Great gun!!! My two-part series on Baltimore Arms Co. was in
The Double Gun Journal, Volume Ten, Issues 1 and 3. Very interesting that 5652.D was a 30-inch Damascus barrel gun that sold in the November 2002, Butterfield Auction. I'm pretty sure Tony G. bought it and it has since moved on. Here are pictures from the online auction catalogue --
Serial number 5651 was an unfinished gun that was completely profiled like a D-Grade but had no checkering on the stock and was unengraved. Probably one of many guns-in-work that were sold during the receivership. It was for sale at the Maryland Arms Collectors Association Gun Show in 1999 and at least a couple of years either way from that. In my years of recording Baltimore Arms Co. guns it looks like there was a gaggle of D-Grade 1902 Model 12-gauges in the 173x range, and this group of 1904 Model D-Grade 12-gauges in the 565x range.
Contrary to much popular belief, these guns have nothing to do with Ansley H. Fox. They are a Frank A. Hollenbeck design. Ansley left his partners in Baltimore in the Fox Gun Co., Balto., MD., U.S.A. in early 1900 to become a professional shooter for Winchester. The partners formed a new corporation under the laws of West Virginia, Baltimore Arms Co., with their principle place of business Baltimore, Maryland. The early Hollenbeck designed guns they built at the old Fox factory are considered 1900 Models. These seem to have serial numbers from 1000 into the 14xx range. They built a new factory at the corner of South Sharp and Stockholm Streets. Meanwhile, Ansley was on the road shooting for the big W, and moved his family to Philadelphia. By November 1902, he had incorporated Philadelphia Arms Co. and by August 1903, they had broken ground for their new factory in the Germantown area of Philadelphia. Back in Baltimore, the Baltimore Arms Co. moved into their new factory in March 1901, and brought out a very slightly revised design gun, 1902 Model - stronger cocking toes on the hammers and a slightly different sear and sear spring, and added two new grades the Trap Gun and the D-Grade, and added 16-gauge guns to the line. They continued to operate through 1903, and revised the shape of the receivers to have rebates for securing the head of the stock, like the gun in question, and these are known as 1904 Models. The highest serial number 1902 Model I've recorded is in the 52xx range, and the lowest 1904 Model in the 54xx range. Baltimore Arms Co. was in a continuing negative cash flow cycle and just shortly after the Great Baltimore Fire, which missed the factory by a few blocks, the creditors pulled the plug. They worked through the summer on reorganization plans, but by early fall it appeared hopeless and a receiver was appointed.
So far, I've only recorded two Trap Guns, mine and the one in McIntosh's book. Mine has been restocked, but I still have the original stock. The other one has a worse restock, was I believe owned by Cote' at the time of the book, then at one time Tim Sheldon had it for sale and more recently Jay Shacter had it for sale. These two Trap Guns are consecutive serial number 1902 Models. So far more D-quality Baltimore Arms Co. guns have come to light than either C-quality or Trap Guns.
Trap Gun --
I've recorded Baltimore Arms Co. guns from the low 10xx range up into the 70xx range for serial numbers. I don't believe that means 6000+ were really completed, though some were being completed by Baltimore area, and likely elsewhere, gunsmiths long after the company was gone.
