My First Gun after all these years!

[Trooper733]

I live in a small town which was incorporated in 1902. On Main street, there is an empty lot where a drug store used to sit which was demolished a decade ago after heavy rains caused a partial collapse. I found out this building was built in the teens or early twenties, and had housed a drug store most of its life, along with a dentist office, real estate office, and the local Masonic Lodge all on the second floor. I know the owner of the now vacant lot and was able to get permission to hunt it. I have recovered several coins and other assorted items from the lot and was at the back near the alley, and in the area where the pharmacist's office would have been when I received a strange signal and VDI on my V3i which I thought might be a coin near a piece of junk iron. At around 8 inches I dug into what was left of a tin or thin steel box which came out of the ground as flakes and rust. I saw silver glint and kept enlarging the hole and finally it jumped into my brain that I had found a revolver! I pulled it out and snapped the first picture with it lying on my pickup tailgate, and the others after getting it home and cleaned up. The revolver is a .32 caliber Iver Johnson "Owls Head" break top, first model, made from around 1898 to 1902 give or take. It was fully loaded when I found it, and it took some work to get the release working on the top strap and get it open. The brass casings were corroded and had to be driven out of the cylinder backwards. After talking to some local folks, one of which is now 92, the gun probably belonged to the druggist that built the building, and he was known to have kept a gun in his office inside a space in the wall. My theory is that the box containing the gun fell down inside the wall, and was buried as the building was demolished and covered over. Its in pretty bad shape, the cylinder will rotate now, but nothing else functions. The trigger guard, hammer, trigger and other areas that were blued instead of nickel plated are badly rusted and the trigger guard is so thin it is fragile. I think the metal box it was in protected it somewhat until it rusted away. Thanks for looking.

 

[metaldetecta]

Sweet, that is the one thing I have always wanted to find! I have found a cap guns that I thought was real until I did major cleaning. Amazing find.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Nice pistol! That will make a great display. It's in much better shape than the last one I dug.

 

[treblehunter]

Great find, I love how the story unfolds, for me finding something old and then learning personal history makes it much more valuable. Congrats, nice find.

 

[fongu]

Nice find. Wish it could be restored to working order. another item on my wish list. Congratulations.

 

[Dasseldig]

That is awesome, and most definitely a once in a lifetime find. I would keep it for my collection for sure.

 

[HutSiteDigger]

Only intact gun I found in the woods was a old 12 gauge shotgun that a hunter apparently left next to a tree and forgot where he laid it down.... kewl find!!!

 

[detroitdigger]

Very cool find!

 

[texasvarmit]

Thanks all. The thought has crossed my mind of putting it in a shadowbox for display. Im an amateur gunsmith too so may put it up in my gun room.

great find Trooper! You have a firm lock on the identification and history of the old revolver, here is a pix of 4 old non dug revolvers in my collection, the two on the right (upside down) are the old Iver Johnson Owl Head grip type.

you need to find some tokens the Druggist used in that store!

 

[oldsalty19]

 

[Trooper733]

Thanks Texasvarmit for the photos of owls head revolvers. Thanks to all others for comments. I have asked old timers about tokens from local stores and they all say there were several stores giving them out, I haven't been lucky enough to find one MD. The only token from Okemah I have is one I bought at a coin show for a mens clothing store. I sure would like to find one or several!! THAT is on my wish list.!!! LOL

 

[DetectorMike]

Hey you could prolly have that gun restored to firing condition and it prolly wouldn't cost that much to have it done but it's still a awesome piece congrats

 

[Ifoundit69]

Awesome find !

 

[Nickleanddime]

I have a working one of those from my great grandpas uncle lol. Those are nice guns and I like the break down of them. That is a great find and still in good condition.