 A discussion on Gun Canes (9050)
My recomendation is that you read this discussion, that I had with myself about gun canes. If you don't find it interesting, skip the rest of the descriptions about this subject.
Reading this alone will give you enough understanding of the subject to be able hold your own in any conversation on the subject.
The Number 1 best selling gadget cane, are gun canes. I think that if every cane collector wanted one, that there aren’t enough of them to be one per collector. The good news is, not every cane collector wants one. That means there are several each for those collectors who like them. I think Francis Monek must have had the best gun cane collection of all times. I heard him speak on them about 20 years ago in Samoset, Maine cane convention. On the one hand he was inspiring, when you saw his collection and heard his stories you wanted every one of them. On the other hand he warned you that all cartridge canes are illegal, except Remingtons. That there was an American gun law that said Remington, because it was American, was legal and that all the rest were not legal because they weren’t American. That these European gun canes did not fall under the concealed weapons or curosia gun laws, and therefore were not legal to own. That even if you had a weapons permit, that these were against the law. As an attorney he should know. He didn’t recommend getting caught carrying one on the street, and I don’t either. So remember that when you buy one from me.
Every cane auction in the country sell gun canes, in their nationally advertised catalog, and they don’t require a license, because you can’t get a license. Most cane dealers sell them at antique shows right off their tables. Gun dealers sell them in gun shops and gun shows. Dealers mail them all over the country and the world. I ask the post office if I could mail them and they got out their big book of regulations and read to me that it was O.K. to send them with out declaring them as weapons if they were black powder and older than 1898.
In my younger years, I would tape a bunch of canes together with a gun cane in the center and carry it on the plane with me as I traveled home. I would never do that today. I recently was told by a man in my booth that he carried a gun cane from Europe to America on a plane, and he was upset that the TSA took it from him. He actually thought they were taking it from him because they wanted the money it was worth. He thought that because when he ask for it back they told him they were going to sell it at auction, and he could bid on it. I decided he was too stupid, and threw him out of my booth. Actually, every thing happened exactly as I said, except it was my wife that threw him out. I’m far too tolerant, and he was far too unpatriotic, given 9/11.
Ebay won’t let you sell them, and there are others that won’t sell them. The point is this, there is a lot of confusion about what the laws say about them, yet you can never tell when you will get a bureaucrat that that will give you trouble. One of the biggest lessons I have learned in life, comes not from canes, but understanding human nature. I give you this lesson, with the only request, that you look into you past and label those you have met, who were just like the woman I am about to tell you about. I was in an airport changing planes, when I walked up to a woman to ask where you left security as I didn’t want to have to go back through with all the stuff I was carrying. It was a wide hall, without all the walls they have today. She was sitting on a stool in the middle of that hall, and there was no one else around. She watched me walk up and ask where security ended, and she said there is an invisible line two steps back. I, without missing a beat, stepped back two steps over that invisible line. I was immediately informed I would have to walk a quarter mile down the hall a go back through security. There was nothing I could do to talk her thru the lack of common sense of her insistence. There are people who need the power of their position. That somehow they are defined by this power.
Dike has 23 wheel-locks and flint lock guns. They all have a rarity code of 4* and a value code of A $12000+. We are only taking about the flintlock, as I never expect to see a wheel-lock. I can’t even imagine what a wheel-lock would cost. Any flint lock would satisfy me. I had a chance to buy one of the most common of these from Michael German of London about 5 years ago, and that was the last one I have seen. I didn’t buy it, but I have been sorry since. My #1 goal for my collection is a flintlock gun cane. I would like to know how many of them are in collections out there. I have only seen two. None of these are illegal, as none of these need to be registered.
Catherine Dike has 65 different percussion gun canes in Curiosa. Percussion and cap and ball are two names for the same firing system. A copper cap with gun powder in it is put on a nipple with a hole to allow the spark entrance into the barrel where a measured amount of powder ignites when the hammer strikes the cap. A lead ball is pushed down the barrel against a rag that holds the powder in place. The first patent for a gun with this system was 1807, with John Day of Barnstopple England, patenting the first percussion gun cane. Variations to John Days canes, and copies of it, are probably in the 100’s. None of these are illegal, as no percussion weapons need to be registered.
Dike has 90 different cartridge canes pictured, and that doesn't include the pictures of patent papered ones. Just because she has the most variations of these doesn't mean they are the most common. Some are quite common and others arn't. I personally think its a toss up between cartridge and breech loaders. Simply put cartridge canes screw apart to load and take bullets. Gun canes were made shortly after the invention of cartridges in about 1850. The most expensive cartridge canes are Remington, which came in many models. I talk more about remingtons in cane #8250 and #8251 also in this book. Their rareity code is 3*, and value code of B to A or $6000 to over $12000. Enough of them have sold at auction, that their values are quite accurate. They sell more than their rarity code would indicate, yet there were only 500 of some models. That really isn't very many, yet they seem to hold their value well. There were no other American cartridge gun canes that I know of, the vast majority of them are French. then Belgian then German.
