The S next to the gauge on the watertable originally meant a No. 1 Special. But, in that the frame of a Field Grade and a No. 1 Special were the same, some guns which match the criteria of a Field Grade show up with the S stamp after the No. 1 Special was dropped from the Ithaca catalogues.
Originally, the Ithaca No. 1 had some engraving and twist barrels. Then Ithaca introduced a lower-priced twist barrel gun, the No. 1P for plain. It just had a roll-stamped logo on the sides of the frame. After a couple of years what was the No. 1P became the No. 1 and the engraved No. 1 was gone. Ithaca must have seen a demand for a lower priced Damascus barrel gun because they introduced a No. 1 1/2 with the roll-stamped frame and Damascus barrels. Fairly soon it got a bit of zig-zag border engraving in addition to the roll-stamped logo. With the introduction of steel barrels, Ithaca brought out a No. 1 Special with Cockerill Steel barrels. Finally Ithaca added an even lower-priced Field Grade gun. It had Smokeless Powder Steel barrels and a half-pistol grip, while the No. 1 Special had the Cockerill Steel barrels and a capped pistol grip. Also the Field Grade was only offered down to 20-gauge, while the No. 1 Special could be had in 28-gauge after 1912. In early 1915 a Field Grade had a net selling price of $19.50 and a No. 1 Special was $22.50. In mid-1915 Ithaca introduced their bolder new engraving patterns and the No. 1 1/2 got some bold floral engraving. As WW-I was heating up the supply of composite iron and steel barrel tubes from Europe was drying up and the No. 1 and the No. 1 1/2 got steel barrels. During 1919 Ithaca moved to simplify things. The No. 1 Special went away, and the Field Grade got a capped pistol grip. The No. 1 and the No. 1 1/2 were combined as the new No. 1 with the bold floral engraving and steel barrels. Through this period we still find quite a few guns that appear as what the current catalogues called Field Grades but stamped with the S for grade, probably using up receivers originally intended for No. 1 Specials? Then there are Ithaca guns stamped with an S in different locations and I don't think anyone really knows what those Ss mean. Finally beginning in the mid-1930s, Skeet Guns were stamped with an S in the choke designation spot on the fronts of the barrel flats.
Last edited by Researcher; 02/07/11 11:28 AM.
