Folsom Arms tag for Morris Canoe

[Kathryn Klos]

A Folsom Arms metal medallion that once graced a Morris canoe recently sold on eBay, and I'm wondering if anyone who posts here won that auction. My interest lies mainly in the possibility that the medallion might be placed on an existing Morris, and if so I'd like to document this in the Morris database. I do realize it could be sold to someone who would keep it on a shelf, but if it's going onto a canoe I feel it would be important to add this to the information on the canoe.

The eBay seller listed this medallion as a "builder tag", but it's actually a vendor's tag. Several of the sporting goods companies that sold Morris canoes used a metal tag or a decal to place their name on the canoes they sold. As far as I've been able to determine, Morris stopped using a metal builder's tag in the late 1890s and began using a decal-- 1896 is my guess for when this change occurred, based in part on correspondence Bert Morris received from a purveyor of decals. Our database information indicates medallions such as the Folsom (which is similar in size and shape to one by Abercrombie & Fitch) date to the early 20th century.

I hope some Morris canoes with vendor tags show up at our Assembly this summer.

Kathy

 

[Andre Cloutier]

Ask Miller about his, price of gas kept me from getting it...

 

[Kathryn Klos]

I know about Dan's little Morris with the medallion. There are only five canoes in the database with the Folsom medallion and four with Abercrombie & Fitch (as I recall-- I'm not home and do not have the memory of a Sheldon Cooper).

I should add that the fact Folsom states on the tag that it's a Morris says a lot about the Morris canoe. Dealers often sold the canoes of whomever gave them the best deal. It appears they were hawking the fact that they carried Morris canoes.

 

[Kathryn Klos]

I should add that sometimes Folsom engraved the canoe's serial number on the medallion, but not so in the case of this one sold on eBay.

 

[R.SCHELL/canoeist]

Greetings Kathy, I became the winner of the Folsom Arms Medallion. Cost a might more than I thought, but how often do they show up. (My wife asked "you paid what for what ?") Purchased it for an item for the Morris display. Not sure at this time if it will grace a canoe deck. If it does, were they placed on the front or rear decks. I will let you know if it gets attached. Thanks, Ray

 

[Benson Gray]

Congratulations Ray, a similar Indian Old Town Canoe Company tag and deck shown at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?5808 sold for more than five times what this one did. Enjoy,

Benson

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Hi Ray, it's great knowing you won the auction and that it will be part of the Morris display at the up-coming assembly. As you said, they don't show up often-- this is the first I've seen offered on eBay and the other five I know about are attached to canoes. They were placed on the bow deck, approximately where a decal would go.

Kathy

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Here's an example of a Folsom tag on the bow deck of a Morris.

 

[R.SCHELL/canoeist]

Thanks, Kathy

 

[R.SCHELL/canoeist]

Hello again, this medallion is perfectly flat, no curve to match the deck. Also is not engraved with a serial number. Do you know if all the other plates that are attached to a canoe engraved with the serial number? Maybe this one was an extra found in a drawer at some point. Thanks again.

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Good observations, Ray. I've attached images of four more Folsom tags-- note that Morris 2766 has a tag without the serial number engraved on it. There's another Morris in the database that has a Folsom tag without a serial number on it and the canoe has either lost its serial number tag or never had one (it has two cant rib pairs, so could pre-date serial numbers-- I have no pictures of this canoe). My guess is that the earlier Folsom tags didn't have a number engraved on them. The highest serial number with a Folsom tag is 3746, or c.1906. So, your medallion could have been on a canoe, but it would have been c.1905 or earlier. Does the eBay seller know if the medallion was on a canoe? He/she dated the tag "1900" in the eBay ad-- which is a good guess, if it was a guess.

I should add that yours is the 7th known Folsom Arms medallion.

Kathy