Tinman357
Member
A gun story to tell, and a favor to ask……
A friend of mine came in today with an “old pistol” he’s had for hes says "quite a while", two of them actually. Now ya'll don’t know Roy, so I’ll tell you a little about him. Nice, older gentleman, over 95 or better, walks his dog past where I work a few times a day. Roy is a well-known, and very well liked character in the area. He has a liking for slow moving old dogs and tweed sport coats, old fedora hats, pocket watches, and sunshine. He does mention that a smooth scotch in the late evenings is the key to a long life. At a glance, he would be perfectly at home strolling down some narrow side street in 1940’s London. The man exudes an old world grace that is sorely lacking in this modern society.
I have never heard a cross word from the gentleman, very articulate and obviously very well educated. Always a kind word for anyone he meets on his walks, from time to time he apologizes for his slow moving old dog, she’s getting pretty slow at 16. But, I see her waiting on Roy to catch up every now and then. Real sly like, as not to rush him too much. Good dog. They keep each other moving right along, but life moves just a bit slower these days. Get the picture?
Back to the pistols… he comes in and tells me he brought in those old pistols he’s had for “quite a long time”, wants me to tell him what they’re worth and could I help him sell? Say’s he picked up the revolver back about 1945 or so from his friends grandfather who was most likely the original owner and he’d like me to take a look at them and see if they’re worth anything. Roy’s said that his retirement plan didn’t include him living this long, he’s outlived his heirs, and just wants a few things looked after.
First one he pulls out is a very old Iver Johnson “Favorite #2”. None of these have been made since 1884 as far as I know so it’s a bit longer in the tooth than Roy. It’s a .32 rim fire, but he’s got a “box of bullets” he’ll add to the sale if it’s even worth anything. I told him I’d look into it and let him know about what it’s worth. Need to get a few pictures for those who like to see little bits of a bygone era.
Finish challenged, but not bad for what is at least a 130+ year old pistol. Mechanically in good shape, timing is good bore looks good for a black powder, century old pistol. I wish this little thing could tell me where it’s been. In the pocket of a stage coach driver out of Laramie, maybe laying on a table by a glass of whiskey during a poker game at a dusty old saloon outside of Abilene. Maybe in the vest pocket of a newspaper editor in NYC, or just quietly carried, unneeded, by any one of any one of a thousand people in a hundred different towns and cities of this great and fast growing nation of a bygone era. If it could only speak. We’ll never know………. I personally like to think it was once tucked in the bodice of a saloon girls dress in old Tombstone. Roy said if that’s the case, he’ll keep it.
The favor…. Does anyone know a good appraiser in the PNW or an auction house that would be fair to this kind gentleman?
The second pistol he pulled out is a Nazi marked thing that honestly made my blood chill a bit. He didn’t say much about it, I told him to keep it safe and I’ll look into a higher level auction house. Verified that he had his “bring back” papers.
He didn’t seem to want to talk much about it. I got an idea and asked him to write down his story and I’ll see what I can do about it. But as he was leaving, He asked me if I had ever heard of a place in Germany called Birkenau . Patted his pocked and left. Took a while for the room to warm up after that.
I think I need to set aside some time to sit with Roy on his porch and have a scotch with him.
A friend of mine came in today with an “old pistol” he’s had for hes says "quite a while", two of them actually. Now ya'll don’t know Roy, so I’ll tell you a little about him. Nice, older gentleman, over 95 or better, walks his dog past where I work a few times a day. Roy is a well-known, and very well liked character in the area. He has a liking for slow moving old dogs and tweed sport coats, old fedora hats, pocket watches, and sunshine. He does mention that a smooth scotch in the late evenings is the key to a long life. At a glance, he would be perfectly at home strolling down some narrow side street in 1940’s London. The man exudes an old world grace that is sorely lacking in this modern society.
I have never heard a cross word from the gentleman, very articulate and obviously very well educated. Always a kind word for anyone he meets on his walks, from time to time he apologizes for his slow moving old dog, she’s getting pretty slow at 16. But, I see her waiting on Roy to catch up every now and then. Real sly like, as not to rush him too much. Good dog. They keep each other moving right along, but life moves just a bit slower these days. Get the picture?
Back to the pistols… he comes in and tells me he brought in those old pistols he’s had for “quite a long time”, wants me to tell him what they’re worth and could I help him sell? Say’s he picked up the revolver back about 1945 or so from his friends grandfather who was most likely the original owner and he’d like me to take a look at them and see if they’re worth anything. Roy’s said that his retirement plan didn’t include him living this long, he’s outlived his heirs, and just wants a few things looked after.
First one he pulls out is a very old Iver Johnson “Favorite #2”. None of these have been made since 1884 as far as I know so it’s a bit longer in the tooth than Roy. It’s a .32 rim fire, but he’s got a “box of bullets” he’ll add to the sale if it’s even worth anything. I told him I’d look into it and let him know about what it’s worth. Need to get a few pictures for those who like to see little bits of a bygone era.
Finish challenged, but not bad for what is at least a 130+ year old pistol. Mechanically in good shape, timing is good bore looks good for a black powder, century old pistol. I wish this little thing could tell me where it’s been. In the pocket of a stage coach driver out of Laramie, maybe laying on a table by a glass of whiskey during a poker game at a dusty old saloon outside of Abilene. Maybe in the vest pocket of a newspaper editor in NYC, or just quietly carried, unneeded, by any one of any one of a thousand people in a hundred different towns and cities of this great and fast growing nation of a bygone era. If it could only speak. We’ll never know………. I personally like to think it was once tucked in the bodice of a saloon girls dress in old Tombstone. Roy said if that’s the case, he’ll keep it.
The favor…. Does anyone know a good appraiser in the PNW or an auction house that would be fair to this kind gentleman?
The second pistol he pulled out is a Nazi marked thing that honestly made my blood chill a bit. He didn’t say much about it, I told him to keep it safe and I’ll look into a higher level auction house. Verified that he had his “bring back” papers.
He didn’t seem to want to talk much about it. I got an idea and asked him to write down his story and I’ll see what I can do about it. But as he was leaving, He asked me if I had ever heard of a place in Germany called Birkenau . Patted his pocked and left. Took a while for the room to warm up after that.
I think I need to set aside some time to sit with Roy on his porch and have a scotch with him.