Breech loaders load at the rear of the cane as opposed to the ferrule end as in percussion. Cartridge canes are really breech loaders, but they are enough different in their method of loading that it makes sense to give them another name. Breech loaders work like a bolt action shot gun. A quarter turn of the barrel and pull back. Put a bullet in and pushing forward cocks the gun. You can walk with it armed. Turn the collar and the trigger drops down thru a slot. Pull and the gun is fired. Many of these were destroyed because the ferrule wasn't removed when the gun was fired. There is no way to carry the gun loaded with out it being cocked. This is a popular mechanism style for collectors, and they sell for more than the European cartridge guns. Dumonthier was the most notable maker of these breech loaders, and his ejectors of the cartridges were, in my opinion, the best.Most of the breech loaders had ejectors. He was also one of the few to sign his canes, but I also have one signed gay, for These come in a variety of horn and stag handles. Also in the breech chapter are chesspot pin fires, also sell for about the same as a standard breech, but less than a dumonthier. There are 46 of them illustrated in Dike, with 12 cartridge blow gun canes. You blow a firing pin down the barrel and it fires the cartridge. These are interesting enough to sell well, although they were not very accurate. They certainly weren't a defensive weapon as it would be dangerous to walk with one of these loaded. Most were 32 caliber. Some had a curved metal piece to put your lips on and others a rubber ring, with these usually hard or nonexistant today. I would not classify these as breech loaders as the barrel screws on and off to load like cartridge guns. I will therefore classify them cartridge blow guns. These also came in percussion, which are not as common.
I also don't understand why the cherrot brass cannon canes are in this chapter, as they are more like percussion. These come in many shapes and sizes, and generally sell for slightly less than gun canes. The engraved ones are the most expensive. I recently passed on one for $700 and didn't out what a mistake I made until it sold twice after that. These were said to be used by gamblers to make a hasty getaway by using a lighted cheroot cigar as the igniting method. Whether that was true or not, it's one of the great stories. I've heard that glass, shot and nails were used. Dike says the barrels are rifled. I haven't seen that because you can't look through the barrel. At any rate, at short distances it would inflict great pain. The rocket and fireworks cane is also in this chapter, see# 8708
Dike has 14 gun canes in a chapter she calls automatic, which is not a correct gun term for the guns shown. Automatic is like a machine gun, when you pull the trigger once multiple rounds go off. Her descripion of these multiple shot canes, however, is flawless. I didn't even know where the term peperbox came from. It's from the look of a pepershaker. Peperboxes are actually revolvers, the cylinder turns as the trigger is pulled. Most of these are double action, every time you pull the trigger the cylinder turns, which is the most common type. I have only seen one single action, P. Touchard, which she illustrates. See # in this book. Those without daggers are rarer than those with, but those with are more popular. The double action peppers are 3* rarity and C and B value, $5000 to $8000. The single action is 4* and B or $6000 up.Who knows what it will bring, as no others have traded hands that I know of. This one may be the one in Dike as it is identical.
The two shot pistol is the most complicated gun I have ever seen. This French cane by Joriot is armed by pushing, pulling, turning, twisting, and inserting. It takes a minute or more to arm even if you know what you are doing, and if you don't, it is virtually impossible to figure out how. 4* and C value $3000 to $6000.
The last to talk about is what is called the machine gun cane. It really isn't but it sounds good. See # 8086 in this book for another model than the one Dike owned. I don't know how to prove it, but she says there are only 3 known to exist. I was told Dikes traded hands for over $50,000, which is un colaborated, but an interesting story, from someone who actually said he was the one who sold it.
Dike has 14 airgun canes illustrated, with the best one a cased one. I like air gun canes a lot, they were the most complicated of the gun canes to produce, they have the most parts in their manufacture. The most interesting story I have heard about them, is that they were outlawed as a weapon of war, because man didn't think it was fair to kill someone if they couldn't hear the sound of the bullet coming. It is true that they are incredably silent. This supposedly took place during the Napolionic wars.. They are very powerful. Some of them have two barrels for different calibers. This is the only gun cane I have fired a lot. You can do it inside the house, with little noise or expense, as you can shoot amost any thing in them. I was doing a program in a church once and I had put a ballpoint pen in the smallest barrel, which fit very well. It went off by accident and the pen stuck into the ceiling of the church, not only was it too high up to reach, but I was terrible embarrassed I put a hole in their ceiling. I was never invited back to speak there again. I would never recommend buying one that doesn’t work, but I have had success in having them fixed with new gaskets, as these rubber seals leak when they get dried out and hard. Another problem is that they often come without the pump so you can’t test them before buying. New pumps are available for them on the internet for just under $200. You have to pump them up about 200 to 500 pumps to get the power out of them. The pumps T handle is put beneath your feet and the air reservoir is moved up and down. From this effort you get 20 to 30 shots. Although you have to cock the mechanism with a key every time you want to fire, it works quite well. It has a scarcity code of 3, so they are available to most that want them for a value code of E $1500 to $3000. I passed on a cased set once for $4500, which I think would be a good buy today. If yours doesn’t work I can probably get it fixed for you. It is important that the seals don’t leak for them to work well. I have never seen the mechanism in the forward part of the gun, not working, and may not be able to fix that. Most problems are in the air chamber. Front half, firing mechanism, screws in the middle unto the back half, air chamber. I will go into more depth when a cane is put into the book.
Gun canes are an interesting subject and I am sure there are 100's Dike never saw. If you have models rarely seen or can give additional inforation, I hope you will illustrate them here.
Category: Gadget
Sub Category: Weapon
Listed: 2006-10-08 01:40:55
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