Check the standard stuff on it. The serial number should match on the frame (action flat), bbls, forend (inside on the F/E iron flat). The trigger guard will have the serial # hand engraved on it even on the V grade.
No choke markings on the bbls till Remington took over production.
Make sure the bbls haven't been cut at all,,a real value killer on SxS guns,,especially Parkers, Fox, LC Smith and the like.
Not ncommon to see 30" bbls clipped to 28".
The old 'ends touching' doesn't always tell the whole story. Some left the factory w/o the tubes touching at the end. Some you can cut back 2 inches and still get the tubes to touch when resoldering.
The rib matting on top always had a blank empty space of about 1/16 to 1/8" at the muzzle. It didn't run right to the end and off.
It stopped short at a single hand cut line accross the rib and then the blank area in front of it.
Cut bbls will usually show the matting right to the end/edge of the rib.,,BUT sometimes if the matting is shallow enough, a space and cross line can be put back in there and all looks well again.
Bores can look great but also have been honed out. Depending on how much was taken out and how original you want the gun or for what purpose,,it should be priced accordingly.
Check choke constriction and choke length too. Cut bbls may still have a bit of the old choke in them,,but the length of the constriction inside the bore will be very short,,a sign they've been cut. Parker chokes were 2 to 2 1/2" in length.
An early enough 12ga gun will have 2 5/8" chambers IIRC. I can't remember right off hand when the 2 3/4" came to be standard. MAny have been lengthened,,some have had the forcing cones lengthened as well. Each job has to be judge by itself for quality and safety. The bbl starts to step down in thickness right about where the chamber/forcing cone is. Any work done there should be done only after some measuring and calculations. Same with bbl wall thickness and honing out the bores.
That stuff holds true for any sxs.
Butt plate standard was a hard rubber material w/ a 'dog's head' image in the center. A tiny spur extends and is inletted into the stock at the top on Meriden mfg..
The 'Dog's Head Butt Plate' is most common, but PArker would even on the V grade supply recoil pads from the factory.
Many times the fragile hard rubber plates have been cracked and then replaced with a later modern mfg'r recoil pad. Sometimes the stock cut along with that and the once again the value goes down.
Originality,,even just a hint of it on the gun,,is worth everything on a Parker.
'Off the face' bbls are not as easy a fix as Fox or LCS as far as parts change. The hinge pin is a complicated shape and it's not just a case of replacing with a slightly larger diameter one.
Look at the bbl 'hook' for any welding, refitting, peening, soldered shims, dovetailed inserts, ect. All attempts to tighten up a loose off the face action. Some work,,some should not be attempted.
Anything other than double triggers, extractors, pistol grip stock and splinter style forend is considered special order. Some features seen more often than others. Ejectors and single selective trigger drive the price up quicker than anything as far as options.
A 12ga on a #2 frame is very common. Others not so as 'msinc' points out above.
A garden variety 12 VH well worn shotgun but unaltered is probably priced about right in the $800 area. I stress 'unaltered'.
Educate yourself or have someone that knows the guns look it over before buying. I'll second the advise of msinc on that.
If I'm lucky someone else has bought it and I won't have to think about it.
