Philosopher Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 I have a tiny assortment of vintage catalogs that I was digging through last night. I happened upon a catalog from Hibbard, Spencer, Barlett and Company, then located at Lake and Wabasha in Chicago, Illinois. The catalog is dated 1901. The catalog is 160 pages long and is a wonderful insight into the sporting goods and firearms available at that time. Colts, Winchesters, S&W, Marlins – they're all in there! I have a few old Smith and Wesson pocket revolvers, one a double-action top break with a hammer, and two New Departure Hammerless models (lemon squeezers). All are chambered in .32 S&W "short". Checked the catalog and there they were on pages 59 and 60. What struck me is the premium that the S&W pocket pistols commanded over the pocket revolvers from Hopkins and Allen, Harrington and Richardson, and Iver Johnson. The S&W (and Colt) revolvers are typically THREE times the price of the other manufacturers. A S&W New Departure revolver in .32 was around $14, and the same revolver in .38 S&W was $15-$16. The same types of revolvers from H&A, H&R, and Iver Johnson never exceeded $5! Pictures from the catalog showing the S&W revolvers and some of the other brands mentioned follow. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watab kid Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 its always fun to see these old documents , amazing how much our dollar has inflated over the decades - centuries , owned a couple of those shown in these catalogs but not in the condition to command an equivalent inflated price , kinda wish i still had them tho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoss Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 I have several old pocket pistols. H&R, Iver Johnson, H&A, a Merwin Hulbert, and some S&Ws. The S&Ws definitely higher quality. Although the Merwin Hulbert is close! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warden Callaway Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 Back then a dollar a day was a good wages. Dad was born in 1917 tells of howing corn for 25 cents a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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