doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com A J. Fox Sterlingworth 20 gauge shotgun

Why does my 20 gauge only have a 5 digit serial number. Ty for you help. After further investigation, under the forearm it reads model 1911 with the serial # 56xxx. That matches what is on the underside of trigger guard. So what year was this gun made?

Provide the serial number and the gauge and perhaps we can help. Also make sure that serial number is the same on the triggerguard, receiver and forearm.

Ok ty

That's entirely possible. If they all match, what it means is that you have a very early gun.
Here's a hint for you: If you want to look at serial numbers for various guns, you're in the right place. Look on the doublegunshop home page. Scroll down to "useful information". You will find a list of quite a few shotguns by serial number so you can determine when yours was made. Fox is included on that list. Very handy reference for SNs.

I'd be interested in the resolution of this mystery. I just picked up a Fox 20 ga with 30" barrels. According to the serial number list, it's one of the first couple hundred made in 1912. However, it's clearly a 6 digit number.

We need pictures of your gun from various angles. Is your gun an A.J. Fox or an A.H. Fox?

Ok upon further investigation, I realize that it is a 12 gauge made in 1910 ty for your info

The Sterlingworth was introduced in 1910 and marketed under the bogus name The Sterlingworth Co. From the 1910 The Sterlingworth Company catalog --



The first couple hundred guns have an address of Wayne Junc. on the roll-stamp on the left barrel.



After that they went with a Philadelphia address --



The Sterlingworth appears as a product of the A.H. Fox Gun Co. in the 1911 A.H. Fox Gun Co. catalog.

Not to be picky Researcher but it's not a "bogus" name any more than Nike or Kleenex is a bogus name. It's simply the brand name the maker decided, in their wisdom, to use on the product. Like the 10s of thousands of other branded products.

And, as is sometimes the case, the maker later decided an alteration to the brand name was in order. So they altered it. Just marketing.

Ansley Fox was certainly a "marketeer". However, since there does not appear to have been a registered "Sterlingworth Company" then bogus is appropriate --to my way of thinking. Most consider the term bogus to mean fake.