PLEASE NOTE: Griffin and Howe long time Archivist and Historian has retired. At this point in time we are not able to produce research or archive letters. When a replacement has been found, we will attempt to get back in touch with all inquiries for letters. We appreciate your understanding during this transition.

Griffin & Howe is pleased to make available the sales records of Von Lengerke & Detmold and Abercrombie & Fitch, two legendary purveyors of sporting arms in the 20th century. The records exist in over sixty very large ledger books recording sales and inventory between 1900 and 1977. The sales between 1900 and 1929 represent the sales of Von Lengerke & Detmold which was purchased by Abercrombie & Fitch in 1929. The Abercrombie & Fitch sales and inventory records begin in 1929 and continue through the closing of Abercrombie & Fitch in 1977. Most of the entries are for ‘new’ sales, although several thousand used and consigned sporting firearms passed through their inventory as well. Most of the ‘new’ sales are grouped by Make and Model and an inventory of sporting firearms began on February 1st of each year. Griffin & Howe is involved in an ongoing project to digitally record each page in the record books and index the Makes, Models and Serial Numbers.

To discover if your sporting firearm is listed in the records, click on the Make of the sporting firearm in the list below. Then enter your serial number and model if needed or search the list of complete serial numbers for each Make. Additional Makes and serial numbers will be added as the project progresses. If you discover that your sporting firearm is in the records, Griffin & Howe will be happy to verify the model, if applicable, and the date when the sporting firearm was first entered into inventory. Please send an email request to research@griffinhowe.com or call Griffin & Howe at +1.908.766.2287.

Griffin & Howe will also provide a Certificate of Inventory and Disposition and a photograph of the original page(s) on which your sporting firearm appears. The information on the certificate will vary depending on the year in which the sporting firearm was in inventory. The cost of this service is $100 per sporting firearm but may be more or less depending upon the amount of information in the record. For a more detailed description of the records and to see sample pages please click here – Sample Pages.

MAKES

Additional Makes and serial numbers will be added as the project progresses. If you discover that your sporting firearm is in the records, Griffin & Howe will be happy to verify the model, if applicable, and the date when the sporting firearm was first entered into inventory. The serial number is H123XXX. From the test target included with the rifle it was made in April of 1979 and test fired on April 16, 1979. Your rifle is a Weatherby Mark V, made by J.P. Sauer in West Germany in 1963. They made rifles for Weatherby from 1960 to 1972, when the production moved to Japan. Weatherby Cartridges. Ultra-high velocity, magnum ammunition is how Roy Weatherby got started in the 1940s. As a young wildcatter, he revolutionized the industry with his fast, hard-hitting loads that were dead-on accurate.

WEATHERBY

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