J C Higgins 583/4 16G

I don't know about that particular model, but in general I've found JC Higgings guns to be good.

I'm not familiar with J.C. Higgins model #'s either. They were sold by Sears & Roebuck and I'd be highly suspicious it is a Marlin. Can you post a few good pictures? If it's a Marlin I'll know it. Dad hunted with a Marlin, 16 bore bolt gun for years.

http://www.hoosiergunworks.com/catalog/cross_reference.html
i don't see your model reference in there but thought other folks would like this link too.

Looks like Hi Standard made yours

Unless the model is 583.14 ? Could the slash be a 1 ? If so made by H&R model 120

One of the main reasons High Standard went broke was because the deal they made with Sears was a little "too good" for them. Sears made a pretty sharp deal on the guns High Standard made for them, and High Standard couldn't make a profit (sounds like WalMart, doesn't it?).
So, when High Standard made the first successful gas-operated shotgun, Sears got dibs on it and High Standard couldn't make the gun for themselves and their own sales for several years. That was a big deal for HS, it started them on the road to bankruptcy.
The Ted Williams guns were made by Winchester, with enough cosmetic differences that you could tell them apart. Winchester had a better deal, but only by a little bit.

Sears was the Wal-Mart of the day. Sure hated to see High Standard go under though.