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Colt Nickel Oiler


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What is a fair price these days for an original nickel oiler? I am seeing prices all over the scoreboard. This guy is a good customer and I want to treat him right. I don't want to rip him off nor do I want to give it away. I was digging through all the oilers that I have and was surprised to see a few that had been stripped of the black crinkle finish. Nothing that I bought outright but ones that came in a package deal. To me those are worth less than an original WWII oiler. And BTW. Does anyone know what holds that oiler needle in the cap? A small piece of felt.

 

 

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First of all if it is an original nickeled oiler, and not one where "the black finish" came off, they are worth around $200. The black ones are btwn 15 to 30 depending on where you shop. The original oilers were nickeled and came with the COLT Thompsons. The black ones were done for the military during WWII. Post some photos, RKIs here can help you identify if the ones you have are original, or WWII ones.

 

If they are original, recommend putting them in your original COLT guns. Only let one go to your good customer. If he can settle for the WWII ones that have been stripped of the black, and nickeled he can get them from IMA.

 

https://www.ima-usa.com/pages/search-results?q=nickeled%20oiler. Looks like they are sold out. See if they are doing another run or I am sure someone here may have the IMA ones.

 

Cheers

Sandman1957

Edited by Sandman1957
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For original nickel plated oil bottles (which I speculate were made by Scovill Manufacturing Co.) sold by AutoOrdnance as a separate accessory as well as were included in the buttstock of Colt 1921 and likely early Savage 1928 Thompsons, condition generally dictates the price. Anywhere from about $120 to $350+, though apparently one sold for $500 on eBay just over a year ago. I'd guess that around $200 for one in average condition (original, but with some normal handling scratches and minor dents; small flakes and wear to the plating; small, light corrosion at the solder joints) is about right.

 

IIRC, Doug Richardson also used to advertise WWII oil bottles that were stripped and nickel plated. I think TATA and/or TCA asked IMI to mark their WWII oil bottles that were stripped and nickel plated, and IMI stopped producing them instead.

 

MHO, YMMV, etc.

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I know I have seen a variation of that nickeled bottle in an old singer sewing machine. The same top and pin, but a shorter and wider bottom. I think there are some photos in the pinned reference section.

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I guess the price on these Colt's oilers has increased since the last time I looked. I was thinking $150 for one in average condition; $200 for one in pristine condition. That said, I have not seen one for sale in a long time. I was going to say I believe a good "brother-in-law" price for a Colt's oiler would be $125 to $150 depending on condition. Perhaps, I am on the cheap side.

 

I agree these Colt's oilers are called nickel oilers. Question: Are the oilers really nickel plated or is this name only because of the dull nickel color?

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I guess the price on these Colt's oilers has increased since the last time I looked. I was thinking $150 for one in average condition; $200 for one in pristine condition. That said, I have not seen one for sale in a long time. I was going to say I believe a good "brother-in-law" price for a Colt's oiler would be $125 to $150 depending on condition. Perhaps, I am on the cheap side.

 

I agree these Colt's oilers are called nickel oilers. Question: Are the oilers really nickel plated or is this name only because of the dull nickel color?

 

 

Yeah, there has been a growth in Thompson accessory prices commensurate with the prices of the guns themselves.

 

The early Thompson oilers (and I say early because there is evidence that the first Savage 1928s were furnished with the same buttstock oil cans as the Colt made Thompsons were) are nickel plated brass. I've got one that has a small area where the nickel plating is gone and the brass is clearly evident. I've seen a few photos of Thompson oil bottles where portions of the underlying brass has corroded to verdigris.

 

Back in the mid to late 1800s until WWII when nickel became scare due to its extensive use in wartime materiel, small nickel plated oil bottles/cans/containers or oilers were very common and made by a number of companies. As well as Scovill Manufacturing, oil bottles made by W & B, and Cushman & Dennison are commonly encountered examples. Such small oil cans (sometimes called pocket bottles) were furnished with and sold in the aftermarket for such items as sewing machines, fishing reels, watches and clocks, manual adding machines, bicycles, and of course, firearms. Small oil cans that are stamped with the Shakespeare brand fetch a handsome premium over the very common unmarked versions. The oil cans furnished with the Thompsons (and also sold as an aftermarket accessory for $0.50 in the 1936 AutoOrdnance catalog) were specifically sized to fit into the long, cylindrical hole in the buttstock, but otherwise seem to be the same as other nickel plated oil cans of the era.

