That's a beautiful gun, with some very unique features! Thanks for sharing.

There has to be a significance to the 3 kit foxes, I for get if they were in a pyramid like the AA grade shown. The gun I remember well as we sold it at the Vintage cup 12 or 15 years ago. It was a A grade 16 ga, and a handsome gun. I think I have seen this on more than one high grade Parker, but none of the lower grades.

My A grade 12 has a pair on it.

Evidently this was not as uncommon as I thought!

Those three foxes and the pigeon on the trigger plate of the AAHE would be a great pattern on the bottom of an XE-Grade Ansley H. Fox.

Corey, I have a lithograph that is contemporary to when your gun was made. It may well have been the reference for the engraving.


https://parkerguns.org/forums/pictur...ictureid=14101

That is remarkable, Don. Thank you very much for sharing.

It certainly looks like the inspiration! Any idea of the year or artist? I added another pic of the engraving and reversed the image from how it appears on the gun. I just sent you a PM as well.

The wealth of resource and knowledge in this group always amazes me. Half the fun is figuring out the story and you all do such a good job of helping to fill in known, or plausible, gaps. Thanks!

When we had the frame repaired a couple of decades ago we found that they had used newspaper as part of the backing. That newsprint was from the very late 1800’s.

I did a little research today and found the information below.
Wonderful engraving of Fox Cubs, Little Foxes. An engraved print of three fox cubs in a hollow tree by George Zobel (1810-1881) after an original painting by Samuel John Carter entitled "Little Foxes". Extra publishing details 'Painted by Samuel J. Carter, Engraved by G. Zobel, London. Printed And Published September 1st 1897 by The National Art Society, 10 Lancaster Place, Strand, W.C. The Proprietors of the original plate.

I really like the use of the Kit foxes!

Very interesrting reference to foxes.
If we will all turn to the first chapter of WHF’s “New England Grouse Shooting” titled The Little Gun we will bear witness to the fact that a close-shootin’ 16 bore Parker Bros. top-action hammer gun killed a running fox at sixty yards.





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