Lets go back to a gun show 1940s. photo

rangerider7 · Post by **rangerider7** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 9:22 am

Oh, if we could only time travel! Elkhart Indiana 1940

Borregos · Post by **Borregos** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 9:25 am

Yes indeed, if only we could

Yet another i

nteresting picture rangerider7

2ndovc · Post by **2ndovc** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 9:28 am

Just imagine all the great stuff in there.

The bag under the table looks like it still full of pistols!

Keep 'em comming. I love this stuff!

jb

Pathfinder09 · Post by **Pathfinder09** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 9:49 am

Looks like Capone's gang.

kimwcook · Post by **kimwcook** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 10:18 am

It appears the kid in the middle of the picture even has his hands on something and not a person one looking at him. I take that back, the gentleman on the far right appears as if he may be looking at him.

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 10:29 am

Borregos wrote:Yes indeed, if only we could
Yet another i nteresting picture rangerider7

+ 1

rjohns94 · Post by **rjohns94** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 10:36 am

very kewl

coyote nose · Post by **coyote nose** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 10:54 am

I wonder if that kid is still alive? (That isn't you in your younger days is it Sixgun?)

Modoc ED · Post by **Modoc ED** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:06 am

Neat.

coyote nose · Post by **coyote nose** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:07 am

The tall guy in the back must be "Security"

Hagler · Post by **Hagler** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:27 am

...what I want to know is: how many of dose guys knew how to say "WHY I OUHGTA..."?

Shawn

Gun Smith · Post by **Gun Smith** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:31 am

Neat picture. Get a load of the hats! Now days, hats are out, caps are in.

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:45 am

Everything in that picture reeks of old. No plastic, no neon lights, no AC, no electronics, no cell phones, no scanners, no evil black guns, no gang bangers, no security cameras, the wooden tables ..... and no women!

Ahhhh, yes to go back to the good old days.

Matter of fact I've seen several single actions, both cartridge and cap-n-ball there. My kind of gun show.

Joe

bogus bill · Post by **bogus bill** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 12:51 pm

Must be sunday after church! Where is all the swat wannabes and beef jerky? If I could go there next weekend I would draw out every penney, sell everything I own at any price and hit that show!

bogus bill · Post by **bogus bill** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 12:55 pm

Are you sure that picture isnt of a buch of dicks checking the evidence locker?

Mike D. · Post by **Mike D.** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 1:00 pm

Neat photo. Notice the lack of leverguns? They were still available for a few bucks each in 1940, so nobody wanted them.

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 1:02 pm

All but the little boy and young guy third in line on the right are old or older guys. I'm wondering if the young guy survived the war that was soon to come?

Joe

SJPrice · Post by **SJPrice** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 1:10 pm

I want the two rifles at the back of the front corner table. Look like Schuetzens or Ballards to me?

deerwhacker444 · Post by **deerwhacker444** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 1:27 pm

Is that one guy in the middle holding up a Colt Walker, or is it smaller?

coyote nose · Post by **coyote nose** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 1:31 pm

I was wondering too. The cylinder is too long in proportion for it to be a Navy...I was thinking maybe a Colt Dragoon. Of course, it could be one of the knock-offs like a Manhattan or a Cooper. One thing for sure... it isnt a Uberti!!

Modoc ED · Post by **Modoc ED** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 3:33 pm

Ya know what else is neat about that photo besides the guns are the HATS the guys are wearing. During that time and through the 1950s, most men wore hats -- usually those show in the pictyure. The style of those particular hats was called a "Fedora". I've always liked them. I used to have one but got rid of it in a move. I think I just may get another one to wear while out and about shooting, fishing, or whatever.

Post by **Hobie** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 3:42 pm

I've got a Fedora...

Ray Newman · Post by **Ray Newman** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 3:46 pm

I wonder if a few of those guys were thinking:

-- “What! Two bucks for this Ol’ Colt? Heck it is only worth a buck and a quarter.”

-- “Look @ this -- $3.50 for a Ballard?? Why I could a bought one back in ’29 or was that ’27 for under $2.00.”

-- “darn sellers are screwing us. They buy this old stuff for half-a-buck – if that much – then try to sell it for $2.00- $3.00”.

