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what you have there is an iver jhonson break top 32 or a neat paperweight. not really what id call a shooter , i have shot a few but its not recommended
0-200 bucks it what they fetch .keep in mind 200 is unfired , still has original packaging and is something i have never seen . most "working " .32 i.j. break tops go for around 60-80 bucks
oh yeah the # usually a letter or 2 digit number is found under the grips (if at all ) , yes you have to remove the grips
I had posted one very similar but the one I had was a S&W with mother of pearl grips.Originally Posted by hghclsswhitetrsh
I'd say I.J. my grandpas looked Very similar. 1st thing I noticed was the owls head.
i beatto it ! i mostly wanted to use the blaster smiley
Commonly known as an "Owl Had Pistol". I have one I got from my FIL. Nice, cheap (little to any value), piece of history. DO NOT try to shoot it. These were also known in the early to mid 20th Century as "suicide pistols". Most were produced to shoot old style ammunition which created tremendously less pressure than modern ammunition creates. With the creation of the modern smokeless ammo, folks with Owls Heads would use the newer ammo and the guns had a tendency to explode on the user.
Similar to what Rob said, there were many manufacturers of the break-top during tis era. In fact, under license from I.J. (Best as I can recall), there was at least one other company making the Owls Head. It shared manufacturer credit between I.J. as well as the other manufacturer, although history pretty much just remembers I.J. and not the other company. I think Sears, Roebuck, & Co. sold these for a while too.
As Alex stated, if you remove the grip, under the (as I recall) left side of the frame you will find the true serial # (many Owls Heads had a partial S/N visible on the frame, but the full S/N under the grip). I'll see if I can boot up my busted laptop to get you links to sites that can tell you more about the specific model you have. The best I was able to determine for mine is that it was produced some time between 1908 and 1912.
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Thanks....
I sent him a link to this thread.
Doubt there is any chance of him trying to shoot it, he is still trying to figure out if it takes paper or plastic caps.
caps ?? brass
Cap gun joke... It ain't funny if you have to explain it.
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