A.H. Fox Factory Records at Cody: Sterlingworth to Graded Guns, Published Ranges, and Ordering While the Collection Is Still Processing

Collector disclaimer: Educational reference only—not an appraisal, offer to buy or sell, legal opinion, or authentication of any specific firearm. Fees, form status, turnaround, and record coverage change. Confirm every figure with the Cody Firearms Records Office before you order. Verify every firearm is unloaded before handling.

Collector Quick Read

Why Cody Has A.H. Fox — and the Shared Savage Page Caveat

A.H. Fox doubles sit in a different research lane than early Marlin levers or Winchester Model 21 inspection dossiers. Grade names, Sterlingworth vs graded guns, gauge, and the Fox-to-Savage Arms manufacturing handoff all matter when you are trying to match a gun on the table to primary paper. For years, collectors leaned on published charts, auction descriptions, and hope. Cody’s public Records Office path is the practical place to ask what the surviving cards actually say.

Documented fact (Cody main Firearms Records page, checked Sep 23, 2026): the Cody Firearms Records Office currently provides manufacturing dates and configuration data on Winchester, Marlin, L.C. Smith, Ithaca, Savage, and A.H. Fox firearms using the original factory records held by the Center.

Shared-page caveat: Fox lives on the Savage / A.H. Fox Factory Records page, shares the 2026 non-member order form with Savage, and shares the May 2024 Available Serial Number Ranges PDF that also carries Savage and early Marlin columns. This guide remains focused on Fox; Savage appears only where the shared Cody materials require that context.

Archive context: Jacob Newman’s June 26, 2026 Center essay, Records and Research at the Cody Firearms Museum, lists seven manufacturers including AH Fox (with Winchester, Savage, Marlin, LC Smith, Ithaca, and Lefever). The same essay includes a photo caption: “A.H. Fox card record boxes in the McCracken archive vaults… the rack cards in these oily boxes are the basis of our AH Fox shotgun factory letters.” That is useful physical-form context for why Fox letters exist at Cody.

McCracken’s public archival collection list (checked Sep 23, 2026) names MS 603 Savage Arms Company Records but does not identify a separate A.H. Fox manuscript collection. Newman’s photo documents Fox card boxes at McCracken; it does not establish letter eligibility for any individual serial. Letters still come through the Records Office process.

Gun Collectors Club’s live Factory Letters for Collectors article already names A.H. Fox among Cody makers and includes a Savage / A.H. Fox — $80 fee row with a “still processing; allow extra search time” note. That hub row is not a dedicated Fox ranges / ordering / processing walkthrough. This piece is the dedicated records how-to—same pattern as the live L.C. Smith Cody, Ithaca / Lefever / Western Cody, Marlin Cody, and Model 21 Cody guides.

Fact vs interpretation vs unknown:

• Fact: Cody letters and searches from surviving A.H. Fox factory card/ledger materials held at the Center, ordered through the Records Office; Fox rides the shared Savage/A.H. Fox maker page and form.
• Interpretation (mine): an A.H. Fox letter is most useful when configuration confirmation (grade/gauge-style fields as recorded, other config if present) would change a buy/pass, insurance, or “as shipped” claim—and when you already understand customer data is only occasional.
• Unknown until the office checks: whether your serial has a filled card, sits in a published gap, or has nothing letterable—especially while the collection is still being processed.

Coverage Map — Attribute the Page and the PDF Separately

Cody publishes two related coverage descriptions for Fox. Both are official and should be read separately.

What the maker page and on-page form prose say

Cody Savage / A.H. Fox page (A.H. Fox section, checked Sep 23, 2026):

The A.H. Fox records collection ranges from about 1912 production to the end of the 1930s. The collection includes graded shotguns as well as Sterlingworth shotguns. Records start at SN 9640, with a few lower numbers, and run through serial number 450006 with gaps in the records. These records contain configuration data and occasionally customer information.

The on-page order-form widget repeats the same about-1912-to-end-of-1930s, graded + Sterlingworth, SN 9640 (few lower) through 450006 with gaps, configuration + occasionally customer wording.

What the ranges PDF says (manufacture labels + bands)

Cody Available Serial Number Ranges PDF (May 2024 path — Savage/Marlin/Fox), checked Sep 23, 2026 via pdftotext:

This records collection includes graded shotguns as well as Sterlingworth shotguns manufactured by A.H. Fox (1906–1929) and Savage Arms (1929–1939). Some small gaps occur within the below ranges.

