Posted: 11/3/2013 9:23:27 PM EDT
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So about a year or more ago I bought a near new Ruger Blackhawk Convertible .45 that came with several different grip sets. They came in an old Eagle Grips box that was still in very good condition. Inside the box was the original pamphlet describing the grips that were originally in the box which were among the grips that came with the gun. The little pamphlet describes the grips as hand rubbed high grade rosewood with no polish or lacquer or anything else other than the quality of the wood and the hand rubbed finish. The grips themselves are beautiful so I'm pretty sure they are the actual grips that came in the box.
The interesting part was that the old style price sticker on the box is from "Kerr's of Beverly Hills" and the price was $28.95. I thought it was odd that this box and grips came from Beverly Hills so I did a little research to find out about this store. It turns out that Kerr's was THE fishing and shooting store of the rich and famous located in the ultra posh Wilshire Boulevard area. They were the only real provider of quality fishing and shooting equipment in the area and was known as the place for Hollywood movie stars of the age to get their gear. The owner was Alexander Kerr who was a 16 time world champion in skeet shooting and heir to the "Kerr mason jar" fortune. The store opened in the mid 1930's and closed soon after Alex Kerr's death in 1970. They were considered so prestigious that they also sold high end fishing and hunting equipment that were co-branded with the Kerr name such as "Remington-Special Kerr Skeet Guns. I contacted Dr. Todd Larson, a college history professor who studies the history of fishing in America and published an article on the 52 companies that were so prominent in the business that they sold branded fishing tackle. While the article was originally about the fishing side of the business it also talks about how Kerr's was most well known for their custom gunsmithing department that attracted the "rich and famous" among Hollywood's golden era. Dr. Larson was kind enough to contact me and provide more information for me. He said they were definitely a high end company that sold high quality shooting and fishing equipment such as the boxed grips that I bought. It's pretty neat to know that this little box of Eagle fancy grips at some time in that era was sitting on a shelf of Hollywoods, and that entire area's, premier sporting store where the stars of the time came to get their high end fishing and shooting equipment. A store that was considered a historical part of America's fishing and hunting culture and that at some point this little box was purchased by who knows to fancy up their new Ruger handgun. Of course there's no way to know who originally purchased it but it's safe to assume they went to Kerr's specifically because they were the only store that sold the very high end equipment at the time until years later when Abercrombie and Fitch opened a store in San Francisco. It doesn't really make them worth a fortune but it is very interesting, after learning their history, to own something actually from that store. I'll definitely preserve the box and inner pamphlet but I'm torn whether to use the grips, which were my faves of all that came with gun, or put them back in their box and keep them there as a neat collectable. They are on my gun right now but I always planned that I would swap them out with the walnut grips if I took the gun out in anywhere they might get damaged. I'm not even sure they are the actual grips that came in the box but they do fit the description very well and are very pretty in my opinion. |