S.A. Tucker at 1879 N.Y. Tournament

[Randy Davis]

Was looking through an old Forest & Stream and spotted this advertisement
for The Parker Gun... Winner of Gold Badge for best average at 1879 NY State Tournament... S.A. Tucker... photo plate from 1898

Trap3

[Mills Morrison]

Very cool! I had not seen either of those before.

[Dean Romig]

Randy, Nice pictures! Got me to thinking I had seen that portrait before so I opened my copy of Ed Muderlak’s “Parker Guns, Shooting Flying and the American Experience” and on pg. 291 is that very picture along with vignettes of six other famous trap shooters of the late 1890’s originally published in “Twenty Years of Trap Shooting in Missouri” which I owned until about 5 years ago when I sold it to a member here.


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[Randy Davis]

Thanks Dean... Yes, the 20 Years of Trapshooting is a great book on the history. Has a lot of wonderful photo plates. At one time I had four copies of the book... The best from that period are pictured in your thread...

RD

[Mills Morrison]

Dean's mind is sharper than mine. I have that book too

[John Davis]

July 19, 1879, The Chicago Field, from a report of the twenty-first annual convention and tournament of the New York State Association for the Protection of Fish and Game: “The twenty-first annual convention of the New York State Association for the Protection of Fish and Game held under the auspices of the Monroe County Sportsmen’s Club, of Rochester, has just been brought to a successful conclusion, although it was at one time feared that the delay occasioned by rainy weather and tame birds would have delayed the finish until next week.........It is regretted that some gentlemen should have deemed it necessary to enter a protest against Mr. S. Tucker, of the Madison County Club, who won the Forest and Stream medal for the best average in contests 1, 3 and 5. Mr. Tucker is one of our most enthusiastic sportsmen and a representative of Parker Bros., of Meriden, Conn., and has shot with the association for the past two or three years. The point raised was that Mr. Tucker was not a citizen of New York. It appears to be a mere technical point, hardly creditable in a sporting view of the matter, as although Mr. Tucker does reside in Connecticut, he also resides in New York city, where the firm with which he is connected have one of their houses of business. Such protests as these raised on trivial points, tend to create an ill feeling among men that should not exist in the New York State Association for the Protection of Fish and Game........Contest No. 3. - Ten double rises, class shooting. Entrance, $5. First prize, a fine Damascus steel double-barreled breach-loading shot-gun, donated by Parker Bros., Meriden, Conn., value $225.....First prize, the double-barreled gun, donated by Parker Bros., of Meriden, Conn., value, $225, was awarded to Mr. Byron Shultz of the Audubon Club, of Buffalo, killing 19 out of 20. Mr. S. A. Tucker, of the Madison County Club, of New York, who killed 18 out of 20, took the second prize, the handsome easy chair, donated by C. J. Hayden & Co., of Rochester, and valued at $75.......The Best Average Shot. The Forest and Stream and Rod and Gun medal donated by the Forest and Stream Publishing Co., of New York, for the best average in contests 1, 3 and 5. S. A. Tucker - Killed - 35; Missed - 5. A protest was entered against Mr. Tucker emanating from the Fountain Gun Club, of Brooklyn, on the grounds that Mr. Tucker was not a citizen of New York, and up to the present the judges have not decided the question. Mr. Tucker is a member of the Madison Gun Club and has shot for over two years with the association without a question ever having been raised before. He resides both in Connecticut and New York city.”

July 26, 1879, The Chicago Field, “The Protest of Mr. Tucker. - One of our Rochester (N.Y.) exchanges referring to the protest mentioned by our reporter as having been entered against Mr. Tucker being awarded the badge for the best average in the tournament of the New York State Association for the Protection of Fish and Game, on the ground that he was not a resident of the state, says: ‘The impression that prevailed among some of the sportsmen that the Fountain Gun Club, of Brooklyn, had protested against S. A. Tucker taking the badge for the best average on contests numbers 1, 3 and 5, is erroneous. Mr. Crook, president of that club, merely entered a formal objection so as to have the meaning of the rule referred to settled at the next convention, having no reference whatever to Mr. Tucker or his right to the badge this year. All the members of the Fountain, including Mr. Wingert, who was one of Tucker’s contestants, said to our reporter on their departure for the East last night, that the latter gentleman had fairly won the badge and was entitled to it. They only had spoken of the indefiniteness of the rule so as to have it amended or made clear next year. Thus Mr. Tucker comes to possession outright of one of the most honorable trophies of the tournament, and he deserves it.’"

[Jeff Kuss]

That is the same picture of S A Tucker as is on the 1905 Parker Bros Calendar.

[Gerald McPherson]

If I grow hair under my nose will I shoot better?

[Garry L Gordon]

If I grow hair under my nose will I shoot better?

Probably not. It sure didn't help me.

Anyone have one of those medals pictured in Randy's original post?

[Randy Davis]

Garry... Now that would be a nice one to have in a guys collection. I do have one that was awarded for a glass ball shoot held in 1881...

[Garry L Gordon]

Garry... Now that would be a nice one to have in a guys collection. I do have one that was awarded for a glass ball shoot held in 1881...

Wow, that is a really nice piece. I assume there is a strong collector market for pieces like this.

[Randy Davis]

Thanks Garry... Yes, mainly to the handful of collectors that like Trap memorabilia. Pretty scarce medal...