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Original? FBI Case on GB


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I am a little surprised that so many of you consider this a "rough" case. The pictures suck and that is hurting the seller, but I do not see any major damage or very heavy wear. It's possible the barrel block is loose but I do not consider the condition to be a show stopper. To me it does not look too bad for a case that was beat around a PD or squad car with no regard for the future collectors.

 

Ps I do not have a dog in this fight but to me the price seems fair as its supposedly close to reserve (assuming better pictures don't reveal any damage my poor eyes don't see).

 

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

Ron

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The seller added "The reserve is not that much higher than the bid" on the 18th when the bid was $1500 then on the 20th another bidder put it up to $1655, raising it over 10%. I would have thought the reserve would have been lower based on his comment.

I was thinking the same thing😀. I was surprised to see that 16% is "not that much higher". I was under the impression these usually sold for 2-3k depending on condition. Ones with severe damage, missing handles and straps, less. Autoweapons has three if anyone wants to email him and see what top end of pricing is 😵

 

Ron

Edited by ron_brock
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The Police style cases are rarer than the FBI style cases. That alone makes this an attractive item.

 

My own personal period original case happens to be a Police style. I have never seen a Police style with a makers sticker and I have seen a few examples. So no concerns there.

 

Police case examples I have closely inspected have had the drum on the right. Because of that they are not able to hold a drum and a metal spare parts kit on the lid at the same time, was that a design error???

So food for thought

On the FBI style with the stock on the right side, the height of the case did not matter to fitting in a metal spare parts kit.

On the Police style with the drum on the right, the same height interferes with the metal spare parts kit above it on the lid, look at the height on the drum imprint in the velvet lining.

It has been a long time since I tried that, if I remember correctly this was tried with an original metal spare parts kit and I certainly was not going to damage that. Gordon's metal spare parts kits were not available when I tried that.

Of course one could also take careful measurements!! Have to admit I have not done that!

 

This auction Police case example is different with the drum on the left and I wonder if the maker finally wised up to the idea that they did not function correctly or is it a different maker. The interior is a different color than mine, I am assuming it is from the early period, pre WWII.

 

This auction Police case, seems to be a bit wider for some reason. Look at the drum slot on the left side, it has it's own divider on both sides of it, which is not apparent on my version. Odd and without taking actual measurements hard to do anything other than comment on the observation.

 

So I have commented on four things that I "think" make this rare.

Police case

Drum on left

Different interior color, comparing to the other Police cases I have observed

Width, different than all other Police cases based on what I see in the pictures.

 

Personal opinion

This auction item would be a nice acquisition for someone looking for an original period case. If I had not just acquired another I would be seriously considering this.

 

disclaimer

I have no dog in this hunt

It is not mine (auction item)

Your mileage may vary

I stayed at a Holiday Inn in the last 6 months

Your opinion matters just as much as anyone else including mine

 

Police Case mine.jpg

Police Case auction.jpg

fbi_case.jpg

 

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I would vote leave it alone. It does not look too bad to me. Once restored, it will never be original again. If it had already been restored and looked bad, then restore again.

 

If the new owner is on the boards, please contact me as I would like to compare cases with better photos. This one looks identical to mine.

 

Here's two quick phone photos. I can get some better ones later if anyone is interested. Mine's "rough" too, but I love it. 😀

Ron

image.jpg

image.jpg

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Original is original, nothing better. Yes with age everything gets rough looking and older looking. That is what makes it what it is... Leave it all original, unless your getting a piece so rough that there is no other option. It's basically like re-bluing a Colt 21 Thompson that is rough... Much better to leave it original, unless your are so talented that you can pull off that original Carbonia blu finish. You have to appreciate the road it has been on in it's life. Everyone likes "NOS" stuff, but the stuff that has really been used has the "stories" we will never know. We are all perfectionists at heart, I believe, who enjoy this particular part of history, but we have to understand that 80 years old + means old. :-). I really like it and I thought about bidding and I can't even own a real 1921 Thompson in my state. Someday maybe in the future; it's not the money it's the laws, though I feel prices are inflated.... Enjoy and congratulations to whoever purchased it! Sincerely, Keith

Edited by Kocapuff1
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It said it was sold, but has been relisted. Some dude named SHARKEY is a high bidder. Wonder if the seller will contact him for the with the reserve? SHARKEY only has a 6A+ rating so must be a good person.

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