Old Mk 2 BSA Airsporter box question

[stevegv8]

I have a scruffy old box for a Mk 2 Airsporter and the printed label isn't Armoury Rd Birmingham but Studley Rd Redditch, now that might be a well known address for BSA, except by me, so asking the collector experts.

Maybe it was a dispatching facility or was it where repairs went because it does have Armoury Rd hand written twice on it too, one each side (but not in the same hand writing which doesn't seem factory) and one of them covered over by a blank piece of paper so I wonder if it has been returned early on maybe, to Armoury road first?

It has what I assume was the first buyers address too written under the Redditch address funding my theory of them sending it directly back to the owner after he or his gun shop/place of purchase sent it back perhaps?
Further to that the box and gun serial don't match (the box only has a part serial, G & possibly E ?43?5 & the gun is GD) so if my idea was correct I wonder if he sent it less it's box which he'd probably already chucked, as you do and they returned it in a spare box? Then again after so many years the gun and box may be mismatched for another reason of course seeing as the box condition and the guns condition are worlds apart.
Anyway interested in ideas as this is exploring the guns history.

[Lakey]

I have a scruffy old box for a Mk 2 Airsporter and the printed label isn't Armoury Rd Birmingham but Studley Rd Redditch, now that might be a well known address for BSA, except by me, so asking the collector experts.

Maybe it was a dispatching facility or was it where repairs went because it does have Armoury Rd hand written twice on it too, one each side (but not in the same hand writing which doesn't seem factory) and one of them covered over by a blank piece of paper so I wonder if it has been returned early on maybe, to Armoury road first?

It has what I assume was the first buyers address too written under the Redditch address funding my theory of them sending it directly back to the owner after he or his gun shop/place of purchase sent it back perhaps?
Further to that the box and gun serial don't match (the box only has a part serial, G & possibly E ?43?5 & the gun is GD) so if my idea was correct I wonder if he sent it less it's box which he'd probably already chucked, as you do and they returned it in a spare box? Then again after so many years the gun and box may be mismatched for another reason of course seeing as the box condition and the guns condition are worlds apart.
Anyway interested in ideas as this is exploring the guns history.

BSA moved all gun production to the Redditch factory in 1965, after their factory in Shirley closed down. According to John Knibbs in his book "The Golden Century", the factory in Shirley was far too large and costly to maintain solely for the manufacture of commercial arms, now that all military work had ceased.

Originally it was owned by the Eadie Manufacturing Co Ltd, who made bicycle spare parts, and was purchased by BSA in 1907.

In 1965, the factory was producing stationary engines for pumps, and engines for lawn mowers. That part of the BSA empire was sold of to Norton Villiers, creating an opportunity for the gun making business to move to more cost effective surroundings.

Hope that helps


Lakey

[Lakey]

The BSA gun production moved again in 1967. At that time the BSA Gun's division was under the control of the BSA Motor Cycles division, who were suffering a fall in sales due to foreign imported motorcycles coming into the country in ever increasing numbers.

This forced the company to tighten their belts so to speak, and the Redditch factory was sold off. The Gun making division had their cost and accounts, and Gun planning departments at Small Heath Birmingham, and when the old stocking shop became available, the gun making department moved there. The rest of the vast factory at Small heath was being sold off.

So after three factory moved BSA was back in part of the original factory where it all started.

The Redditch address dated the box very precisely to a two year period.

( All info selectively taken fron John Knibbs fine book "The Golden Century " )

Lakey

[stevegv8]

The BSA gun production moved again in 1967. At that time the BSA Gun's division was under the control of the BSA Motor Cycles division, who were suffering a fall in sales due to foreign imported motorcycles coming into the country in ever increasing numbers.

This forced the company to tighten their belts so to speak, and the Redditch factory was sold off. The Gun making division had their cost and accounts, and Gun planning departments at Small Heath Birmingham, and when the old stocking shop became available, the gun making department moved there. The rest of the vast factory at Small heath was being sold off.

So after three factory moved BSA was back in part of the original factory where it all started.

The Redditch address dated the box very precisely to a two year period.

( All info selectively taken fron John Knibbs fine book "The Golden Century " )

Lakey

Brilliant! thanks just the info I needed and from the book I don't have.
I still reckon it went back to BSA at some point with a hand written Armoury Rd address on it twice and that probably happened after 1967?
However not matching gun and box serials is still a mystery and as a GD it should have been up to 1965 & GD33xxx possibly sooner than 65 so likely never should have been in a Redditch box at the start if the box address is narrowed down to 65-67.
We can tell now though that the hard to read second letter of the box Serial would be GE.

So back to my repair/return theory, maybe it found it's way into the box during that possible return time if the owner had already disposed of it's original box.
Gun and box have been together many years supposedly via my second/third hand info but I'm pretty sure not from the beginning. Maybe even the owner (who had a collection) mixed some boxes up years ago? Will never know for sure but it's been interesting to mull over and just occurred to me that if not together from day one then maybe the box has been back and forth to BSA but not the gun, before they were together!?
Anyway it looks like the rarest BSA I have is that box If anyone has an 1965-67 Airsporter GE ?43?5 I have a scruffy rare box for you £500