Manufactured in the late 19th century, cartridge boards such as this were a great complimentary advertisement provided to sporting goods stores by cartridge manufacturers to hang in their shops, giving consumers a physical representation of the wide range of cartridges they provided. One of these boards is clearly shown hanging in the well-known photograph of the interior of J.P. Lower & Sons' shop in Denver, and other examples would have hung in other gun shops around the country as promotional items. This specific board is documented as having belonged to the legendary and eccentric early New Hampshire gun collector and dealer Carl B. Shiffer, better known as "Shiff the Gunman", and likely hung amongst the hoard of antique arms in his eclectic home/shop. Shiff appears to have been born in New Hampshire in 1878 and spent most of his life there, despite many stories and legends surrounding him involving his life on the Western Frontier. This impressive board includes cartridges ranging from the tiny BB cap up to the massive 4 gauge cartridge and 1 inch Nordenfelt. Centered around a central diamond shaped image depicting a herd of deer and the "U.M.C." logo. The frame features the attractive U.M.C. trademark and Union Metallic Cartridge Co. carved banners at the top and bottom respectively. It measures approximately 41 3/8 x 54 3/8 inches overall. Included with this board is extensive documentation including letters from Shiff himself to R.S. Quigley Jr., who purchased the board from Shiff. A photograph of the board with matching wear patterns is included with a letter discussing the sale, and Shiff's eccentric personality is very clear in his writing. Copies of an article from the February 2024 issue of "Man At Arms" are included, which illustrates the odd and legendary life of Shiff, who was one of the grandfathers of antique gun collecting. Another included copy of a note states the another owner of the board (Mr. Behring) states that the 1 inch Gatling cartridge was replaced with a 1 inch Northfield cartridge and the paper-patched .50 caliber bullet on the right side is an incorrect replacement. Provenance: "Shiff the Gunman"; The Richard S. Quigley Collection; The Behling Collection; Property of a Gentleman

Fine, showing an attractively aged patina overall with the background of the board showing significant browning and the cartridges a dark aged patina. The frame shows a similar aged patina with most of the enamel remaining on the carved banners. Glass is absent. These cartridge boards are becoming more rare in any condition, especially with rich gun collecting history like this one!