Then the PDF lists A.H. Fox serial number ranges (full table in the next section)—including discrete low serials below 9640 that align with the page’s “few lower numbers” phrase.

How to read that without fooling yourself

• Fact: The maker page/form describe a collection ranging from about 1912 production to the end of the 1930s, with SN starting at 9640 (few lower) through 450006 with gaps.
• Fact: The ranges PDF separately labels manufacture by A.H. Fox (1906–1929) and Savage Arms (1929–1939) and publishes detailed serial bands (including discrete lows under 9640 and a top band 450000–450006).
• Fact: Those two public statements sit side by side on Cody materials linked from the same maker path.
• Do not assume: that the page’s “~1912–end 1930s” sentence excludes the PDF’s 1906–1929 Fox manufacture label—or the reverse—or that either statement guarantees every Fox-related gun in those years will letter. Attribute both sources and ask the Records Office about edge cases.
• Interpretation (mine): the PDF’s discrete low serials (1735, 7540, 7562, 7620, 8119, 9226) are the practical explanation for the page’s “few lower numbers” under 9640—without inventing additional low SNs.
• Interpretation (mine): PDF “manufactured by A.H. Fox … and Savage Arms …” is a corporate manufacture label for the collection’s contents, not a promise that every gun built in those year spans letters, and not an invitation to expand this article into a Savage 99 deep-dive.

Fox orders and current coverage text are published on Cody’s shared Savage / A.H. Fox page.

Published Serial Bands from Cody’s PDF Only

Cody links an Available Serial Number Ranges PDF from the Savage/A.H. Fox page. The file confirmed live on Sep 23, 2026 is:

SerialNumberRanges2024-SavageMarlinFox.pdf

Use this as Cody’s published availability list—not as a complete A.H. Fox production history, and not as a promise that every serial in a band will letter. The same PDF also carries Savage model bands and early Marlin bands; keep those columns out of Fox decisions. Early Marlin coverage is already walked in GCC’s Marlin Cody guide.

A.H. Fox — PDF manufacture labels

Discrete low serials listed under 9640 (PDF)

These align with the maker page’s “few lower numbers” language; do not extrapolate beyond the serials Cody publishes.

Published A.H. Fox serial bands (PDF)

How to use published ranges without fooling yourself

Gaps-within-ranges warning (PDF): some small gaps occur within the listed ranges. A serial that “looks like it should be in there” can still return no letterable record. Treat published bands as availability aids, not as eligibility certificates—especially while Cody says the collection is still being processed.

Request hygiene (2026 form + page instructions): Fox order lines need Grade, Gauge, and Serial #. Indicate whether the firearm is an A.H. Fox (not Savage) on the shared form/page path.

What Letters Typically Include — and What They May Omit

Typical inclusions (Cody Savage / A.H. Fox page)

Cody states that A.H. Fox records contain:

• Configuration data
• Occasionally customer information

That is thinner personalization language than L.C. Smith’s page/form “customer information may be available … after 1917” and thinner than the Ithaca-path “often” customer framing. Do not order a Fox letter primarily hoping for a famous name.

What that means on the bench

Interpretation (mine): match the letter to the gun in hand line by line—grade markings as you see them, gauge, barrel/config features as recorded. A match supports an originality argument; a mismatch creates homework. Neither outcome is the letter failing. Absence of a customer name is the normal expectation for many Fox serials under Cody’s “occasionally” wording—not a failed letter when configuration is what you needed.

Compare siblings (Fox-forward framing):

• L.C. Smith at Cody: grade / gauge / barrel / date; customer may after 1917; PDF eras differ in depth.
• Ithaca path: date + config; customer data often; model names often absent on the letter.
• Marlin at Cody: early window; no customer data for standard early Marlins; many blanks.
• Model 21 at Cody: final inspection / order-sheet richness; different paperwork shape entirely.
• A.H. Fox path: configuration; customer only occasionally; still-processing latency; page-vs-PDF coverage attribution required.

Fees, Turnaround, Delivery, Membership Path, Form Outage, Card Surcharge, Still Processing

Fees, turnaround, and ordering paths below were checked against Cody’s Savage / A.H. Fox page, main Firearms Records page, ranges PDF, and 2026 Savage / A.H. Fox order form on September 23, 2026. Confirm current details with Cody before ordering; these can change.

