HB... Came across this ad recently for the Beck`s Pat. Clay Bird and Trap. From my years of collecting I had never seen the Becks clay bird. The 1880 advertisement described as the best substitute for live birds and better practice than shooting glass balls... Trap3
I don't think I've ever seen one either. I don't recall David H. Eaton mentioning it in his book so I wouldn't think it was a popular trap. When he was only about 26, Joseph Wright Beck, of Indianapolis, IN, filed is application April 4, 1879 and was granted patent No. 221,021 on October 28, 1879. His father Samuel Beck was a gunsmith and I believe Joseph was a clerk in Mr. Beck's Hardware store.
I think this this is the same Becks family that has a seed business in Indiana. Can anyone confirm this? The Sonny Beck family has been very successful in the corn and soybean business.
