A very nice Hammer Double Gun from Charles Giddings with outstanding game scenes engravings. The fairly light 12 bore has Damascus barrels.
This is what the owner wrote about:
Charles Giddings was listed as a gunsmith in an 1880 census in upstate New York. Later his son, George, was listed as an engraver, but I don’t think it that this gun was engraved by him, but I could be wrong. Several of the highest grade Lefever shotguns have a Giddings stamp in a hidden place on the wood.”
Remington experts said a Giddings was a stocker in Ilion, New York, and he stocked highest grade Remingtons, including their Hepburn single shots. A friend who is one of the most knowledgeable and respected dealers in the U.S. looked at the gun for me in the auction.”
His opinion was that the gun was engraved by Joseph Loy, an engraver of the best Ithaca, Lefever, and other guns made in New York. Nowadays, people like to think their guns were done by Loy. Whatever, this gun is special with the great engraving detail.”
Many thanks to Daryl for sharing this great gun!
