with the Parker firm, its history, and its practices. To my knowledge, this was a reputable firm, and not one prone to outright lies and deceit, but I’m sure that there are some of you out there who have more detailed factual knowledge and information about the firm than I. If, in fact, the Parker firm was over the years involved in various conspiracies, then perhaps these questions have some merit; otherwise, the facts dictate otherwise. Not only was the information leaked to the local press where an article was written, but Mr. Parker himself, in a letter to the buyer and someone he was obviously personally familiar with specifically states that his firm originally made this gun for the Czar of Russia. Again, to assume that the gun was not being prepared for the Czar is to imply that Wilbur Parker was part of a conspiracy and purposely lied to the public and to the buyer. I certainly cannot prove that this is not the case, but as I said, it can equally be said that there is absolutely no proof to the contrary.
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WAS THE GUN EVER DELIVERED TO THE CZAR?

[*]It is obvious that the gun never was delivered to the Czar. Mr. Parker in his letter specifically states that, and also essentially states why. Obviously, had the gun been delivered to the Czar, and had he used it and commented on it favorably, and as a result ordered other Parkers this, indeed, would have been a tremendous coup for Parker, and certainly would have gone a long, long way stimulating a considerable amount of international sales for the Parker firm. Of course, it’s also quite obvious, that had this Parker ever been delivered to the Czar in light of the outbreak of the First World War, the over-throw of the Czar, etc., the gun would have most likely been lost forever. The fact that the gun was made for one of the most important heads of state in the world at the time, I believe, certainly adds a tremendous amount of appeal and historic value to this item as one of the most significant of all Parker productions.
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WHAT CAN BE THE VALUE OF THIS GUN?

[*]I realize that there has been a lot of discussion about this, and as some people have pointed out, an A1 Special is essentially worth $50,000 to $75,000. However, there is a value for history; and the price of history can, in some cases, be worth a significant amount of money. That amount of money is always determined by the buyers. A few years ago, I sold a Model 66 Winchester rifle which as a rifle only was worth between $3,000 and $5,000; however, it was proven to have been used at the Battle of The Little Big Horn and subsequently brought $684,000. History certainly has a significant impact upon the value of an object, and it is always very difficult to access exactly what amount of value that would have. The owner of the gun, I am told, was purportedly offered by a dealer essentially at the low end of my estimate range. As I said earlier, though, there has never been a Parker shotgun as fabled as the “Czar’s Parker”, nor one that potentially was or could have been of greater significance to the Parker firm and its history. I, of course, hope for a very high price not only for myself and my consignor, but also as I know from past experience should this particular Parker bring a very strong price it would also have a positive impact upon the value of quality Parkers in general. Much of my experience in the past has been that whenever a select Colt, a very important decoy, or an outstanding Tiffany item brings a truly strong price because of its significance, it tends to impart an upward trend or movement on other quality items of its genre. Less than a year ago, I sold a fine Colt Walker pistol for a now new world record of $431,000. As a result since that successful sale, a couple of other Walkers have come onto the market, and have brought considerably more than what they normally would have before the new world record price. Of course, the down side is for those who continue to collect, an increase in prices just makes it that much more difficult to buy the quality things that you’d like to add to your collection, and I realize that there are a certain amount of Parker lovers who for their own specific reasons would prefer to see Parker prices get cheaper rather than more expensive. In general, though, we all benefit by the notoriety and/or positive results that might possibly be realized on special occasions as this.
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IN REGARDS TO THE QUESTION ABOUT THE ATYPICAL STOCK AND WHETHER IT IS A PARKER STOCK OR NOT

[*]The stock is not a Parker stock and has been replaced, and this replacement was not made by the Parker firm, and I’m sure any Parker scholar would know that after examining the stock in person. It is my theory that the stock was purposely changed--not a replacement for a previously broken stock. I believe that the original owner (long since deceased) who purchased it from the Parker firm required a longer pull than the Czar did. The stock, as per the original Parker hang tag, and as per the information detailed in the Parker records had a 14” pull. The current stock has a 15” pull, and reflects the obvious larger stature of it’s American owner as opposed to the 14” stock ordered for the Czar. I believe, however I cannot prove, that the replacement stock was made at the direction of Abercrombie & Fitch. The original buyer lived in New York, and was a frequent customer of the nearby Abercrombie & Fitch store. At the time that the stock was replaced, a small gold medallion was embedded in the stock and an Abercrombie & Fitch leather case was made to specifically accommodate this new longer stock which also was embellished with his initials. The replacement stock and the case probably were built at the time that the original owner had the gun and before the current owner’s husband inherited it. Unfortunately, the original stock and case must have been misplaced or lost at the time the estate was settled. No one in the current family knows of its whereabouts or recalls seeing it in the current owner’s (their mother’s) home.
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ONE QUESTION AROSE REGARDING WHAT THE GRADE OF GUN SHOULD HAVE BEEN:

