"FOX GRADE CSE DOUBLE BARREL SHOTGUN 2-BARREL SET. SN 35. Cal. 12 ga. This storied shotgun was built in 1905 for Fox Company Director, Louis H. Eisenlohr. Mr. Eisenlohr, in addition to being one of the directors of the Fox Shotgun Company, was a entrepreneur of some note, owning a cigar company with his brothers in Philadelphia. This spectacular shotgun has two sets of bbls, one 28”(#1) choked FULL/FULL and No. 2 is 30” (#2) choked FULL/FULL. Both sets of bbls have tapered concave matted ribs with dbl ivory beads, crossbolt rib extensions & ejectors. The 28” bbls have the std company roll mark of “KRUPP FLUID STEEL MADE BY” on right side and “A.H. FOX GUN CO. PHILA. PA” on left side. The 30” bbls are engraved “KRUPP FLUID STEEL MADE TO ORDER” on right side and “BY A.H. FOX GUN CO. PHILA. PA. U.S.A.” on left side. Bbl flats of #1 bbls are simply marked “35 BC” and inside of ejectors are marked “35”. Bbl flats of #2 bbls are marked “D 35 / 2” and inside of ejectors are stamped “35 /2”. Inside forend irons are marked identically to their respective bbls with #1 forearm being roll marked and #2 forearm engraved. Both are marked “PATENTS / PENDING”. The edges of bbl flats are nicely scraped for oil retention. Water table has lightly stamped “1905” Patent date and “OTHER PATENTS PENDING”. The serial number and “CS” are also stamped on water table with the “C” being very deeply stamped. Patent date stampings, being so light, were probably stamped after the frame was case hardened. Receiver & appended metal are very beautifully & unusually engraved in extremely fine foliate & floral arabesque patterns with tiny game scenes of a quail on left fence and a woodcock on right fence with maker’s name in a ribbon on each side. Forward relieved areas of sides of frame have a flower blossom surrounded by arabesque patterns and the ends of hinge pin have geometric patterns. Bottom of receiver has a large vignette of two bird dogs in a very detailed scene with partial punch dot background. Trigger bow is engraved in extraordinarily fine foliate arabesque patterns and inlaid in script flat gold “Louis H. Eisenlohr” with a tapered gold line underneath. Trigger guard has serial number engraved and there is a line just above trigger guard screw. Engraving extends about 2-3/4” over chambers on 28” bbls and about 2-1/2” on 30” bbls. Mounted with extremely beautiful, very highly figured, streaky French or circassian walnut with fine, full coverage checkered splinter forearms with the one for bbl #1 having a wide band at back edge and a wide band around latch. The latch & all forend iron have a fine high polish blue. Bbl #2 forearm has full coverage with only narrow bands of uncheckered wood. The latch & all forend iron on this forearm are case colored. Buttstock has checkered raised side panels with a long rnd knob Prince of Wales grip and is 14” over a solid red pad. This shotgun is extensively covered in A.H. Fox. . The Finest Gun in the World, McIntosh, in full color on pp. 20, 75, 308 & 317, along with a lengthy written discussion wherein Mr. McIntosh states that this shotgun is undoubtedly authentic and a higher than “C” grade. The “CS”, as stamped on water table, he speculates may stand for “C Special” or “Custom Special”. He also states that this is the earliest gun of which he is aware that has ejectors. He says that the engraving is of a quality consistent with the later, higher grade guns including the very rare “F” grades. This shotgun was also extensively covered in a 10-page article in The Double Gun Journal, Vol. 12, Issue 1, Spring 2001 by David J. Noreen titled “Number 35”. There are numerous full color photographs by William Headrick. Mr. Noreen discusses the history of the Fox Company and goes into great detail in discussing this shotgun and names it the second finest Fox that he has ever seen with the “finest workmanship I’ve seen on an Ansley H. Fox gun”. He says that he finds it “much more attractive than the later Gough raised gold specials” and that it is very similar to C. William Hayward’s “E” grade Philadelphia Arms Company gun, shown in The Double Gun Journal, Vol. 2, Issue 1. Accompanied by three pieces of Eisenlohr Cigar Company memorabilia and a photograph. 1) Metal sign, 19-1/2” x 9-1/4”, with yellow background and red & black lettering advertising “CINCO” cigars. 2) Tin cigar box, 8-1/8” x 5” x 1-1/8” with blue, red & gold paint with same advertisement. 3) Metal penny matchbox cover with “OTTO EISENLOHR BROS. INC.” for the Henrietta brand; both sides are open for access to striker. 4) Small framed photograph of a very early motor yacht named “ELF” at anchorage with ice on rigging. This was Louis Eisenlohr’s private yacht. It was apparently loaned to or commandeered by the U.S. Government and became the U.S.S. Elf 1917-1919. BBLS #1: Bore diameter: left - .721, right - .721. Bore restrictions: left - .032, right - .032. Wall thickness: left - .042, right - .043. Weight: 7 lbs. 7.04 oz. BBLS #2: Bore diameter: left - .728, right - .728. Bore restrictions: left - .036, right - .036. Wall thickness: left - .039, right - .037. Weight: 7 lbs. 12.16 oz. .Drop at heel: 2-3/8”, drop at comb: 1-1/2”. CONDITION: Extremely fine. No. 1 bbls retain about 98% of a fine rust blue finish that may be an extremely fine professional restoration with some thinning & dulling about mid-point just forward of forearm with some very fine pitting on bbl extension and left ejector with some very fine scratches on left side. No. 2 bbls retain about same amount of blue that appears to be original, also thinned over forearm area. Both sets of bbls have brilliant shiny bores. Receiver retains 30-40% orig case colors, moderately faded, stronger in sheltered areas with balance turned silver. Trigger guard retains about 60% thin orig blue. Stock has a tiny repaired sliver back of top tang, otherwise wood is sound and retains about all of a beautiful, professionally restored finish with freshened checkering. Mechanics are fine. Tin sign has four small holes on right side & a hole in all 4 corners with some minor edge damage not really affecting overall image. Cigar box has a small dent in lid with some minor soil. Matchbox cover is nicked & scratched showing moderate wear. Photograph is fine. 4-32578 JR620 (75,000-125,000)"
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