Well my eye did deceive me....that label is an 1855-59 Label in all its details except
1) no "fusils a Bascule" above the name
2) it has Gun Maker below the name not beside it, and
3) most important it is
"EM REILLY & Co" not just "REILLY." That would make the label very late 1858, early 1859 after JC Reilly retired, after the company name changed to EM Reilly, before the label changed completely in design, before "Gun Manufacturers" replaced "Gun Maker" and probably before 315 Oxford Street was opened (also in 1859). Amazing!!
That's the first such label I've seen.! Sometimes when you're positive of what you're looking at, your eyes play tricks on you, and you just jump to conclusions. Sorry.
The Case label is laid out so similar to 1855-58 that I don't think it could be an 1863 outlier. Perhaps the case was in storage for a couple of years? Or perhaps the key to the major change in label design in 1859 was not the advent of the EM REILLY name, which began to be used in advertisements and on ribs in 1859, but rather the opening of 315 Oxford Street, which also occurred in 1859 but a few months later.
1) 1855-59; 2) 1859? (label for 12920); 3) generic label 1859-68, and 72-86 with variants