[*]According to a printed book of serial numbers, this serial number should have been an AAHE grade. This gun is most definitely an A1 Special; and, in fact, is exactly what was ordered according to the hang tags. The incorrect information in the book with the serial numbers resulted at the time that the book was compiled. The author of the book, when instructing the data entry person, had taught them that an A1 Special was $500; and so that any gun whose sale price equaled $500 would have been an A1 Special. Whereas a $375 gun would have been an AAHE. However, what he failed to point out to the data entry person was that during that time period in 1914, Parker reduced the price on their A1 Specials to $375, obviously to stimulate the sale of a greater number of these high-grade guns.
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ARE THE DOCUMENTS GENUINE?

[*]This is a very practical question. As the historic value of objects become greater and greater, more and more people resort to creating more and more convincing ways to prove an object is genuine; and now, oftentimes, one needs to analyze such provenance very carefully. I have been involved in the antiques business for approximately 40 years, and have during that period handled a great number of historic items, and also have been exposed during that period of time a great number of items that have turned out to be fake. I’ve learned not only to question documents, but also to learn the value of supporting evidence. Having handled numerable documents over the years, I am reasonably familiar with period documents, and I can positively guarantee these documents to be unquestionably genuine and original. Not only are they genuine and original, but as equally important are the circumstances surrounding the documents and the gun. The gun has not passed through multiple hands. It has remained in the same family since its purchase from Parker in 1915. The current elderly owner, a lady of pride and integrity, has no motivation or need to be involved in a fraud, but also is personally incapable of doing something of this nature. The documents absolutely and positively are genuine and period to the gun.
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I hope that the information I supplied here serves to answer questions that some of you may have, and I know that at least a couple of noted authors are in the process of writing articles about the gun, and I’m sure that these stories will have further details and information valuable to all Parker scholars. In addition, in another week I will be publishing a number of pictures on my website of the certificates, the hang tags, etc, so that any of you who would like to look at them will be able to access them on our website http://www.juliaauctions.com.
On another note, I know that a few Parker collectors are planning on attending the sale, and then hope to get together. There are various hotels nearby our auction facility in the nearby town of Waterville, Maine (approximately four miles away). We do, however, have a special arrangement with the Holiday Inn that provides a discounted rate to anyone attending our Firearms auction. When you call to make your reservations, you specify that you are going to the Julia Firearms auction and they will quote you a preferred rate which I believe is somewhere around $50 (either a little less or a little more, but I know it is somewhere in this range). The auction will include many other fine shotguns including other fine Parkers. We will have at least two days preview prior to the auction of the Parker, and there is a preview each day of the auction commencing at 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., the time of the actual auction. We offer complimentary food and drink during our preview times and on the days of the auction a complimentary lunch together with beverages. If I or my firm can be of further assistance to any Parker enthusiasts, we would certainly like to hear from you.
Sincerely,

Jim Julia

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Thanks for the background, Jim. I've bought a few Parkers from you in the past few auctions and have been pleased with all of them. I can't say your appraisers are flawless but they do a great job and I consider your auction house the best there is for guns. As I wish to stay married I won't be bidding on the Czar's gun.

I'd like to toss in my 2 cents on the comment "and as a result ordered other Parkers this, indeed, would have been a tremendous coup for Parker, and certainly would have gone a long, long way stimulating a considerable amount of international sales for the Parker firm."

I understand the basis for this statement and as you note "I can't disprove it" but it's also quite possible the Czar would have taken a glance at the gun and said "Wow, very nice" then tossed it in his gun room with the dozens of other fine guns he must have owned. He might have never used it, or maybe he would have put it in the "Guest Use" rack. My point being that while any of us would flip out over this gun he might well have just gotten a momentary rise out of it. We all know what F. Scott Fitgerald said about the very rich.....

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The American gun has never been well throught of world-wide, but in turn, we've been deluged by all this Continental European crap.
...and still you buy 'em!
Glad these things stay at home.



Last edited by Lowell Glenthorne; 01/05/07 08:23 PM.
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Does the Czar's gun have the same insides as my 1913 VH?

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