Jack O'Connor contributed to the misinformation that Ithacas were less expensive than the other "classic" American doubles.
Back in the pre-WW-I days the Fox Sterlingworth, the K-Grade Remington, the DS-Grade Lefever and the 00-Grade L.C. Smith all had a net selling price of $25. The Field Grade Ithaca had a net sellng price of $18 and the Baker Black Beauty had a price of $19.85. Meanwhile the Parker Bros. Trojan sold for $27.50.
The Ithaca Field Grade caught up with the Elsie Field Grade and Sterlingworth by 1936, which is the era O'Connor referred to specifically when he listed prices. (He gives the Ithaca Field Grade price as $39.75, which must have been a bit earlier than 1936, by which time all three were within pennies of $43.) He does say that the Ithacas weren't as expensive as Parkers, Foxes and Elsies "in the higher grades". I don't have complete price lists to compare those, which is a bit more difficult than comparing the entry-level Field Grades.
