Fox Collectors

The Southern starts tomorrow. These pics were taken during late afternoon setup today. About 1/2 of the table vendors were already there and at least 30 Fox guns f/s were seen so far. Check out the pic of the NOS Hawkins pads, no wonder we can't find any on the open market.

Well.........it's 2:30 MS time, 3:30 NC time. Rolled into Sanford an hour ago. Trying to wind down and get some sleep but......wonder if anyone is standing guard duty right now?


Mike

Mike,

I take it you are attending this event?

If so, could you please find out the vender name and his/her phone number, that has the Hawkins pads?

I need a replacement pad for a Fox XE that was ordered with a Hawkins pad.

Have a good time!

I was finally able to get on wifi this morning. The hotel system is overloaded with guests. Plenty of Foxes at the Southern, many SW's both 12 gage and smallbores, also early and late A's, one BE 26" second gen gun, quite a few C' grades, one early D, two XE's and a nice J grade SBT gun. I probably forgot some. Also some other neat Foxy goodies. Scaupman I'll get that info for you later today. LATER if wifi cooperates. Frank

I had a nice day yesterday looking at guns and shooting my 10ga Elsie. Frank, Mike and I did lots of looking and handling the vast array of guns. This event looks larger than the Vintagers. I spoke to John Allen and he said 70 gun dealers were showing, I believe him! This is my first Southern and I am impressed. The Parker and Smith boys are having big fun with the Challenge Cup. I have not made any additions but my wife did buy a nice Hume bag (got to keep the ladies happy). Going to take a second look at a few things but will probably come home only with fond memories. Frank's 5th picture above appears to be Dave Noreen from the back! Dave you didn't make an undercover appearance did you

It sounds like a good time and a great place to be.

Is there a Fox table there? If so how are the signups of new members going and are the photos of our table?

No Fox table but lots of Foxes to handle & drool on. More SxSs here than this redneck from MS has ever seen in one place at the same time. English, French, Belgium, Spanish, American.... the number of guns is staggering.

For you fellas that did not attend (especially that guy in Union Point, GA)......you missed a great time.

mc

PS: Craig is not going home empty handed.

Well the wifi wasn't working too well at the hotel and I finally gave up. I'm back home now. I had a great time at the Southern, I left home with five guns, and returned with four but three of them are different ones. A couple of the other Foxers left there for home "heavy". I finally had a chance to meet Mike C and George L and Jay S, and catch up with many others who I've known for a while. The Fox Collectors didn't have an official presence there with a table or display, and hopefully some of our southern members might want to step up to staff one in the future (hint). The LC Smith - Parker Challenge was a fantastic event as usual, and most here probably know the LCS boys won again, second year in a row. I looked at plenty of Fox guns on tables, good hunting grounds! One of the coolest items I saw and almost bought, was a full SEALED case (20 boxes) of Super-X 3-inch shotshells, 1-3/8 ounce #4 coppered loads that was factory addressed to Henry Bartholomew in c/o where he worked. Stapled together and dated November 1948. Very legit! I consulted by cell with two other members and we all agreed it was just too pricey. I just got an email from one and he said he and I will probably regret it. Yep. I saw it walking out later in the day. Frank



Stocking up on RST's







Liz and Dan from PGS Services, MIke with two guns

Geoffroy Gournet, Master Engraver

Challenge Cup 5-stand setup



Practice 5-stand setup

Bill Kempfer tossing the coin for team shooting preference

One of the last LCS shooters sealing the deal for 2010

Silvers - Thanks for the photo update. That looks like quite an event, guess I'll have to put that on my calendar for next since it's not that far away!

Frank, how would a serious Fox collector pass up a case, or even a box, of Nash' famous shells? How pricey was "too pricey"? Congratulations on the trap gun. Tell me the initials that are on the gun and the guessed at state of origin and I will try to research it for you. Murphy By the way, do you have pictures of the Bartholomew/Buckingham shells? Destry over on the PGCA site, should hear about this case of shells since he has been looking for some Lubaloy.

More Pictures
My new 107 year old rusty old #1 10gauge Smith "boat gun" as the guys down south like to say.

Sporting Clays Practice field

Mrs. Larter enjoying the competition

Mike Covington and yours truly at the 5 stand tent

Mrs Larter enjoying lunch. She says next year tell the ladies to attend!!

Mr. Covington is holding a rare and beautiful J. Stevens Model 375 12 gauge. Most of us will never see such a gun. It is very nice and for sale.

After multiple attempts to negotiate, the rock bottom price on the case of S-X was $750. and I passed. If it were dated a decade or so earlier I would have jumped on it and so would both of the boys I called. The gent who had it obviously wouldn't open the sealed case and sell individual boxes. I tried to take a pic of the HB consignee address but my batteries crapped out and the spares were in the hotel room. Duhh. Regarding the trap gun the large surname letter doesn't look like normal english, it might be stylicized german or celtic or something. I'm going to do some language research with a gent I know, and send off to JTC for a factory letter. I want to hold off on pics etc until I hear back from John. The dealer who sold me the J grade trap gun told me it was on consignment but nothing beyond that. Craig, you folks made great time coming home! Great pics and it was a pleasure talking with Anne again. Bill, likewise with Linda. Frank

Nash Buckingham's personal stash of Super-X Lubaloy shells, factory addressed and shipped to his hunting partner's office, $37.50 a box of 25!! Any duck would be proud to step into the path of one of those shells. Right after the war, these shells retailed at $1.89 a box, but by 1952, they were up to $4.05. Of course, John Olin probably shipped a few cases to Henry A. Bartholomew every fall for Nash and his friends to shoot. Maybe Dave Noreen can tell us what the actual 1948 price was. I don't have a 1948 price reference. Stoeger's shipping weight on that case of shells was 69 pounds. My guess is that Nash left this case of shells unused expecting to recover Bo Whoop at some later date. Well, Bo Whoop was recovered and the shells are ready and waiting.

Yep I worked on the gent all day, and $750 was his lowest number when I left the club. It was a tough call for at least three of us. I considered that $37.50 per box cost figure, but opening and trying to divvy up the case and sell individual boxes probably wouldn't work out. No way to show the HB provenance at that point; and shells can't be legally shipped by flat rate or any kind of mail for that matter. So they'd have to go by UPS or Fedex, with ORM Small Arms Ammo stickers, at premium shipping cost. Plus the mileage at the shipper's end running back and forth to a Fedex or UPS shipping place as orders came in. The cost per individual box to folks with HE Supers who might want a box in the den would have to be pretty high. Besides I'm not in the memorabilia biz.

Had an email from a Fox gent out west who lamented how us easterners get to go to all the good places and see all those good Foxes etc for sale. Well interestingly I met a man who was from Utah. I kept running into him at tables and we introduced ourselves. He said he made his airline reservations many months in advance and the tickets, rental car and airline cost for a second empty gun case (he brought the first empty one as his second piece of luggage), was about $700. He was set to leave the Southern with as many as 4 guns. In comparison I put 1275 miles on my vehicle and at the 2010 IRS rate that trip cost me $638. just in op expenses and depreciation. About the same. Of course the hotel and food expenses would ~ similar no matter where you came from. Something for our western members to think about for the upcoming Vintage Cup at Pintail Point and upcoming eastern SxS gigs. As one of my colleagues used to say at work, if yur huntin fer ducks ya gotta go where the ducks are. Frank