Two pre 1900 pistols....good deal ..great deal ..no deal ??UPDATE W/PICS

[jopher]

Stopped by an antique store today just for somethin to do. In one of the bays was a wooden plaque with two pistols mounted on it. They are similar looking revolvers. Look like around .32 caliber. On the top of one of the barrels it is marked "Defender". On the other "The Smoker". Could not see the back side for additional info. as they are mounted solidly. The Defender is complete...wood handgrips ...not rusty. Just looks well used. The Smoker is in similar condition but is missing the hammer. I turned the board over and someone had written in pencil on the back "Pre-1899 pistols". Also on the back was a price tag from the current seller.....$40.
The store was closing so I set the plaque back in its spot and figured Id ask around on TN to see if this is something that shouldnt be passed up. I can run up in the morning and pick them up if this is a smokin deal.Thanks for any input....Joe

[DigginThePast]

Iver Johnson made pistols marked "Defender" and "Smoker". Both, along with many others were inexpensive firearms made primarily in the late 1800's with some going into the early 1900's.

Missing hammer aside, I'd expect neither to function as many don't. Value was low when first produced and still is today with the exception of the original, functional pieces in mint condition.

That being said, for $40 I'd snatch them up. They would make a great display for anyone interested in firearms. It wouldn't be a huge money maker but you should be able to get your money back or better just on the one in lesser condition. Most sell in the $50-100 range. The sticky point could be how they are mounted. I'm assuming that they have not been modified in order to mount them to the board.

[jopher]

Iver Johnson made pistols marked "Defender" and "Smoker". Both, along with many others were inexpensive firearms made primarily in the late 1800's with some going into the early 1900's.

Missing hammer aside, I'd expect neither to function as many don't. Value was low when first produced and still is today with the exception of the original, functional pieces in mint condition.

That being said, for $40 I'd snatch them up. They would make a great display for anyone interested in firearms. It wouldn't be a huge money maker but you should be able to get your money back or better just on the one in lesser condition. Most sell in the $50-100 range. The sticky point could be how they are mounted. I'm assuming that they have not been modified in order to mount them to the board.

D.P. thank you for your input.
My intent at this point may be to buy them and re-display them in a little nicer fashion. Maybe I can find a hammer for the Smoker to complete the display.
As far as the current mounting is concerned....it looked as though there was an inset carved into the wood plaque for the cylinder and the pistols attatched there with a wad of epoxy?? Should be able to remove without damage.

[mojjax]

Sounds like a good deal . Does the Defender look like this one -

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.p...,109568.0.html

[DigginThePast]

Iver Johnson made pistols marked "Defender" and "Smoker". Both, along with many others were inexpensive firearms made primarily in the late 1800's with some going into the early 1900's.

Missing hammer aside, I'd expect neither to function as many don't. Value was low when first produced and still is today with the exception of the original, functional pieces in mint condition.

That being said, for $40 I'd snatch them up. They would make a great display for anyone interested in firearms. It wouldn't be a huge money maker but you should be able to get your money back or better just on the one in lesser condition. Most sell in the $50-100 range. The sticky point could be how they are mounted. I'm assuming that they have not been modified in order to mount them to the board.

D.P. thank you for your input.
My intent at this point may be to buy them and re-display them in a little nicer fashion. Maybe I can find a hammer for the Smoker to complete the display.
As far as the current mounting is concerned....it looked as though there was an inset carved into the wood plaque for the cylinder and the pistols attatched there with a wad of epoxy?? Should be able to remove without damage.

Cool. Post some pics if you can.

[jopher]

Returned to the antique store today...and they were goneWTH.
On the way out I asked the girl at the desk when they were sold and she said....Oh , you mean these things and produced them from behind the counter.Apparently someone had knocked them from thier display and she had set them aside temporarily.
O.K....so I brought them home ....freed them from the epoxy...and cleaned them up a bit.

The Defender is mostly complete but doesnt have the correct cylinder rod.

The Smoker is a bit rough..missing the hammer, hammer spring, and front sight. The hand grips are a bit chipped up.

Both pistols have numbers under the hand grips...The Defender is 708 , The Smoker is 3434. Almost identicle in design ...the Smoker has a shorter cylinder.

Ill look around for the parts to complete the pistols and then consider a proper display.
Thanks for your help guys....Joe