For as long as humankind has been carrying weapons, people have been decorating them. Early designs were attempts to add a magical power to the piece. Later efforts were intended to beautify, and to show off the wealth and status of the owner. Elaborately embellished weaponry became a form of male jewelry while the ladies […]
“Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes!?”
Dr. Indiana Jones may have loved his Smith & Wesson revolvers, but the most recognizable American revolver has to be Colt’s Single Action Army (aka “The Peacemaker”). Originally adopted by the U.S. Military in 1873, the pistol was dropped from Colt’s catalog around 1940 due to the production demands of WW II. It was resurrected […]
Pop Culture Meets History – Part 2
“Silk. Tight weave. Good for an extra twenty yards.” ~ Daniel Day-Lewis as “Hawkeye” in Last of the Mohicans as he hands Uncas a roll of fabric and begins loading his rifle. The screenplay of the 1992 version of “Last of the Mohicans” took some generous liberties with Mr. Cooper’s story, but the prop department […]
Reminiscing in Antique Radio’s Classic Charm
“It…is…later…than…you…think…” The 1930’s radio show “Lights Out Everybody” began every episode with those six little words, and then proceeded to scare the pants off thousands of people who tuned into the half-hour show that aired at midnight. Originally conceived by Willis Cooper in 1934 and later taken over by Arch Oboler in 1936, the show […]
Overtaken By Events: Unexpected Collectibles
While I love looking at and studying old guns, my interest in “antique” firearms is almost purely from the shooter’s perspective. I don’t own any firearm I can’t shoot – no high dollar collectible wall hangers for me! When I started working on The Handbook of Modern Percussion Revolvers (from Krause Publications, due out in the […]
Pop Culture Meets History – Part 1
Samuel Colt patented the percussion, or “cap and ball”, revolver in 1835. Several forms of revolving firearms had been around prior to Colt’s first revolving pistol, Colt’s design had reached a tolerable state of perfection at a critical moment in time, and history would never be the same. Hollywood and dime novels put Colt’s […]
