doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com First world problem, which trade label for case?

I'm having a lovely 1929 Francotte 20ga true sidelock gun restored. It was made for VL&D and has "Von Lingerke & Detmold US agents New York" on the barrels, Francotte on the action and other places.

It came with an oak and leather style case, which makers label would be proper to put in the case, Francotte or VL&D?


thanks,

Rob

Rob: Von Lengerke & Detmold sales records exist, and a research letter can be requested from Bob Beach.
He would very likely know how the case was marked
http://www.griffinhowe.com/research-main.cfm

Hi Drew,

I already have Bob's wonderful documentation of my gun, all the records from when it was received new in 1929 up until it was sold in 1936 to the uncle of the man I purchased from.

Really special detailed stuff including photocopies of ledgers, copies of catalogs, Bob outdid himself.

Alas, no mention of cases or labels.


thanks,

Rob

Its a Francotte shotgun. For goodness sake put a Francotte label in the case. VL&D was just the merchant... Geo

I know, but VL&D had their own trade labels just like A&F, Galazan has them.

How about both, with the Francotte label directly above the VL & D? Might look really nice. Would there be room for them positioned like that in the lid of the case you have, without being crowded?

SRH

Not really, it's a 20ga, smaller case, they'd have to be side by side.

Might just decide which label I like better. There's only the one for VL&D but several for Francotte, I'd have to research which would be appropriate for 1929.

I'm curious to know whether guns were shipped from Francotte in cases or if the cases were matched up at VL&D...

Unless a case was requested from the maker (at additional cost) most guns of the period were shipped in sturdy cardboard boxes. When they arrived at the sporting goods store an appropriate case that fit the purchaser's taste and wallet could be purchased.

More info...

My letter from Bob states my gun was received into the A&F inventory on Dec. 24, 1929. Thanks to Daryl Halquist who informed me that A&F took over VL&D in 1928 but the import license from Francotte was probably still in VL&D's name. I imagine the barrels were stamped at Francotte so they had to stamp them VL&D?

The gun was in an out of the A&F Used Gun inventory for a few years after the initial sale, sold and traded back and was finally sold again in 1939 to the ancestor of the man I purchased it from.

To further complicate my decision, I inspected the case more carefully and it is stamped Abercrombie & Fitch below the handle, and the oil bottle is also from A&F. I believe they were probably purchased with the gun in 1939 because I can see the name of the family I purchased it from in the leather where it was probably embossed at the time of purchase.

So it could actually be an A&F label that's appropriate.

Here is a perfect example of what I meant. This is a period case with the original labels.

https://stevebarnettfineguns.com/ah-fox-...uge-bert-becker

SRH