Non-member A.H. Fox letter fee

• $80 non-member Savage and A.H. Fox factory letter (Cody Savage/Fox page; 2026 print order form agrees—“Savage and A.H. Fox factory letters are $80 each”).
• Plus postage & handling.
• 3% surcharge/processing fee for all card transactions starting April 6, 2026 (Center-wide notice on records pages + 2026 form).
• If records are not available, Cody states you will be notified; checks returned or credit card information destroyed (page/form).

Still processing: Cody states that it is still processing this collection. Allow at least four business days for Savage and A.H. Fox serial-number searches and five weeks for factory letters to be mailed. Published bands should not be treated as proof that the collection is fully cataloged.

Member letter dollar prices for A.H. Fox specifically are not published as Fox-only figures on the cited pages. The 2026 form mentions firearms membership benefits starting at $150 per year, free/paid searches, and large discounts on factory letters—confirm current tiers at centerofthewest.org/membership or with the Membership office (307-578-4008 on the form) before joining solely for letters.

What is member-gated on the Savage/Fox page is the quick email search benefit (members may submit search requests directly by email to cfmrecords@centerofthewest.org; include name and member number; limit 5 searches per day; allow 4 business days while processing continues). Non-member factory letters remain available at the published $80 fee—Fox letters are not restricted to members.

Turnaround

• Savage / A.H. Fox page: letters typically mailed five weeks from date of payment.
• Savage / A.H. Fox page (members): allow four (4) business days for search returns; email cfmrecords@centerofthewest.org with name and member number; limit 5 searches per day.
• Main Firearms Records page: factory letters typically mailed four to six weeks from payment receipt; member quick searches typically 2 to 5 business days.

Interpretation (mine): Fox’s published ~five-week letter turnaround and 4-business-day member-search allowance (vs L.C. Smith’s maker-page ~four weeks / ~two business days) is a meaningful planning difference driven in part by still processing. Plan from payment receipt, not from the day you first emailed. Use the maker page’s five-week figure for Fox planning, and keep the main-page four-to-six-week umbrella in mind for office-wide scheduling.

Delivery (Savage / A.H. Fox page / 2026 form)

Postage & handling is per order, not per letter:

Standard delivery fee waived on member-benefit letter orders and on orders using pre-purchased letter packs (per Cody Savage/Fox page). If delivery method is not selected, Cody describes follow-up for payment / applying standard—read the current page when you order.

Form outage (live banner, Sep 23, 2026)

Cody’s Savage / A.H. Fox page and main records page displayed:

We are currently experiencing technical difficulties with our order forms. Please use the Print Order Form option or email requests directly to cfmrecords@centerofthewest.org.

Do not assume the web form works while that banner is up. Prefer:

• 2026 Savage / A.H. Fox Print Order Form (PDF), or
• Email to cfmrecords@centerofthewest.org

Current print form: the Savage/Fox page links the 2026 form. Use that form for current payment instructions, including the April 2026 3% card surcharge line.

2026 Fox order lines: Grade / Gauge / Serial #. Indicate A.H. Fox vs Savage. Include name, member ID if any, postage preference, mailing address, and email for occasional updates.

Online-path notes from the Savage/Fox page (when the form works again): staff review and confirmation email with availability and fee total within two business days of order form receipt (Mon–Fri); PayPal e-invoice timing described on the page—if you do not see an invoice when expected, contact the office. A PayPal account is not required to pay an invoice (per Cody).

The 2026 form cites ranges availability at centerofthewest.org/cody-firearms-records—that short path redirects to the main Firearms Records hub as of this check. Prefer linking the maker page and the ranges PDF directly when you work.

Records Office contact

• Email: cfmrecords@centerofthewest.org
• Phone / fax / text (2026 order form): 307-578-4031
• Mail: Records, 720 Sheridan Ave, Cody, WY 82414
• Records Office hours (main page): Monday–Thursday 9 a.m.–4 p.m.; Friday 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

Do not confuse Records Office hours with museum visitor hours. Cody’s hours tables on these pages (as of Sep 23, 2026) show museum visitor hours for Sept. 16 – Oct. 31 = 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. That is visitor access, not the Records Office schedule above.

Prep Checklist for Ordering an A.H. Fox Letter

Work this list before money leaves your account.