Post by **Hobie** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 4:51 pm

J Miller wrote:All but the little boy and young guy third in line on the right are old or older guys. I'm wondering if the young guy survived the war that was soon to come?

Joe

Which war, Korea? See the Nazi dagger on the far left table?

FWiedner · Post by **FWiedner** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 5:19 pm

I wonder when men stopped wearing hats in public as common garb?

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 6:03 pm

Hobie wrote:
J Miller wrote:All but the little boy and young guy third in line on the right are old or older guys. I'm wondering if the young guy survived the war that was soon to come?

Joe
Which war, Korea? See the Nazi dagger on the far left table?

Which war .... well, pick one. Korea, Viet Nam ......

I see a white handled dagger in a box with a lid. I have no way of knowing that is or is not a Nazi dagger. I'm not into that kind of stuff.
If you say it's a Nazi dagger, I'll take your word for it.

Joe

marlinman93 · Post by **marlinman93** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 6:12 pm

Two things jumped out at me in the picture. Guys dressed better back then, even just to go to the gun show. Second, who the heck's tables are those? Can't tell who's behind selling, as everyone is on both sides of the tables!

Modoc ED · Post by **Modoc ED** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 6:20 pm

FWiedner wrote:I wonder when men stopped wearing hats in public as common garb?

As I recall, they started fading out in the late 1950s (1958 -1959). Hardly ever saw one in the 1960s.

Old Time Hunter · Post by **Old Time Hunter** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 6:54 pm

J Miller wrote:
Hobie wrote:
J Miller wrote:All but the little boy and young guy third in line on the right are old or older guys. I'm wondering if the young guy survived the war that was soon to come?

Joe
Which war, Korea? See the Nazi dagger on the far left table?
Which war .... well, pick one. Korea, Viet Nam ......

I see a white handled dagger in a box with a lid. I have no way of knowing that is or is not a Nazi dagger. I'm not into that kind of stuff.
If you say it's a Nazi dagger, I'll take your word for it.

Joe

The guy leaning against the wall has a K98k, not Gew98, so I would guess this picture is post WW2.

Looks to be a levergun, front table, far right.

You guys ought to run down to your local haberdashery and grab a head garb. My Grandfather wore his Fedora right through the 60's, always wore a suit when going out for an event too. He said it was disrespectful to your fellow citizens not to look your best. Heck I remember getting ready to go grocery shopping! Grandma in a dress, Grandad in his suit,....me in a minature sailor suit

bogus bill · Post by **bogus bill** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 9:05 pm

I still wear a james dean stetson occasionaly. I dont roll it, wear it with the brim bent in front down and it looks just like those types, I will search for a picture later. My dad still wore them right up untill he died 5 years ago at 90.

JustaJeepGuy · Post by **JustaJeepGuy** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 12:27 am

FWiedner wrote:I wonder when men stopped wearing hats in public as common garb?

JFK pretty much killed the hat idea. He didn't wear one, and the hat went out of fashion. Or should I say, "...went out of STYLE."

claybob86 · Post by **claybob86** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 12:36 am

Hobie wrote:I've got a Fedora...

Having said that, you'll need to put it on, get a picture taken and post it here!

Gun Smith · Post by **Gun Smith** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 1:06 am

I remember when the backs of counter stools had clips to hold you hat when you ate. When you entered a building, you took off your hat. No more!

Charles · Post by **Charles** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:18 am

Somewhere I have some pics I took at the first gunshow I went to in 1958. It was a small town show (Harlingen, Texas) and the tables were littered with Volcanic, Henry and Winchesters of every sort. Colts galore including a baby Patterson. Today you would have to go to a first rate museum to see the stuff you saw there. I bought a minty Civil War Sharps carbine for $75.00. There were trapdoor Springfields and Krags laying around for $25.00 a pop. Ahh..those were the days.

The only rifle I have hung onto since those days is a 90% Sharps 'Borchard with the reciver ring stamped..J.P. Lower, Denver. It was rebarreled to 38-55 by Axel Peterson of Denver. I paid $125.00 for it. It has a mint bore and shots like a house-a-fire. I was reading lots of Elmer Keith stuff and bought, shot and sold about a half dozen side hammer Sharps rifles. I kept the Borchard because I thought I would break it down for the action and build some fancy single shot custom rifle. I am certainy glad I never got my round tuit on that project.