 

MHO, YMMV, etc.

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While I was playing photo guy on #1908 I shot up some jpegs of a handfull of nickel oilers I found yesterday. Although I have had all of these for a very long time, I am now suspect of a couple. In fact you guys have me really eyeballing a lot of the stuff that I own. Which is a good thing. I am suspect of one or two, but just not sure. I owned them way before IMA ever existed, but the "Made in the USA" stamp just isn't as pronounced on a couple as the others. The finish looks right with the exception of one that looks just a little glossy. Please take a look at these pics and let me know what you think.

oiler1.JPG

oiler2.JPG

oiler3.JPG

oiler4.JPG

oiler5.JPG

Edited by firearm
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While I was shooting up jpegs of the nickel oilers, I also shot up a couple of these WWII oilers. Of all of the oilers that I have, I have never seen one that has the manuafcturers name stamped on it. The one on the left is a typical WWII oiler. The one in the middle has a different screw top than any of the oilers that I have. The one on the right has the name "NOERA, MFG. CO., MADE IN THE U.S.A." stamped into bottom. Looks like that company has been around since 1908. I am not even sure it is a WWII oiler. Or for that matter, a Thompson SMG oiler. Thought you guys might like to take a look.

oiler6.JPG

oiler7.JPG

oiler8.JPG

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Nick,

I have never studied the Colt's oilers in any detail but I have seen a few over the years so I will take a stab at answering your question.

 

The five oilers in the pictures you have posted counting left to right appear original to me. The two oilers on the far right seem the most suspicious. See attached picture. The oiler body pointed out by the green arrow looks more chrome or bright colored than normal. Something about it does not look right (perhaps it is just the flash or lighting but it does not look right). The oiler pointed out by the red arrow is also more bright colored than I would suspect. In addition, the spout and cap appears dark and the lettering on the lid is not as sharp or crisp as I would expect on a Colt's oiler. At first, I thought the oiler body on this one (red arrow) was original and someone replaced a broken spout (probably with a missing cap) on this oiler body with a spout assembly from WWII GI oiler. Upon further review, I believe the entire oiler assembly is suspicious.

 

attachment=23650:oiler1 Rev1.JPG]

 

If I could examine the oilers in person my opinion may change. I bet you have acquired many of these oilers when they were relatively inexpensive and not sought after so trust your instincts.

 

Hopefully, other Board members will join in that have more experience in this area.

 

Thank you for sharing.

 

All good stuff!!!

 

oiler1 Rev1.JPG

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If your interested in selling the 2 oilers that TD earmarked, I'd be interested :-)

Darryl

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TD,

 

My deduction was exactly the same as yours. That is why I put them at the end of the row. Good eye! However, I received them with weapons many years ago and had never actively pursued an oiler in the open market place. They were simply of no interest to me back then. That is why I am just not quite sure. BTW. The oiler cap on the right is just like the others. It is just dirty. Sometimes I wonder if some young entrepreneur took it upon himself to buff things up a little. You know like they do stocks. Just to make them shinier so they "look better". That oiler on the far right also is the one that has a slight bare mark on the outer exposing the underlying brass. It simply looks like someone was buffing it real hard.

 

Last night I spent a lot of time comparing all of these to the WWII oilers and other than the nickel plating VS the black crinkle finish, there is no difference that I can see. That opens the market to the unscrupulous, which is the problem we have now. BTW, anyone even seen a WWII oiler with the name "NOERA" stamped in the bottom? Looks like they were around all the way back to 1908.

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I had a WWII vintage Noera oil can years ago. It went with a '28 when I sold it. No pics any more either.

I am not as skeptical as TD about the vintage of the two nickel plated oil cans on the far right. I think that the cap and spout pieces were common to all the shapes of oil cans that were sold by Scovill, so the more shallow MADE IN U.S..A. stamping is likely the result of gradually wear and shifting adjustment of the stamping equipment. The equipment would get repaired/adjusted and the stamping would change accordingly. The nickel plated can on the far right, in my opinion also, looks to have been polished/buffed at some point in time. So, I'm of the opinion that the nickel plated oil bottles are likely of pre-WWII vintage.

