The latest surviving Ideal listed on the L. C. Smith site is serial 47656 dated December 14, 1949. The highest surviving serial they show is a Field grade 56314 dated January 23, 1950, but they also show a The L. C. Smith site shows a Premier Skeet grade, serial 54449 dated May 24, 1950, as the latest Fulton factory gun to leave the factory they know of. You'll probably need to request a research letter to see if your gun is the last Ideal grade produced. Unless it is a .410, it is highly unlikely; search their forum, and you will find that the last two or three Ideals were .410s. A search of the L. C. Smith site's forum reveals there is at least a surviving Ideal .410, serial 56660. Your Smith may yet be either the last known surviving serial of its gauge and/or the last Ideal of its gauge to be shipped from the factory. The easiest path would be to join the L. C. Smith Collectors Association and then email them asking that they check for you. It's always nice to discover something unique about your latest purchase: I wish you the best of luck.
Last edited by Emmett Boylan; 04/19/14 11:00 PM. Reason: Still trying to get it right...no more beer tonight.
