Fox Gold Medal - Pan Pacific Exposition

[Phillip Woody]

At the Rock Mountain SXS event last year Mr. Bill Jolliff offered to let me handle his spectacular Fox gun originally built for display at the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition. That was quite a thrill for me as a novice Fox collector. Thank you again Bill.

Some Fox advertisements and literature refer to the "gold medal" won by the Fox gun company at the Exposition. My understanding is the gold medals were made of gold plated bronze. They feature the image of a man and woman touching hands, representing the joining of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at the Isthmus of Panama. The reverse sometimes included the name of the winning company or business.

Does anyone know the whereabouts of the Fox gold medal???

It appears all excess medals and US commerative gold and silver Exposition coins not awarded or sold were destroyed immediately by the San Francisco mint.

[Silvers]

Phil, sorry I don't know about the gold medal but anyone interested in Fox at the Panama Pacific Expo should refer to Tom Kidd's excellent article Fox's Blue Ribbon in Volume 2, Issue 4 of the DGJ. His article includes many pictures of spectacular Foxes along with historical info on the PPE. Harry Overbaugh led it up for Fox; he was Southern District sales manager and a company competition shooter.

[bbman3]

I once owned a beautiful AE 20 ga that was a display gun n the Expo. Bobby

[MARSHFELLOW]

Phillip, that is an excellent & fascinating question. That would be a wonderful piece to have.
tjw

[Phillip Woody]

Thanks for your replies. This has bugged me since I first read the McIntosh book years ago. I believe there are images of the paper certificate and ribbon that accompanied the Fox gold medal, but I've never seen any evidence of the medal itself...an important, but missing, piece of Fox history in my opinion. Probably resting comfortably in someone's sock drawer or attic somewhere!!!

The Expo was a truly historic and revolutionary event in our nation's history. A phone line was connected between New York and San Francisco so people back east could hear the Pacific Ocean for the first time. The liberty bell was shipped by rail from Philadelphia for display at the Expo...the only time it has left Philadelphia since. The US mint struck a set of commerative gold and silver coins for the Expo...the first and perhaps only commeratives to ever include the "In God We Trust" statement.

I will definitely read the Tom Kidd article. Thanks Silvers.

[jolly bill]

I met Phil (the originator of this thread) last September at Rock Mountain and we had a great time talking with each other. I had my XE12 Pan Pac Expo gun with me and he enjoyed looking at it.

It obviously inspired him to do some research on that event and we have done some emails back and forth on the subject. He was curios about the where about's of the Fox medal so I suggested he start a thread and see if the Fox collectors out there could shed some light.

Those not familiar with what happened back in 1915 in San Francisco should read Tom Kidd's DGJ story as Silvers/Frank suggested above.

I've posted a picture of one of the Commemorative medals that were minted, compliments of Phil; along with a picture of the Fox display at that event, compliments of Tom K; and a picture of the award that was given to Fox, also compliments of Tom K. and pictures of 2 guns that were there.

By the way, Phil is another ex-USN vet, him a nuclear sub sailor, me a surface tanker sailor.

(I've added a couple more pictures. See the next thread.)

Commemorative Gold Coin

One of the Commemorative Gold Medals

Fox gun display

Fox Gun Display

Gold Medal Award Certificate

Award Certificate

12 Gauge Special

12 Gauge Special

16 Gauge Special

[jolly bill]

Pictures of two more of those Commemorative Gold Coins, plus close ups of the Fox Display and XE12 that was at the Expo.

[Phillip Woody]

Thanks for posting those photos Bill. That was quite a display setup for Fox at the Expo. I will try to learn more about the Expo guns.

My understanding is the disc with the male and female figures is the type of gold medal (gold plated bronze) that would have been awarded to Fox gun company and other winners. The same medal was produced in silver and bronze.

The other two images are of special commerative US coins struck at the San Francisco mint and sold only during the Expo. The octagonal $50 gold piece was the centerpiece of the coin set. The prototype coins were struck at the Philly mint. I find many connections between Philadelphia and the Pan-Pac Expo.

[Researcher]

There were 15,000 $1, 6749 $2.50 and (483 round and 645 octagonal) $50 commemorative gold coins for the Panama - Pacific Exposition. There were also 27,134 silver commemorative fifty cent pieces.

[JasonPeck]

How many of these certificates are out there?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-GOLD-MEDA ... 2947903540

[loggy]

Bill,
Thanks for sharing!
John

[Researcher]

For a while after his Panama - Pacific Exposition article, T.K. was selling them for $49.95.

It appears Gold Medal Awards were given out at the PPE for showing up --

Paste-In 1915-16 Remington Arms-Union Metallic Cartridge Co. catalogue

1916 Winchester Catalogue No. 80

1917 A.H. Fox Gun Co. catalog

[JasonPeck]

Dave, does that mean 200 originals or 200 reprints?

[Researcher]

I don't know the answer to that.

[eightbore]

I have the Sterlingworth "$25.00" poster from the 1915 display, and there is only one of them. If you look closely, you can see it in the picture of the display in the right rear corner.