A.H. Fox Sterlingworth "Pin Gun" questions

[CLAYBORN]

Don't see a lot of the "Pin Guns". I'm wondering if the "Pin Gun" is more valuable then the other A.H. Fox guns. I'm referring to the standard grade of guns. I realize that all A.H. Fox guns are keepers, but is the "Pin Gun" truly a keeper just because of the recessed pin. Were all the "Pin Guns" made before 1912 when A.H. Fox got out of the gun making business? Maybe you could answer these questions for me. It would be appreciated greatly.
Later,
Clay

[fox-admin]

In my opinion they have the same value to collectors as any other Sterlingworth except the "The Sterlingworth Co. marked guns. By my estimate 10000+ pin guns were made until about 1911-1912. The rare pin guns are the rounded panel style marked Philadelphia (before serial number 50800)and the Wayne Junction marked guns (before serial number 50200). Just my humble opinion.

[ASavageFox]

Clay,

In my few years of watching the fox market generally speaking a pin gun really does NOT bring much of a premium (a little for sure but not much) with a few exceptions... an ejector pin gun will certainly fetch more than a standard SW ejector... likewise I would think that a pin gun with serious condition would fetch a premium over a like conditioned standard SW. There are several versions of pin guns... there were the earliest that say "The Sterlingworth Co" on the side of the receiver as well as on the barrel and have an address of Wayne Junction PA. There are not many of these (likely less than 200), then there are similar pin guns with "the Sterlingworth Co" on the receiver but the barrel address is Phila PA.... both of these had rounded receiver cheeks.... then there are the pin guns that just say "Sterlingworth" on the receiver and have a Phila PA barrel address which are certainly the most common and have the standard pointed receiver cheeks.

Within these categories there are other unique characteristics that could possibly effect value. Things like stamping on the barrel flats and/or water table... such as "Model 1910." Likewise, I would think that a factory short or very long barrelled (26 or 32") pin gun (if any exist-I'm not know sure I've ever seen one but have also never looked for one) would command a decent premium over a like standard SW.

So in my opinion, a "run of the mill" 28" or 30" pin gun (probably 85% of all pin guns) command very little premium to a standard SW to most collectors....

just my $.02

PS Fox did not stop making guns until late 1929 when they were bought out by Savage.

Hopefully Researcher will step in here and correct all of my blatant errors...

[ASavageFox]

I see Craig had a much more succinct answer while I was typing...

[bamboozler]

12-ga. 30" Sterlingworth Ejector Pin gun #61039 was shipped from Fox's plant in Philadelphia on April 16, 1913. It's been estimated, by those more informed than myself, that there were only about 400 or so Sterlingworth Ejector Pin guns ever produced. For this "scarcity", I would have been willing to pay a hefty premium for an ejector pin gun over a standard run-of-the-mill smooth hinged Sterlingworth Ejector gun--but I feel I was lucky as the seller of the gun below wasn't asking a premium.

[eightbore]

I know of one 32" Sterlingworth pin gun locally. I don't know how scarce they really are. I have resisted offers to sell this nice gun because the high condition does not seem to be completely original. Maybe I should reconsider? Who has seen them?

[CLAYBORN]

ASavageFox,
Good answers, I can see where the one I bought fits in. It is in the 85% category. I only gave $250.00 for it and the wood is good and locks up tight. Want to use it for a shooter with some proud American heritage behind it. Think $250.00 was a good price? It was the best I found in all my searching. It has a small dent in one barrel, but it is up from the choke so should be able to be removed. Can't get much for $250.00 in any line of Fox. I know Fox made guns until 1928, but
A.H. Fox was not at the helm, so I understand, he quite in 1912. They used his name and patents I guess. Sort of like what the Conneticut company is doing now with the Fox replicas. Not sure I know what I'm talking about, sure enjoy hearing from you all.
Later,
Clay

[ASavageFox]

Clay,

you did outstanding, at $250 that is a STEAL... parts guns sell for that if the barrels are good... get it cleaned up and get the dent removed and shoot that thing and be happy with your gun!! Post up some pictures... everyone enjoys pictures!

Eightbore... I would give it some serious consideration if the price was right, the gun was tight, and the choke was still in it... I can get over a little refinish... I do like original condition but in opinion two things drive my desires, condition and scarcity... a real winner is when you find both but either one for the right price will sell me...