When I run accross those pics I will scan them and post them here. Lots of stuff to drool over. I wish you guys could have experinced the days when a kid with a paper route could buy what would today be called "investment grade" firearms.

Charles · Post by **Charles** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:26 am

As I was growing up, every man who had a "white collar" job wore a suit and a hat to work. Every store that sold men's clothing hat a hat depatment. Every town hat a hatter where would could get your hat cleaned, blocked and re-creased. I was born in 1942 and by the time I entered the work force, the wearing of hats was on it way out. Somewhere in mid-50s men's hat started to go by-by. By the early 60's it was seldom to see a hat on a head that was not covered by grey hair. Mind you I am talking about the city here. In the rural area, farmers and ranchers never stoped wearing hats as they do to this day.

It was worse form of bad manner to wear your hat indoors. Men and boys removed their hats the moment they walked through the door. If a person sat down at a table to eat without removing his hat, it was certain they were from ignorant and backwards folks. My son grew up in the years when every kid lived in a "gimme" cap. I got tired of telling him to take it off in the house and pitched it in the wood stove. It two time doing that to break him of wearing his hat indoors.

Ten years or so ago, I was asked to officiate at a wedding in New Mexico where the groom and groomen wanted to wear their hats (in the church) during the ceremony. I refused to do the wedding if they did not remove their hats. They grumbled some, but removed their hats and held them in their hands. The mothers and both the bride and goom thanked me for taking that stand for good manners.

rangerider7 · Post by **rangerider7** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:44 am

I was born in 1945. My dad always had hats. They were western or LBJ types. The problem today is if you wear a hat to a restaurant etc, there is no place to hang it or lay it on a shelf at the front door or booth. If you did leave it on a shelf at the door some smart *** would steal it! I wear a western hat or cap but keep it with me and lay it on the seat next to me. Use to be you never wore a hat indoors but that's changing. More and more men just keep them on.

bogus bill · Post by **bogus bill** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:39 am

We live in cedar city utah. The wife and I have a girl friend that owns a popular cafe in front of the cattle auction yard. Mostly the real deal cowboys and some indians hang out there. We eat there about three times a week. I also notice they all leave their hats on. We always get a booth and I am about the only one to take mine off and lay it on the bench. Dad died five years ago. He never went dressed up to church without a hat. Also in my life I never seen my dad wear a short sleeve shirt or own a pair of sun glass`s. He died right at 90 years old. He would face death before buying a pair of shorts. (pants)

cshold · Post by **cshold** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 1:27 pm

Where I get mine from, (4 to date).

http://www.villagehatshop.com/fedoras.html

Str8man · Post by **Str8man** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 2:33 pm

Neat picture!
If I only knew then what I know know.
When I was a kid in the 60's and 70's I remember cardboard shipping barrels at Walgreen's just packed with military surplus rifles.
Mauser's, Enfield's, Springfield's just dumped into barrels with a $19.95 "take your pick" price.
I at one time had 5 original 73 Winchesters that seemed to be gathering dust in the corner of every little gun shop on the Canadian border. I never paid more than $125 for one and some I got for as little as $75.
I sold them all for $500 each when the cowboy action shooting craze started in the 80's and thought at the time I was quite the wheeler dealer. What a sap I was!

I turned down a first generation old model Colt SA for $300 because it was a little beat up and I thought it was WAY too expensive.
I also bought an original civil war 1858 Remington for $100 which I carried around and used as an everyday shooter. I sold it later for $300 thinking I had really took advantage of the guy!
I did buy two old single action Colts which somehow I still have. I think I paid $250 each for them.
The only other gun that survived my Buying, swapping and trading days is an IBM M1 Carbine that I bought for $100 and really thought I had paid too much for it at the time.
After they started shooting up in value I really looked it over and it is an Auto Ordnance subcontracted IBM with the AO on the receiver.
It's one of the rarest M1 carbines out there and I see them go for $1500-$1800 all the time on the auction sites.
I still have it and shoot it but have considered selling it to buy a less expensive M1 and a new 1866 or 73 Winchester copy in 45 colt.
I guess the only positive thing to it all is I did own all those guns and got to shoot them a lot.
I just wished I would have kept them.
Buying selling and trading guns was a sickness I had for a lot of years. Now I'm more of a buyer and keeper but sometimes still buy guns strictly for trading purposes.
I hang on to the nice stuff though.
It makes me sick when I think of all the Ballard's, Winchester's, Marlin's and Whitney Kennedy rifles I have owned and traded off.
Those old gun shows were cool even in the 70's and you could really pick up some nice stuff if you kept a sharp eye out.
Now everything seems to be made of gold and you don't find many really good deals at the gun show anymore.

