This column originally appeared in the January 6, 2012 edition.
One of the truly all-American toys, cap guns have struck a nostalgic chord with today’s collectors. Abundant and often affordable, their appeal has landed them in the top 10 toy collectible toys from the 20th Century and their popularity continues to grow.
The toy cap gun, first introduced in 1870, is named after the small discs of explosive compounds that create noise and smoke when the gun is fired. Some will have plastic rings, while other will have single caps, roll caps or disk caps, but they are all, in essence, mini-versions of percussion fireworks.
The earliest guns, 1870-1900, were highly ornate and made of cast iron. While some factories continued to use iron after 1900, you will also find early 20th century guns made of wood, rubber, tin, glass and lead. As America entered the war years, of the early 40s, zinc alloy became the principal material used in cap gun production and in the early 1950s die-cut metal and plastic guns were introduced.
Knowing the factory of origin is very helpful in determining age. Early guns will often be marked by the Ives factory or J.&E. Stevens Company. Twentieth Century factories of note include Hubley, Killgore, Mattel, Nichols Industries, Classy and Schmidt.
Fueled by the “singing cowboy” radio shows of the 1940s and their TV counterparts in the 50s, toy guns soared to record sales. This period from 1940-1960 is referred to by collectors as the “Golden Era” and is largely composed of gun, holsters and accessories featuring the such recognizable stars as Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Wild Bill Hickok, Hop-a-Long Cassidy, Dick Tracy and The Rifleman.
The criteria for collecting varies with the collector. Some collect by style, looking for semi-automatics, revolvers or mock-revolvers from a variety of manufacturers. Others stay with production from a specific manufacturer or guns made from a specific type of material. A fourth category of collector looks for guns from a designated time frame like the character guns from the “Golden Era” or the ornate cast iron examples from the late 1800s.
The popularity of the toy gun had a great run, but by the late 1960s the children of America had turned their interest to outer space. Star Trek and Star Wars introduced us to ray guns, proton torpedoes and light sabers, making the cap gun pale by comparison. Compounding the problem, many states passed legislation effecting the sale of toy guns after a rash of incidents where children were shot by the police who believed them to be armed. America had entered the “Race for Space” and The “Golden Era” of the toy gun had ended.
To be of top value, cap guns need to be in good condition visually and mechanically. Values vary, but in all cases, a cap gun is worth more if the paperwork, box, caps and holster are present. Until next time . . . Linda
Linda Kennett is a professional liquidation consultant specializing in down-sizing for seniors and may be reached at 317-258-7835 or lkennett@indy.rr.com