[Researcher]

Seems like a good place for my old "canned" Sterlingworth reply --

Sterlingworth -- When Ansley H. Fox, was forced to add a lower priced gun to his line of graded Ansley H. Fox guns, in 1910, he didn't want to detract from the A.H. Fox Gun Co. name, so they dummied up "The Sterlingworth Company." The first year’s guns, beginning with serial number 50,000, were marked as being "Made By The Sterlingworth Company, Philadelphia, U.S.A." Actually the first few hundred were marked "Wayne Junction" instead of Philadelphia. They even produced a separate The Sterlingworth Gun Co. catalogue for 1910. These guns were built under the same patents as the graded Ansley H. Fox guns. The main moneysaving features were an American Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) stock as opposed to the more costly European thin shell walnut (Juglans regia) stocks on the graded guns, and the "Sterlingworth Fluid Steel" barrels instead of Krupp Fluid Steel barrels. Workmanship on these early Sterlingworths was generally excellent, better than graded guns from the 1920's and 30's. The early "The Sterlingworth Company" guns had a rounded front for the side panel of the frames. According to my list of observed specimens that was changed to the same pointed profile as the graded guns by #51,301.

In 1911 this field grade gun was added to the A.H. Fox Gun Co. catalogue as the Model 1911. "Model 1911" is stamped in the forearm iron. (A very few graded guns made about this time are stamped Model 1910) The lowest Model 1911 serial number I've recorded is #53,140. All of these early Sterlingworths had a recessed hinge-pin head like Parkers, or Ansley's earlier guns made in Baltimore and the Philadelphia Arms Company A.H. Fox gun. The highest "pin gun" Sterlingworth serial number I've recorded is # 62,244. After that Sterlingworth hinge-pins are dressed smooth like the graded guns. When the small-bores (16- and 20-gauge) were added to the Ansley H. Fox line they were briefly referred to in some flyers as the Model 1912, but I've never seen one so stamped. Graded 20-gauge guns have serial numbers beginning with 200,000 and 20-gauge Sterlingworths 250,000. Graded 16-gauge guns have serial numbers beginning with 300,000 and 16-gauge Sterlingworths 350,000.

Most of the Philadelphia produced S-worths had the word "Sterlingworth" roll stamped on each side of the frame. After production moved to Utica, Savage started using a "Fox-Sterlingworth" roll stamp.

When the Sterlingworth came out in 1910 it had a price of $25. That climbed to $55 by 1919. A.H. Fox Gun Co. reduced the price to $48 in 1922 and again to $36.50 in 1926. Workmanship of course declined. Savage kept the $36.50 price until June 1932 when they upped it to $39.50. On February 10, 1936, they upped the price again to $42.85 (the digits 2 and 8 are transposed in McIntosh's book). On February 1, 1938, Savage tried a price cut and dropped it to $35. February 1, 1939, they upped the price to $44.75. January 2, 1940, up again to $48.50. January 2, 1941, up to $52.65 and June 16 up again to $56.50. January 2, 1942, up again to $64.95.

For $40 Graded or $30 Sterlingworth (last prices I've seen quoted) you can get a factory letter on most any Ansley H. Fox shotgun (Philadelphia or Utica) from Mr. John T. Callahan, 53 Old Quarry Road, Westfield, MA 01085. The information exists on the factory work-order cards, probably 85+% of which still exist. Send him the complete serial number and a check, and he can do the rest. That would tell you the specifications of the gun when it left the factory.

There were more 12-gauge Sterlingworths made than any other Fox double (some 110,000, the great majority with 30- or 28-inch barrels), so unless in exceptionally high condition or with features such as automatic ejectors or factory original 26- or 32-inch barrels, they are about an $800 gun. It is impossible to truly evaluate a gun with out having it in hand, but average 12-gauge Sterlingworths are about $800 guns.

My two-part article on Sterlingworths was in The Double Gun Journal, Volume Fifteen, Issues 3 and 4, with some corrections (due to Cote' editing) in Volume Sixteen, Issue 2.

[CLAYBORN]

Researcher,
Thanks for the information and your effort to inform me on what I have. I do appreciate your efforts. Thanks again,
Clay