Those early Belgian guns are generally considered wall hangers. Most have a form of twisted-wire barrel construction. If yours is actually 'Fine Damascus' and not actually laminated steel, and if the engraving is better than typical it might bring $200-$300. If it is the standard JABC (just another Belgian clunker) it will top out at $150 as a mantel decoration.
About $100 or so. The damascus/twist steel barrels are generally considered unsafe to shoot with modern ammunition.
With the serial number that you provided,your Ithaca double barrel shotgun with the damascus barrels was produced in the year 1900.
Steel or Damascus barrels?
That will be an assembly number. Serial numbers were not required on long arms made or imported to the US until 1968, so very few manufacturers assigned them. Since Neumann started making shotguns about 1863, the barrels could be damascus. If so, there will be a pattern of loops or swirls.ASSEMBLY NUMBER IS 4113.
If this is the model 215, the barrels are steel.
The use of damascus barrels on guns began to decrease pretty rapidly after 1900, although they were still fairly common up until the start of WWI. If you have a breech loading gun with damascus barrels it will probably date from 1875 - 1910. Most damascus barrels on U.S. guns seem to have actually made in Belgium. There is a lot of debate as to whether any damascus barrels for shotguns were actually made in the U.S. It seems likely there may have been small numbers produced in the U.S. However, Belgium had a large gunmaking trade at the time, with a lot of barrel makers specializing in damascus barrels, so it was generallly cheaper to import them than to make them.
We cant find one for you here. Browning Arms Co never made a shotgun with damascus barrels as far as we know. Its possible that a gun was made with those barrels built on one of Brownings patents.
Does it read "kec" or "ked"? The Remington web site indicates 4 grades of Remington model 1900 double barrel shotguns (http://www.remington.com/library/history/firearm_models/shotguns/model_1900.asp): Grades Offered: K - Remington steel barrelsKE - Remington steel, auto ejectorsKD - 2 stripe Damascus barrelsKED - 2 strip Damascus, auto ejectors
Damascus steel is made by folding a mild steel together with a high-carbon steel to make it stronger, and gives it a pretty pattern. Problem with Damascus barrels is that, while they work fine with low pressure black powder loads, modern smokeless shotshells are likely to cause the barrel to rupture, which is bad. If a shotgun has a Damascus barrel, it's very old and probably just a wall-hanger.
Damascus steel barrels can usually be recognized by visible (if the metal is bare) "twists" or striations. Do NOT fire a gun that has a Damascus steel barrel unless it has been proof tested by a qualified gunsmith. For that matter, do not fire any old firearm, Damascus steel or not, unless you are certain that the barrel can withstand the higher pressures of modern gunpowder. Safety first: take it to a qualified gunsmith if there's any doubt. See the following links for examples of Damascus steel barrels: http://www.peterdyson.co.uk/acatalog/ORIGINAL_DAMASCUS_BARRELS.html http://www.griffinhowe.com/damascus_twist.cfm
700.00 dollars
Most old Damascus barrels cannot hold the pressures of modern smokeless loads. I doubt that you will find any black powder loads for that type of barrel. Hang it on the wall and admire it.