 

MHO, YMMV, etc.

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It never occurred to me to look at my oiler until I read the posts in this thread. My oiler is a WW II oiler marked "NOERA Mfg Co, Made in USA." I noticed that the "R" in "Noera" isn't stamped as well as the other letters, for what it's worth. The black paint is smooth and very flat, or dull. Not crinkled like others are.

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Nick,

If the oilers came in guns years ago, then they are all probably genuine. While I have never polished an original Colt's "nickel oiler," one polished could certainly could have a shinny look. Making determinations based only on pictures is fraught with problems. The IMA reproductions, while mostly terrible to look at and pretty easy to identify, caused enthusiasts to be really careful in this area.

 

Thanks for sharing with us the oilers in your collection. Our discussions are certain to help all Board members on this subject.

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NOERA oiler is on the left in the photographs. NOERA oiler has a smooth finish, has a deeper stamping of MADE IN U.S.A. and slightly shorter oil spout.

 

I'm thinking that the spout subassembly may be swapped on to the Noera body from a Scovill can. All the WWII Thompson Noera oil cans I'm familiar with have spouts that do not have ridges on the perimeter and are not stamped with any characters. See, for example, the one in the photo of WWII oil cans Nick has posted above.

 

MHO, YMMV, etc.

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NOERA oiler is on the left in the photographs. NOERA oiler has a smooth finish, has a deeper stamping of MADE IN U.S.A. and slightly shorter oil spout.

 

I'm thinking that the spout subassembly may be swapped on to the Noera body from a Scovill can. All the WWII Thompson Noera oil cans I'm familiar with have spouts that do not have ridges on the perimeter and are not stamped with any characters. See, for example, the one in the photo of WWII oil cans Nick has posted above.

 

MHO, YMMV, etc.

 

It would appear then that I have a mismatched Scovill sprout assembly on my NOERA oiler body to go along with my mismatched AOC/Savage.

 

Are the crinkle finish WW2 era oilers made by Scovill or is the manufacturer lost to time?

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NOERA oiler is on the left in the photographs. NOERA oiler has a smooth finish, has a deeper stamping of MADE IN U.S.A. and slightly shorter oil spout.

 

I'm thinking that the spout subassembly may be swapped on to the Noera body from a Scovill can. All the WWII Thompson Noera oil cans I'm familiar with have spouts that do not have ridges on the perimeter and are not stamped with any characters. See, for example, the one in the photo of WWII oil cans Nick has posted above.

 

MHO, YMMV, etc.

 

It would appear then that I have a mismatched Scovill sprout assembly on my NOERA oiler body to go along with my mismatched AOC/Savage.

 

Are the crinkle finish WW2 era oilers made by Scovill or is the manufacturer lost to time?

 

As I understand/interpret what is stated in "American Thunder", both Scovill Manufacturing and Noerea supplied the crinkle finish painted, substantially 'brick with a spout on one end' shaped body oil bottles for the WWII Thompsons.

 

MHO, YMMV, etc.

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  • 2 months later...

 

 

 

NOERA oiler is on the left in the photographs. NOERA oiler has a smooth finish, has a deeper stamping of MADE IN U.S.A. and slightly shorter oil spout.

 

I'm thinking that the spout subassembly may be swapped on to the Noera body from a Scovill can. All the WWII Thompson Noera oil cans I'm familiar with have spouts that do not have ridges on the perimeter and are not stamped with any characters. See, for example, the one in the photo of WWII oil cans Nick has posted above.

 

MHO, YMMV, etc.

 

It would appear then that I have a mismatched Scovill sprout assembly on my NOERA oiler body to go along with my mismatched AOC/Savage.

 

Are the crinkle finish WW2 era oilers made by Scovill or is the manufacturer lost to time?

 

As I understand/interpret what is stated in "American Thunder", both Scovill Manufacturing and Noerea supplied the crinkle finish painted, substantially 'brick with a spout on one end' shaped body oil bottles for the WWII Thompsons.

 

MHO, YMMV, etc.

 

I'm revising my opinion. After further research, I now believe that Scovill supplied the black crinkle paint finish bottles and that Noera oil bottles were painted flat black.

 

MHO, YMMV, etc.

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