doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Sterlingworth

This is my first attempt at posting a question. If I get any replies I hope I can find them?! I purchased a Sterlingworth around 43 years in south Alabama. It is stamped "The Sterlingworth Company, Philadephia Pa, USA". It is not marked "Fox Sterlingworth" as most Sterlingworths I've seen. It is a very tight, long barreled 12 ga. Serial # 51852. I assume it was a "transition gun" made before or after Fox made the guns, but I've never really known its origin. Can anyone tell me the history and estimated value of this gun?

It is a real A.H. Fox gun, an early one as Sterlingworths go. I will let more intelligent minds continue with the answer in full. Exactly how long are those barrels. By the way, the A.H. Fox Collectors Association has a website and forum that you may want to visit. Use google.com to find it.

Made 1910-11 only I think. Not a "transition" exactly as Fox was already producing guns but sort of a "foot in the water" attempt at a downmarket product for Ansley Fox. Didn't want his name on it. Should have a recessed hinge pin. Not a huge total produced but they're not particuarly uncommon or I wouldn't have one. As Bill hints, 32" barrels might be what somebody's looking for.

jack

When Ansley Fox decided to offer an entry level double to compete with the other manufacturers he apparantely was adamant that he did not want the Fox name on it hence "The Sterlingworth Company". This lasted for about one year until the started stamping Sterlingworth on the receivers so you have a short run transitional example.
Jim

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.

http://www.foxcollectors.com/sterlingworth%20directory.htm

Wow, you guys are good! The barrels are 30 inches. It does have recessed hinge pins. Looks like (not real clear)about five patent dates stamped inside ranging from Dec. 2, 1902 to Jan. 16, 1902.

I'm sorry. That last patent date is 1905, not 1902. The barrel is Sterlingworth Fluid Compressed Steel. Looks just like the picture of the "Sterlingworth Company Philadelphia Barrel" on Researcher's foxcollectors link above. You have answered questions I have had for forty years. Thank you!
Any estimates on the present value?

Fox Patent Dates -- I've never really studied this carefully, but I just looked at all my guns from 1922 to 1929 and they all have the roll stamp with seven patent dates --

PAT'D AUG.16-04
AUG.1-05 OCT.17-05 JAN.16-06
MAY.11-09 MAY.2-11 JUNE.11-12.

On at least two of my guns they started the roll stamp too far to the rear and came to the breech face before they got the numbers after JAN and JUNE!?!

Guns I have from 1910, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1918 and 1920, all have a different roll stamp that is smaller and reads in the other direction --

PAT'D DEC 2 1902
AUG.16 1904 AUG.1 1905
OCT 17 1905 JAN 16 1906

On the 1920 gun this roll stamp was struck so lightly that you can only actually read the top line and the 06.

A gun from 1906 only carries --

PAT'D AUG.1 1905
OCT.17 1905- JAN.16 1906

Those patent dates of DEC 2 1902 and AUG 16 1904 are patents that were originally assigned to Philadelphia Arms Co., and A.H. Fox Gun Co. didn't have them until they bought out PAC in late 1906.

Finally the very early A.H. Fox Gun Co. guns have --

PAT'D AUG.1 1905
OTHER PATENTS PENDING

Moonpie, search for "Sterlingworth Co." or "Sterlingworth pin gun" on an internet auction site (GunBroker) and get an idea of asking and sold for prices for your gun. Or check Roy Eckrose's auction results archived on the main page this site. I didn't check your serial but assume it's the so-called model 1911 as marked on the forend iron? I gave 400$ for mine but have seen asking prices north of 1K$. Retained condition probably has more bearing on price than relative rarity.

jack

Thanks Jack,
Although my gun is not stamped "1911", I am now convinced it one of the 1910 era guns. I did check one of the auctions an found prices from $500 to $1200. Really appreciate everyone's help. You have rekindled my love for these quality old guns.