1. Unload and photograph the gun. Both sides; barrel address / markings; rib/choke markings if present; full serial as stamped; stocks; grade markings as you see them (graded vs Sterlingworth as marked). Never deepen or “clarify” a serial.
2. Write the serial exactly as marked—digits and any prefix/suffix characters that are part of the serial.
3. Record today’s configuration in plain English: grade as marked (or Sterlingworth), gauge, barrel length, ejectors/extractors, stock style, pad/plate, engraving as you see it—not auction poetry.
4. Check Cody’s current Savage/Marlin/Fox ranges PDF for published Fox bands and discrete lows (keep Savage and Marlin columns out of your Fox decision).
5. Attribute page vs PDF coverage separately—page ~1912–end 1930s / SN 9640–450006 framing vs PDF 1906–1929 Fox / 1929–1939 Savage Arms manufacture labels. Do not invent a blended span.
6. Email or call first when the serial sits near a gap, outside the obvious bands, or you are unsure a record exists—especially while still processing: cfmrecords@centerofthewest.org / 307-578-4031.
7. Decide letter vs member search if you hold Center Firearms Membership. A quick search (members: allow 4 business days on the Savage/Fox page; limit 5/day) can reveal a blank or sparse card before you buy a full letter.
8. Budget correctly: $80 non-member letter + postage + 3% if paying by card. Do not invent a member letter discount dollar figure from this article.
9. Order via the 2026 print form or email while the technical-difficulties banner is up. Fill Grade / Gauge / Serial #. Indicate A.H. Fox. Include name, member ID if any, postage preference, mailing address, and email for updates.
10. Calendar ~5 weeks from payment (Savage/Fox page); allow the main-page four-to-six-week window—and the still-processing caveat—when planning sales, articles, or insurance deadlines.
11. When the letter arrives: compare line by line to the gun and to your pre-order notes. File letter + photos together. Note mismatches in writing. Do not “correct” the gun to match the paper.
12. Keep charts separate from letters: published serial bands and collector grade charts aid research; they are not substitutes for a Cody letter.

What an A.H. Fox Letter Cannot Do — and Common Pitfalls

A Cody A.H. Fox letter is a research product translating surviving factory paperwork. It is not a magic wand.

Hard limits

1. It cannot invent missing records. Gaps inside published bands stay gaps; blank or absent cards stay blank.
2. It cannot guarantee every serial in a published band will letter. Cody’s PDF warns some small gaps occur within ranges; still-processing adds latency and uncertainty.
3. It cannot guarantee customer data. Page/form say customer information only occasionally—not “in most cases,” not “often,” and not a reason to order primarily for a name.
4. It cannot authenticate today’s finish or wood by mail. Paper describes what clerks recorded; your eyes and a competent inspection still own the physical gun.
5. It is not an appraisal. Cody sells research products, not value opinions. Do not invent “letter adds $X.”
6. It cannot settle page-vs-PDF coverage by inventing a blend. Attribute both public Cody statements; ask the office about your serial.
7. It cannot turn “still processing” into “fully cataloged.” Extra search time and five-week letters are the published planning facts.
8. It cannot turn forum certainty, private Fox serial charts, or Sterlingworth production folklore into factory fact. Online identification threads are leads requiring verification.
9. It cannot become a Savage 99 / Savage pistol guide just because Fox shares a Cody page, form, and PDF. Keep the lanes separate.

Mismatches that are often useful

When a letter and the gun disagree, check the serial, examine the gun, and ask Cody to review the surviving record. Later alterations, original-record quirks, or interpretation errors may explain a discrepancy.

Related Reading on Gun Collectors Club

• Factory Letters for Collectors — hub for Colt, Cody, and S&W letters, including the Savage·Fox $80 fee and processing note
• L.C. Smith Factory Records at Cody — sibling Cody shotgun records guide (grades/gauges/eras; stronger customer-may language than Fox)
• Ithaca, Lefever & Western Arms Factory Records at Cody — sibling Cody shotgun records guide
• Marlin Factory Records at Cody — sibling Cody deep-dive (early levers; blank-record discipline); shares the Savage/Marlin/Fox PDF as a source (keep columns distinct)
• Winchester Model 21 Cody factory records — sibling Cody deep-dive (final inspection / order sheets)
• Firearm Serial Number Lookup Guide — charts start the conversation; letters document what survived

