Cased Handguns -
Historic Variations
- By Jerry W. Pitstick
The first gun I purchased came from
Charles G. Worman, at age 14. This was a mint Belgian Pinfire
priced at $15.00 in 1955. Chuck Worman, the renowned author of
two volumes “Firearms of the American West - 1803-1865 and
1866-1894”, and past director of the Ohio Gun Collectors
Association, is still my trusted friend. He has been a
continuous source of good quality guns for my collection as well
as sound, honest advice. Incidentally he has a new book, as yet
untitled, coming out in July 2005, so be sure and look for it.
My interest in guns, knives and
western memorabilia stems from my love for our nation’s history,
our important right to bear arms, the artistry inherent in
quality guns, the care taking of important relics, and the
excellent long-term investment potential. Over the years my
wife, Sharon, has grown to love this hobby so much we now call
it “our collection.” Without her support and enthusiasm the
outcome would not have been nearly as satisfying.
Gradually over 38 plus years I
arrived at a definition of what I really wanted to collect ­
primarily American pistols and revolvers with Civil War or
Win-the-West connections preferably identified with people,
places, companies or major events. I also discovered great
interest in the multitude of custom casings, accessories,
holsters, and memorabilia connected with these pistols and
revolvers.
The subject of my new display, which
was one of the “Featured Displays” at the March 2005 OGCA
Meeting is “Cased Handguns-Historic Variations” which attempts
to illustrate the many different types of pistol and revolver
cases that have been used over the years. They cover a broad
range: some are just utilitarian cardboard boxes (now highly
collectible), while others are extremely elaborate; some, like
breast pocket cigar cases containing a revolver, are used as
clever concealments of the firearm, while others are designed to
show off a fabulous pistol complete with all its accessories.
Cases can be of the so-called
“English” style, which uses simple partitions to organize the
various accessories or they can be the “French” style, which
refers to the interior being exactly fitted to the pistol shape
and the exact shape of each accessory. Most casings hold a
single weapon but some may contain two, four or even six
pistols.
The exterior material of most antique
cases is wood, but some are leather, gutta percha (an early
material similar to plastic), metal, book type casing,
cardboard, etc. The great majority of cases have the guns lying
flat on their sides, but a few very rare cases have the pistols
standing vertically with a drawer for accessories that slides
out from beneath the gun barrels. Some casings, like colt, are
often factory made, but most casings were put together by
various subcontractors or artisans commissioned by large gun
dealers, manufacturers, or individuals - many casings were also
homemade by the gun owner for convenience and safe keeping of an
expensive possession. All in all, I personally feel the various
casings and multi-functional accessories add a great deal of
interest to the hobby of gun collecting.
One unbelievable reason that original
casings are relatively rare these days is that gun collectors of
the 1920’s, 30’s, and 40’s would put their valuable collectible
guns in a vault and throw away the cases! Apparently, the early
gun collectors didn’t have much interest in the casings. Today,
a case is often worth more than the gun, due to a combination of
scarcity of the original genuine case and large demand for these
items.
Part of my personal evolution defined the arms I would collect,
but another part defined activities I wanted to undertake
related to the guns. My emphasis gradually turned to historical
research, gun show exhibitions and museum presentations for
educating both the public and fellow gun collectors. In
addition, I started writing articles for arms magazines, which
has become a very rewarding and sharing experience.
Readers are truly eager to read
interesting and informative accounts of their fellow collectors’
experiences and findings. To date I have had articles printed in
Man at Arms Magazine, The Gun Report, The Smith & Wesson
Collectors’ Journal, The Remington Society of America Magazine,
and the Colt Collector’s Association Journal. My latest article
will soon be published in Blue & Gray Magazine, which has a
circulation of over 50,000 readers.
In summary, my greatest enjoyment
related to gun collecting has been to use this interesting hobby
to bring American history alive, to help the general public gain
an appreciation of the value of our second amendment rights and
the important role that our Constitutional right to bear arms
has had and will have to protect our individual right to
freedom. |