There was a gun factory in Norwich, Conn., that was owned by H&D Folsom Arms Co., 314 Broadway, New York City, from about 1893 to 1930. They made a lot of very low priced shotguns for H&D Folsom to market under the American Gun Co. and the Crescent Fire Arms Co. names. Generally the American Gun Co. doubles had coil springs while the Crescents had a bent piece of spring wire making the very cheapest possible V-Spring. There are no surviving records, but the late Joe Vorisek, through a lifetime of study, put together an estimated chronology. According to Joe's list your gun would be from 1899. Are you sure it is a 20-gauge? 1899 is awefully early for a 20-gauge, and 32-inch barrel pretty unusual on a 20-gauge. This H & D Folsom ad from April 1905 only lists 12-gauge in 30- and 32-inch barrels.

Recently on another board we had some pictures of very likely the benchmark surviving American Gun Co. hammer gun --

Condition and originality is everything in determining market value, and we'll need to have several good pictures to even make a guess.

 

http://docs.google.com/a/damascusknowle ... SXXQ&pli=1

 

No biggie but there were two American Gun Companies. One spelled AMERICAN GUN CO (abbreviated) and the other AMERICAN GUN COMPANY (spelled out in full). No biggie because both names were used by Crescent Fire Arms, only the retailers were different. The abbreviated version was sold by the Supplee Biddle Hardware Company of Philadelphia< PA while the full name version was sold by H & H Folsom of New York City and Sears Roebuck & Co of Chicago.IL.

 

I disagree Ned!! I think that is just a matter of the roll stamp they were using in the factory at Norwich on any given week when a gun was made. No one has ever suggested a difference in the Ansley H. Fox doubles marked "A.H. Fox Gun Co., Phila., Pa." and those marked "A.H. Fox Gun Co., Philadelphia, U.S.A." and those marked "A.H. Fox Gun Co., Phila., Pa., U.S.A."

Here is an H & D Folsom Arms Co. magazine ad that spells "American Gun Company" out --

and in this H & D Folsom Arms Co. catalogue they use "American Gun Co." --