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Tear Gas Pen Gun


Buck531

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So my next door neighbor had this at her garage sale about a month ago. Thought it was neat and looked it up. I don't know shit about guns let alone one of these. It does have a .33 (I think) caliber shell with a primer on it (see below in pics). Anyone know where she can take this and/or knows the value of this thing? She got it from her grandfather who was in WWI or WWII. Original box and appears to be in great shape.

 

 

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"Hey Sergey, Larry, know anything about this thing? Patent number 1775178?"

 

'We sure do, Buck!'

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=patent+1775178&oq=patent+1775178

 

Scans through some of the results seem to be about $200-$300 depending on the condition. Lots of hits on sale info/fact finding.

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I don't know who to take it to in town but here is what I do know from running across these back when my mom had a side business trading antiques.

 

Tear gas pen guns were made from the 1920's to the 1960's. They were meant to fire small tear gas pellets (which you don't have) using a primer charge (which you do have). Think of them a predecessors to pepper spray self defense sprayers. They were discontinued for a while because people began modifying them to fire actual rounds, however you can actually still buy ones today (I don't know if they are considered illegal or not since they are single shot and small caliber).

 

All the major pen manufacturers, including penguin, parker, hagen, as well as gun makers like colt and RF seldgely made them and they sold in the thousands.

 

The one you have there looks to be a Hagen, made in Germany (although Hagen was a Minnesota company - like a mail order general store), sometime between the 1930's and 1950's. It is the "mechanical pencil" type as it actually functions as a pencil (most of these pen guns don't actually write). They were sold through ads in magazines and comic books. It should take a Smith and Wesson 38 (9×20mmR) tear gas load. I don't believe they are still available new, but there are plenty of unfired rounds out there.

 

As for value? eh....there are literally thousands of these things floating around. Pen Gun fetishists will pay for rarer kinds, but the hagens aren't all that rare. Because it has the box it's probably worth a little more, but without the pellets it's just a conversation piece (unless you want to convert it to fire a live round). Maybe she'll get $50-$150 out of it on ebay, but who knows.

Edited by Geeto67
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"Hey Sergey, Larry, know anything about this thing? Patent number 1775178?"

 

'We sure do, Buck!'

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=patent+1775178&oq=patent+1775178

 

Scans through some of the results seem to be about $200-$300 depending on the condition. Lots of hits on sale info/fact finding.

 

Didnt even think about googling the patent number. Now. Where can she unload this thing? I did read kerrys comment above.

Edited by Buck531
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Didnt even think about googling the patent number. Now. Where can she unload this thing? I did read kerrys comment above.

 

When I was handling antiques for my mother we wouldn't touch them, but most of these things traded in private sales from one individual to another. Some antique dealers would specify that it was "non operational" so they could sell it as a decor and avoid the transfer tax. In many cases the thing was missing enough pieces that it was a true statement.

 

These days I would suggest trying your luck at a gun show or a person to person sale through a firearm forum or even CL. I see them on ebay from time to time but I do not know the rules on selling antique firearms on ebay. I don't know that any licensed gun dealer would touch it, but it doesn't hurt to ask - one that specializes in antique firearms would be the first stop. Armslist has a section for classifieds in columbus for antique firearms as well.

 

Maybe try 580 antiques and gun envy first since they are down the road from each other.

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