About the Gold Medal Concours
They were on the 18th green at Pebble Beach at the 1999 Concours d’Elegance, hip-deep in Bugattis and Duesenbergs, when Roger Sanger turned to Silvio Calabi and said, “Why don’t we do an event like this for fine guns?”
Well, why not? And so the first Gold Medal Concours d’Elegance of Fine Guns happened in January 2001, near Monterey, California. It was a success. The second Gold Medal Concours took place at The Vintage Cup, near New York City, in September of 2001.
The pattern was set: Two fine-gun events each year, East and West. Like an automotive concours (a French word for “mine’s better than yours”), the Gold Medal event features fine guns–new and old, from around the world–for all to admire and for a panel of judges to rate. There are many classes and categories, with Gold, Silver and Bronze honors available.
Concours guns are not displayed for sale, so the event draws superb pieces out of private collections that otherwise are never seen in public.
The National Rifle Association has been the presenting sponsor of the Gold Medal Concours since the beginning. The NRA also makes a special award at the Concours, as do collector groups, gunmakers and shooting magazines.
When the Concours is in California, it includes the Western Double Gun & Rifle Championships, which award the Nickerson Cup and the Roosevelt Cup to the top shooters.
Whether you wish to enter a gun, shoot in the Western Championships, or simply attend the next Gold Medal Concours, full information is available on this site.