Ithaca Crass Grade 3

[Double Lab]

Originally Posted by Brett Farley

IMHO Ithaca had some of the prettiest engraving and nicest wood of all the American SxS’s. These guns are all proof of that!

Same with the Lefevers.

[Drew Hause]

And Baker. Frank Mason setters



Upstate N.Y. was home to many of the best.
See at the top here
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...Q/edit?tab=t.0

[Stan Hoover]

Meant to post these earlier, but here is 2 different Grade 3 Crass models with bird engraving

[Mike of the Mountain]

Stan, did you ever find out anything on C.A. Holbrook?

[Mike Poindexter]

Stan, your C.A.Holbrook gun rang a bell and I just looked it up. It is pictured in 3 color views at page 43 of the first edition of Walt Snyder's book. No attribution to the pictures, so I assume it was one of Walt's own guns. No information on who C.A.Holbrook was.

[Stan Hoover]

Thanks Mike,

Yes, this gun is pictured in Walt's book, and it was formerly Walt's gun. I don't feel really confident that requesting a letter will get me anywhere, Walt held all the records till just a few years back and to my knowledge never did an article on this particular gun.

Stan

[Stan Hoover]

Not to drive anyone to boredom, but here is a Grade 4 Crass with some elk like creatures for engraving, circa 1895. Don’t you wish sometimes to have been born 100 years earlier

I apologize for the less than desirable background

[mobirdhunter]

Thanks, Stan. I’m enjoying these photos. I will still say that number 3 above looks more elaborate than the numb 4.

[Stan Hoover]

As you will notice, the 2 Grade 3's I posted in my first post, they are the earlier frame shape/contour.

The Grade 4 I posted last is a later frame, the same as the one posted by you and also Jay's Crass in an earlier thread.


That being said, I'm under the opinion that the dogs are more typical than birds on the later frames, but this is only my opinion and I could easily be wrong. Apparently some customers preferred elk and other animals also, we see them on some Parkers and the occasional Ithaca doubles. I can't comment on other makers because I haven't had much experience with others.

[Daryl Hallquist]

Here is a fine Grade 5 Crass for comparison.