Ithaca letter arrived

[Wayne Owens]

The Ithaca letter I recently requested arrived today. I ordered this letter due to the unusual engraving of the floor plate on this SBT. The beaver on the floor plate piqued my curiosity and since I was aware of a famous trap shooter with the last name of Beaver, I thought the gun was ordered by him. What the letter shows, however, is that my gun was one of a four-gun order placed by the Dominion Cartridge Company. After researching the company I discovered that their trademark is a beaver. Attached are photos of their trademark along with the engraving of the floor plate and the proof marks on the barrel flats. It is rewarding to find out some of the histories behind these beautiful guns we collect.

[Ken Hill]

I wonder why "Made in America" is engraved on the gun?

Ken

[Dean Romig]

As a matter of pride in the fact that they can compete in a world wide market.






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[Garry L Gordon]

Very interesting. So, what else does the letter tell you? Just curious what their records might include.

[Wayne Owens]

Here is the letter. It appears that Stanley Cook was to receive the 4 gun shipment and was constantly traveling . Looks like he spent a lot of time on the SS Prince George.

[Bob Brown]

Very cool letter. It would be interesting to learn the rest of the story behind that Ithaca's trip to England and the Birmingham proof marks. Here is a link to posts on trapshooters.com of another John Boa Ithaca 6E SBT made in 1919. The 6E has an eagle instead of a beaver on the bottom, but it still has the made in U.S.A engraving. There are links from Dr. Drew to info on John Boa. One is a link to an image in Oct. 1916 to Boa with his Ithaca in Sporting Life, but the link isn't working. It is probably your gun.
https://www.trapshooters.com/threads/ithaca-flues-6e-sbt.832915/

[Garry L Gordon]

Thanks for posting the letter, Wayne. Some interesting past history of that special gun. After its long history, it is back in the hands of someone who really appreciates it.

[Drew Hause]

VERY cool.
Scroll down to the bottom of the thread Bob linked and the links are good
https://www.trapshooters.com/threads/ithaca-flues-6e-sbt.832915/

Here is Boa in the October 7, 1916 Sporting Life

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1373/6511424/19974446/414498699.jpg

Bob Hamilton will get a kick out of this thread!

Possibly one of our Canadian brethren could explain the proof marks. Was the gun shipped to England first for proof at the Birmingham Proof House, then to Canada for sale?

[Wayne Owens]

Thank you all for the additional information. I believe the proof marks are from 1959 due to the crossed swords mark with K and B stamped on each side. It seems like all of the Ithaca SBT guns I have seen, Grade 5 and higher, have Made In America engraved on them. The later ones have Made In USA engraved. The engraving is always in the same general location.

[Drew Hause]

Correct Wayne and thanks for the clarification
http://www.hallowellco.com/birmingham_proof_house_date_code.htm

Is British proof required in Canada for resale? Or was the gun sold in England in 59'?

[Wayne Owens]

I was wondering if these four guns, considering they were shipped to the SS Prince George, was a joint venture of Ithaca and The Dominion Cartridge Company, to shoot trap off of the ship to demonstrate the superiority of the gun and the ammo to the wealthy passengers. Any thoughts on the feasibility of this idea?

[Daryl Hallquist]

How does one explain the Cody letter having the gun finished in Sept., 22, 1915 and ordered in Dec. of that year ? These were special order guns with the Beaver motif.

[Wayne Owens]

I was thinking about that and figured that the gun was finished before the order was received but a new floor plate was engraved and installed with the Dominion Cartridge Company trademark as requested.

[Bill Murphy]

Any connection to Boa on 99% of Ithaca letters refer to his position as an Ithaca sales representative. He was a high average shooter with probably more than one Ithaca single, but his name was associated with hundreds of Ithacas. Boa's name is on the original order for my Sousa Knick, which he took to the 1930 Grand American with a bunch of other guns. He sold the Sousa, apparently at the Grand.

[Daryl Hallquist]

You could be right. In the past, I have received a Cody letter on a gun that differed from the one I asked for. I guess the 1910 Ithaca trap gun delivery date in another post is questionable.

[Bob Brown]

Correct Wayne and thanks for the clarification
http://www.hallowellco.com/birmingham_proof_house_date_code.htm

Is British proof required in Canada for resale? Or was the gun sold in England in 59'?

We don't have any proof laws in Canada. We're basically the same as the U.S.. As far as I know all have to be proof tested before sale or ownership transfers in countries with proof laws, but I'm not sure if a personal gun brought in when moving needs to be tested. The use on passenger ships sounds plausible.