airedaleman · Post by **airedaleman** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 4:16 pm

FWiedner wrote:I wonder when men stopped wearing hats in public as common garb?

The swinging Sixties pretty well put paid to the hat. Up until then, it was considered declasse for a gentleman to go out in public either to business or a function without a proper hat. Tradesmen and factory workers generally wore caps but you'll see old pictures with many men who worked with their hands wearing a hat. Practically EVERYBODY had a good hat that they saved for church on Sunday. My Dad, uncles, and all their friends were big on hats. My Dad liked good quality, and his Sunday hat was a Stetson

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 5:11 pm

That stuff is all JUNK. Look at it real good-----junk I say. (by thinking it is all junk, it keeps me from crying---oh baby---spit me back there in that time machine)-------------Sixgun

airedaleman · Post by **airedaleman** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 6:27 pm

RR7, a great post! We got into some takes on the good old days of firearms accumulation, dress codes, social changes, and etiquette. (My father had a great way of reminding me to remove my hat if I forgot to; a good smack in the back of the head
would usually remove the offending cover, and simultaneously get my attention. I still remove my hat or cap upon entering a building...)

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 9:01 pm

They dressed pretty formally then, didn't they!

Too bad those dudes didn't forsee the socialist police state their heirs would usher in; maybe they'd have bought more guns and voted differently.

rangerider7 · Post by **rangerider7** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:23 pm

If I had all the STUFF that has passed through my hands since 1966, when I first started collecting, I could fill a airplane hanger. "Old West" items and guns have always been my passion. I sold some to pay bills when I first got married and sold others when I bought houses to better my family's life. I am a retired teacher/coach. I couldn't keep it all and do those things. No regrets. You can't take it with you! Just enjoy what you have.

airedaleman · Post by **airedaleman** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:31 pm

rangerider7 wrote:If I had all the STUFF that has passed through my hands since 1966, when I first started collecting, I could fill a airplane hanger. "Old West" items and guns have always been my passion. I sold some to pay bills when I first got married and sold others when I bought houses to better my family's life. I am a retired teacher/coach. I couldn't keep it all and do those things. No regrets. You can't take it with you! Just enjoy what you have.

I know exactly what you mean. Thanks for sharing.

marlinman93 · Post by **marlinman93** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 12:06 am

My Dad was born in 1904 and I don't think I ever saw him outside without a hat. Being a blue collar worker he usually had a baseball cap on, but any occasion that he felt a need to even slightly dress up required the baseball cap to go, and a full brimmed hat was donned.

JustaJeepGuy · Post by **JustaJeepGuy** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 3:38 pm

If you've seen old photos of men working in machine shops, they even wore neckties to run lathes and such.

claybob86 · Post by **claybob86** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 5:58 pm

JustaJeepGuy wrote:...they even wore neckties to run lathes and such.

Sounds dangerous!

JustaJeepGuy · Post by **JustaJeepGuy** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 11:27 pm

claybob86 wrote:
JustaJeepGuy wrote:...they even wore neckties to run lathes and such.
Sounds dangerous!

It does, doesn't it? There were always LOTS of warnings about wearing ties, and the photos always show guys with the ties tucked into their shirts, or captured under an apron. Nowadays, machine shops probably wouldn't let you walk in the door with a tie on, if you were going to run a lathe.

silverbuzzard · Post by **silverbuzzard** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 8:24 am

Hey guys,I live in Indiana and am telling you thats STILL the way we do a gun show ,...minus those hats