Ithaca Gr 4 and Case

[Kevin McCormack]

There were a number of US importers of goods from the UK from roughly the 1880s up through the early 1930s. Years ago I owned and refurbished a really nice W.W. Greener cartridge magazine that had been imported by Henry Squires in New York and bore his mini label as well as the classic Greener label inside the lid. Sometimes but not often a separate small label or tag from the US importer will be found on or in these cases, which to me is a kind of bonus.

Others notable importers who marked their foreign-made wares were Von Lengerke and Antoine, Von Lengerke and Detmold, Griffin and Howe and of course Abercrombie and Fitch.

It is not unusual to find American guns of this time period cased in UK products since the variety and quality of these cases were usually markedly better than those manufactured here in the US at the time. Alternatively, I redid the trunk case for the owner of one of the Parker Invincibles some years ago that had been made right here in the US by the Utica Luggage Company of Utica NY. It was a true oak and leather trunk case and was the equal to anything available from Great Britain at the time.

Photos of your case could help in determining its origin and date of manufacture.