Philosopher Posted October 4, 2020 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!
watab kid Posted October 5, 2020 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
Hoss Posted October 5, 2020 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!
Warden Callaway Posted October 5, 2020 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.
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