Theodore Roosevelt

Earlier I reported the F-Grade A.H. Fox 12 gauge Theodore Roosevelt took on his famous 1909 African safari was for up for auction. On October 5, the James D. Julia auction house sold TR’s gun for $862,500 (including buyer’s premium) making it the most expensive American shotgun ever sold at auction by a good $600,000 or so.


I asked Wes Dillon Of Julia if the price reflected an upswing in the gun market or simply the historical value of this particular gun. “The market in general is not what it was a few years ago and there certainly are not as many strong buyers today. The Roosevelt Fox results were a direct reflection of the significance and importance of the man and his gun,” he replied.


Dillon went on to say that although Julia will not release the name of the buyer, the buyer is a serious collector of historical guns, and is looking into possibility of loaning the T.R.’s Fox to various firearms museums so that all of us can have the chance to see the gun, which is, after all, something of a national treasure.