Posted 13 years ago
elayem0110
(76 items)
This is a Dick Tracy toy cap gun. I've had some discrepancy about it's age. Most consistently, 1960's. Most specifically 1967. But other things have dated it 10 to 20 years older. I think that 60's is a safe bet though. Anybody have any info? I've seen these with the orange tip on them before, which makes me think they are on the more recent side.
I recently picked one of these up at a flea market and have been trying to figure out hold old it is too. Online I've seen people say it's from the 40's, 50's and 60's. It's tough because there's no company name on it. There is a "made in USA" stamp on the part that slides open and the #210. I noticed the orange tips on ebay but after looking into it I realized that there is some kind of rule when selling cap guns on ebay, you must have that orange plug or paint it orange for the auction. Most likely these didn't come with the orange plug. I'll keep an eye on your post, hopefully someone knows more about this cool little cap gun! I just fell in love with it right away, had to have it.
Interesting that you say that. I saw one of these at an antique store and also fell in love with it, but it was priced ridiculously high. So I passed it up and found one on eBay for a much better price, but it did have an orange cap on it in the auction photo, but wasn't sent with one. It looked kinda funny in the picture too, so I was curious about that.
I have no idea who made the original ones but I can tell you I had several of them during the late 1950's. They were sold at the local five and ten cent store. None of the original ones had orange tips, that is modern.
I was wonsering what one of these is worth. I have one such item that I have owned since it was new. I obtained it new approx. 1954-56. It is in good condition but for the normal wear and tear of firing rolls of caps. Though it has nostalgic value, my wife feels otherwise ;-)
so has anyone figured out how much the dick cap gun is worth ?
These were first in a Hubley catalog in 1940. They were made for several years but I'm not sure how many. The one's with orange tips did not come from the factory that way. They were added by sellers on ebay to meet their safety rules.
To my knowledge they were never marketed as Dick Tracy guns. That is another ebay thing to get more money out of them.
They sell from $10.00 to $25.00.
I have one of these, and also seen it with the box on the Nichols Cap gun site. It was made by Hubley in the 1940s. Nobody is really sure whether it was patterned after the comics or not. The box is worth more than the cap gun (red design on brown cardboard box). There was also another version of the "Dick" gun made also by Hubley. FYI - the orange caps are required by Ebay and some other sites in order to even sell a cap gun - which is why you're seeing pictures with them. They are supposed to be permanently affixed - but apparently nobody does that and then just ships the gun without the cap. It's a rule ebay adheres to quite stringently. If you list a cap gun without the proper "blaze" orange cap, your listing may be taken down and you get penalized. Why I went to etsy with my cap guns, which has the more reasonable rule - if it looks like a vintage toy it's a toy.
Got one in 65 broke it in 67 then got the one I still have that year. Looks identical.
I just found one out in my barn. Mine has DICK on the barrel. When I slide down the flap where the caps go it has 210A. On the flap itself it says GABRIEL LANCASTER PA MADE IN USA 210A
Hubley 1940 confirmed..
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/318619-1940-hubley-dick-cap-gun