fs: 1934 meriden parker 12ga upgrade, A1S gold inlays 26" VR IC/MOD

let me begin by apologizing for the below average pics. im using an old cannon a40 and its the best i can get with old technology.
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i want to thank the PGCA and its membership, with special thanks to mr. bill murphy, lifetime member of the parker collectors assoc. for his gracious and unselfish assistance by sharing some info on my gun. and he quotes:
"parker records indicate that 240,497 was originally made as a DHE grade 26", vent rib, ejector, single trigger gun."

so, for your consideration, here is my mystery parker. its been in the safe for 30 years. it is a 1934 'one of the last' meriden ct guns made prior to parker being bought out by remington. this is NOT a galazan build or a winchester/parker reproduction.
it has all the attributes of a 12ga A1S: vr, btfa, skeleton buttplate, ejectors, sst. it sports an unusually short 26" bbl. muzzles touch. it wasnt cut. this gun was bought in 1992 at the richmond fairgrounds gun show from allen wampler of washington d.c., while he was managing the parker collectors assoc display table. its not common for real factory parker A1S's to have gold, let alone 7 inlays with remarkable gold outlines and wedding bands. so right off the bat i suspected this gun was upgraded/aftermarket. allen concured. many parker collectors that have handled this gun go back and forth but tend to point towards it being a pachmayr upgrade made on a lower grade original. allen told me that this gun was custom made for the (governor of maryland.) which one? its unknown. thus the mystery, since the claim hasnt been verified or discovered yet.
to help you decide, the maryland governors of that time frame were as follows:
1920-1935 Albert C. Ritchie
1935-1939 Harry W. Nice
1939-1947 Herbert R. O'Conor
1947-1951 William Preston Lane, Jr.
1951-1959 Theodore R. McKeldin
many may argue that the execution of this engraving deserved a better canvas. maybe so, but it leads me to believe it was ordered by and made for someone special or it wouldnt have gotten the attention to detail it received from the artist.

the gun obviously was enjoyed, it has ejector marks on the breech face, the bbls are loose on the lug, but all is tight when closed and in battery. locking lever locks at 6 o'clock. the forend iron has the factory reinforced beavertail forend loop. the barrels chime but the rib doesn’t in the middle. there is a faint hairline crack in the forearm wood near the iron on the right side. its so faint, its easy to miss unless you know where to look. it was repaired by (mitch) at gunsmithing limited in southport ct.. the stock has field dimensions closer to that of a skeet stock. im sorry i cant offer the drop, comb, heal measurements at this time. being the gun started life as a DHE, it had to be restocked to bring it up to A1S level when it was upgraded. as well done as it is, the stock and forearm finish dont match. one is glossier than the other. its a short lop at 13.5". obviously made to specs for the owner. but it still points well for a fellow like me with a 14.5" lop. a leather slip on would fix any length issues. it has 60-70% original case colors with 100% engraving coverage on the receiver and forearm. the detail of the engraving and gold work is amazing, flawless, and stunning. the release latch alone is a work of art. members of the PGCA have noted that the engraving is not the classic runge style, so who the artist was is still a mystery. some say its an angelo style; but, if he was working for pachmayr when he did it, he couldnt sign it. there is no (bee) signature located on the gun. there is an unsolved clue on the water table. the initials AW appear. some say it could be an alvin white engraving of colt fame. i highly doubt it. it isnt his style.

ive shot this gun with much pleasure. when shouldered, it comes up as if your hands are empty. perfectly balanced. ejectors are in time. it has a hair trigger, yet passed the gunsmiths bump test done in 1996. if lawrence plylinski says its ok, its ok. bores are shiny and measure out at 021 and 023. thats all i have on measurements. the vent rib is engraved and is parker marked with arrows pointing inward to the logo. beads are round marbles type ivory of the era. the case is an elk river that needs to have its green felt re-glued. the grip cap is clear of any initials or engraving. if this was a REAL factory A1S, it would bring in over 100,000+, but mine is not a real one. yet, whatever drawback it has being an upgrade and loose on the lug, is made up for by the quality of engraving & GOLD. a letter of authentication and certification from the PGCA will accompany this gun.

make this gun yours for a fraction the cost of a real one. park it in your safe and give it to your grand kids for future generations to know what american quality of days gone past was like. and who knows? if you do your homework, and it turns out to have really been made for the governor...i will look for you fainting on antiques road show some day.
25,000.00 plus s&h, lower 48 only, as is was is. ffl to ffl.

 

more pics...

 

more pics...

 

partial trades considered.

 

Resembles what might be Angelo Bee engraving.
I know he did work for Pachmayr. Beautiful upgrade.

 

thank you.
i looked for his bee signature and couldnt find it.

 

btt...