Medway resident and horseshoe enthusiast Dale Jenkins has been collecting horseshoes for 30 years now, developing a love for them during his nearly 70 years of pitching. After nearly three decades of collecting 400 horseshoes, Jenkins stumbled upon not one, but four of the rarest American horseshoes in history, purchasing them to discover that he now holds the only four documented Victory-brand horseshoes in existence.

Jenkins found the four Victory horseshoes in Greenville just three years ago, as a collector there sold his entire collection when he moved into an assisted living facility. Jenkins said this collector had 133 horseshoes spread out on the floor, and he purchased them all. Appraisers have guessed the four Victory shoes to be worth between $150 and $200 apiece, and Jenkins said he is looking to sell his collection because of his age.

“If something were to happen to me, they’d all become the responsibility of my wife, and I don’t want her to have to deal with all that,” Jenkins said of his wife Shirley. The Medway couple just recently celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary, having met all those years ago at a bowling alley in Springfield.

The Giant Grip Victory horseshoe was created in 1947, but Giant Grip applied for a copyright of the Victory model just after the end of World War II in 1945.

A 2002 book titled The Horseshoe Trader’s and Collector’s Handbook by Bob Dunn states:

A rules brochure c. 1947 lists three models made: Official, Champion, and Victory. No collector has reported finding a Giant Grip Victory model. Research does document that Giant Grip applied and was granted a copyright for the logo Victory. Application was made June 21, 1945, and approval was granted January 7, 1947. So there remains a puzzle, were there Victory shoes made but are now extinct, or was the plan set for their production and never realized. The fact that the rules brochure named Victory as one of the Giant Grip model, leaves a ray of hope that someday, somewhere one may show up.

Jenkins began pitching horseshoes at the age of 13, saying that back then, it was one of the primary methods of passing the time.

“Horseshoes is really an interesting thing,” Jenkins said. “The younger people don’t want to pick them up anymore—they just want to push the buttons on the things in their hands. Back then, you couldn’t have a family reunion without someone starting a game of horseshoes.”

He has collected over 400 horseshoes since he began avidly collecting around 1985. He keeps a methodic catalogue of his collection, tracing each one for quick reference and compiling them into a binder. Jenkins also used to pitch horseshoes in many tournaments and competitions, often displaying his collection at each meet. Jenkins noted that the State Championships were held this past weekend in Greenville, Ohio, adding that the World Champion for the past 11 years is from Ohio.