why is my Fox a Parker?

[RickR]

My “affair” with doubles began PM (Pre Macintosh) when 50 years ago I bought an A grade Fox. I soon became so involved that for a time I had a hobby business of repair and rehabilitation giving me hands on with quite a few different brands, and Fox's were always a favorite when it came to "keepers".

Life changed and I was forced to sell them all and until I bought a Parker hammer gun as a project and joined up here, I hadn’t done a rehabilitation in decades, but did a second gun while Covid stuck me at home, and then…

A Sterlingworth showed up on an auction site that not only had the recessed pin, but also a checkering pattern exactly like a Parker VH. I bought it to rehabilitate as a shooter and it arrived just now. Doing what research I could and with a Fox collector’s association now existing had much more info.

I’m really confused now. The site said Parker stopped using the dished out pin in 1912-13. My Krupp barreled “A” had an SN 7443 forgot the exact year, but the dished pin was gone. How could a dished pin be on the Sterly with a SN of 53,XXX? Even a separate number sequence for them couldn’t be that high, as it would mean by 1913 fox had made fewer than 10,000 graded guns, but 53,000 Sterlingworths?

Also, this is the only Sterly I’ve seen that’s such an obvious and successful Parker cosmetic copy. This one also has checkered fences, and I’m inclined to think that checkering wasn’t factory, but if not done as an add on option, it was applied when the gun was near new given the usage dingles on top of the design.

How old is my gun (barrels don’t say Cromox (sp) or Krupp), just Made by A.H. Fox?

What’s the real story over the dished pin guns and copying Parker (for a little while only) checkering pattern exactly?

I’m going to have to do some stock repairs obviously, but the gun is a delight in the hand, haven’t weighed it yet, but it can’t be more than 7 lbs. and an ounce or two. Reminds me of my one time 1 1/2 frame VH grouse gun.

Thanks