That is an early gun, made in August 1935. The fit and finish appear to be excellent and the serial number is correct for that month. Later guns, expecially those made in 1944 and 1945 are quite crude and have given some collectors the impression that the Type 94 was crude junk, even unsafe. That is simply not true. It is designed for ease of production but those made under peacetime conditions are quite well made and perfectly safe.
The idea that they were made as "suicide pistols" or "sneak pistols" arose from the fact that pressing the outside sear bar can fire the gun if the safety is off. Some armchair generals concocted fanciful stories about Japanese soldiers who would approach an American, holding out his pistol as if to surrender, then press the sear bar and kill the American. Such nonsense could only come from civilians or recruits. A combat soldier or Marine would know very well that any Japanese approaching an American with a gun in his hand would never have a chance to fire it, no matter how the gun worked!
While it is hard to determine condition from pictures, that early date and the apparently excellent condition could add up to a value well in excess of $2000.
Jim