When an A.H. Fox Letter Is Worth the Fee

Often worth considering when:

• The gun falls in Cody’s published Fox bands (or a listed discrete low) and configuration confirmation would change a purchase, retention, or insurance decision
• You need primary paper before writing “as shipped,” and you understand customer data is only occasional
• A member search already suggested a usable record and you want the formal letter
• You have checked the PDF bands, noted gaps-within-ranges risk and still-processing latency, and still need the archive extract
• Grade / gauge / Sterlingworth-vs-graded questions on the bench would be settled by surviving card configuration

Often reasonable to wait / skip when:

• Cody confirms no record for that serial
• You are ordering primarily hoping for a customer name (Cody’s claim is only “occasionally”)
• The gun is a rough shooter and the fee will not change any decision
• You only needed a rough era from a published chart and already have enough for a shooter decision
• You have not yet contacted the office and the serial sits where gaps—or still-processing unknowns—are plausible
• Your real question is a Savage 99 / Savage pistol research problem (wrong article; wrong deep-dive)

Trust the clerks’ paper when it exists. Verify the gun in hand. Keep those piles separate.

Closing

Cody’s A.H. Fox path is one of the more useful American double-gun archive lanes in the Records Office—when your serial sits where the cards survive, and when you plan around still processing. Graded guns and Sterlingworths share the same Cody collection story. The maker page’s ~1912–end-1930s / SN 9640–450006 framing and the PDF’s 1906–1929 Fox / 1929–1939 Savage Arms manufacture labels are two attributed sources, not one invented span. Prefer the 2026 print form while online ordering is down. Fill Grade / Gauge / Serial #. Indicate A.H. Fox on the shared Savage/Fox path. Contact before you mail a full-fee check when availability looks uncertain.

That is enough to be useful—and enough to disappoint you if you expected a biography for every serial, a customer name on every card, or a fully processed archive announced as complete. Check the PDF. Attribute the page-vs-PDF coverage gap honestly. Expect five weeks and extra search time while processing continues. Order carefully. Read the letter as a primary-source extract. Then decide what the gun on the table actually is.

Collector Takeaway

Cody letters A.H. Fox graded and Sterlingworth material through the Firearms Records Office on the shared Savage / A.H. Fox maker page. Maker page/form say about 1912 to the end of the 1930s, SN from 9640 (few lower) through 450006 with gaps; the May 2024 PDF separately labels manufacture by A.H. Fox (1906–1929) and Savage Arms (1929–1939) and publishes Fox serial bands—attribute both. Letters contain configuration data and occasionally customer information. Published bands have small gaps within ranges. Collection is still processing. Non-member fee $80 plus postage and the 3% card surcharge; Savage/Fox page turnaround about five weeks from payment; member searches allow 4 business days. Online forms show technical difficulties—use the 2026 Savage / A.H. Fox print form (Grade / Gauge / Serial #) or email cfmrecords@centerofthewest.org. Confirm ranges on the current PDF; contact before mailing to check availability.

About Greg Cook

Greg Cook writes about firearms collecting, personal history, and the stories behind interesting guns. His Army MOS was 76Y, Unit Armorer, and he brings that practical background to his collector articles.

Sources & References

Research references • September 23, 2026:

1. Cody Firearms Records Office — Savage / A.H. Fox
2. Cody Firearms Records Office — main
3. Cody — Available Serial Number Ranges PDF (2024, Savage/Marlin/Fox)
4. Cody — 2026 Savage / A.H. Fox Non-Member Factory Letter Order Form (PDF)
5. Newman, Jacob — “Records and Research at the Cody Firearms Museum” (June 26, 2026)
6. McCracken Research Library — Archival Collection List
7. Gun Collectors Club — Factory Letters for Collectors
8. Gun Collectors Club — L.C. Smith Cody factory records
9. Gun Collectors Club — Ithaca / Lefever / Western Cody factory records
10. Gun Collectors Club — Marlin Cody factory records
11. Gun Collectors Club — Winchester Model 21 Cody factory records
12. Gun Collectors Club — Firearm Serial Number Guides

Source boundary: informal web serial charts, auction blurbs, and uncited collector folklore are not used here as factory-letter authorities. Specialized printed A.H. Fox references remain useful for identification and collecting context, but the coverage, fees, and ordering claims on this page are tied to the cited Cody materials.