I would like to find a website that would help me find the value and hopefully give some background on a old double shotgun.  The name on it is hard to read but it looks like  Cresent Arms, Empire,  manufactured in Connecticut. I am thinking Empire is the model. The shotgun is at least 60 years old and still looks and shoots fine.

I don't have any books here in the office (gotta' fix that), but Crescent was either a 'house brand' made by some other company (like JC Higgins at Sears), or a company that manufactured a ton of house brands.

If nobody answers your post, I'll shoot you a message this evening.  I'm assuming 12ga??

hth
Hanko

Go to the forum on [url]www.sassnet.com[/url] - the cowboys over there will id it for you.

The Crescent Firearms Company of Norwich, CT was a prolific manufacturer of inexpensive, decent quality single and double barrel shotguns from 1893 to about 1932.

As hanko mentions, it made many house brands for Sears, Wards, gun stores, hardware stores, etc.  My Standard Catalog of Firearms, 4th edition, lists well over a hundred of these house brands.  

This book has two house listings for Empire.  One is for Empire Arms Co., which was made for Sears, and Empire State Arms Co., with no further identification.

The above catalog lists Crescent shotguns in general as being worth $175 in very good condition and in 12 or 16 gauge.  The smaller gauges are worth more.  I’m sure there are exceptions to this value but it sounds about right for your shotgun.

Try Jack Dudley at New England Arms/LaBecasse in Vermont at 802-362-9000 or www.gunshop.com/labecas1.htm.  Or just www.gunshop.com if you want all New England's site.

Jack helped get my Boss into the country.  He's absolutely reliable and an excellent resource for old/classic shotguns.

...tell him you heard about him from ar15.com...that ought to give him a laugh.

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