I've recently acquired an Italian SXS with open hammers in 12 gauge. It was listed by the vendor as being of "Unknown" manufacture. The proof marks indicate that it was made in 1951 and is proofed for nitro.
There's a mark on the water table, which I believe is the maker's mark, which I am trying to identify. It consists of an illustration of an open book with "BG" written on the facing pages. A lion stands next to the book with his fore paw on top of the book. Under all of this appears "S. Marco" or "I. Marco" - it's hard to see clearly.
I found a post on another site where the poster claims that the "S.Marco" is not the name of the maker, but stands for "trade mark" and indicated that what appears above it is a trade mark. I am beginning to doubt this information, as I have not found evidence of any other trade marks with this inscription underneath. Rather, it appears that this is part of the mark and refers to the now-defunct maker Armi San Marco.
Does anyone know about the trade mark question, or whether the mark in the top left corner of the image below indicates Armi San Marco, or some other maker?
