I do have theory:
Ithaca seldom made a stop-go change in their mfg. Something was changed and the guns went out the door. This happened with changes from one model to another and also within models. There are also "employee" guns that were put together to the whim of the person it was for. There was a group of early ser# Lewis models, and a few 4 screw Flues models. There may have also been a few, earlier than cataloged, Flues models made up with the floral engraving as to test the pattern?
Is your engraving pattern the same as the later Floral pattern?
John
