AmarilloMike,
Thanks for not saying anything...let the readers interpret for themselves. I posted that info with trepidation because of the lack of cross reference (often associated with secret). Either way, truth is more important than being correct. So I would like to add some info that may or may not appear contradictory.
Loy's life had an unusual twist in that he had an unintended double identity (no pun intended). Back then, just as now, jack everyone assumed his legal name was Joseph. His name was Joe. This near meaningless bit of information has further obscured his life to many researchers.
None of the guns in the photos I posted belong to me except the Flues 1910 gun, but some were Ithaca Flues models which were not manufactured until Loy was squarely working for Remington for over a decade. Then how can this be?
I was shown the Loy touchmark by a gun engraver who explained that Loy continued as a sub contractor for Ithaca for decades. His conveyance stood to reason because only an outside contractor could alter what had become a "factory pattern" done by in-house salaried employees. Then, when you begin to look around at the examples, they vary far and wide, but all are variations of a J & L cypher. Not only had he figured out how to bury his mark, he altered and flared it so we wouldn't miss it.
The records I've seen indicate that he also moonlighted engraving sports medals as lat as 1916 even though he lived until 1952.
Last edited by Robert Chambers; 08/16/12 09:59 AM. Reason: add accuracy
