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LOT 3451
Rare Documented Sedgley Mark Two “Fist Gun” Hand
Firing Device with Fitted Glove - NSN, 38 S&W cal., 2 7/8 Inch
bbl., blue finish. Originally patented in 1944 by Stanley M. Haight, the
Sedgley Fist Gun, also known by the nomenclature “Hand Firing Mechanism
Mark 2” and noted on the ATF’s Curio & Relic List as the “OSS Glove Pistol”, has been
the subject of great speculation and a certain amount of fantasy about its intended purpose
and end users; some sources describe it as an assassination weapon or attribute it to the Office of
Strategic Services. In fiction, the Sedgley saw its most famous use in the film “Inglorious Basterds” (sic), being
used by a pair of the titular operatives to eliminate a pair of Nazi sentries in a movie theater. Per the original patent,
Haight’s pistol was designed with the regular soldier in mind first and foremost. Citing the prevalence of sneak attacks
and hand to hand combat in warfare, Haight designed a weapon that could be ready and at hand at all waking hours, so even if a
soldier was caught unaware or while separated from his regular service weapon, he could simply ball up his fist and make a good, loud
response. Additionally, the original patent points out that any concealability was secondary to speed of deployment, actively distancing
the Fist Gun from previously designed ‘’sneak’’ weapons, and had no integral noise suppression. Documentation of actual use in the field is
virtually non-existent, though the Sedgley has been reported in/on the hands of WWII U.S. Navy Construction Battalion (Seabee) men operating
heavy equipment like boats or tractors. This pistol is illustrated and described on pages 224-225 of “Firearms Curiosa” by Lewis Winant. This Mark
2 is of blued steel construction and mounted to a curved steel plate, installed on a tan leather work glove. For firing, a spring loaded plunger runs
about to the first knuckle on the ring finger, with a parallel single shot barrel about 3/4 of an inch shorter and a small manual safety; making a fist takes
the fingers out of the way and exposes the plunger, which you then jam into your would-be ambusher’s nearest body part, promptly discharging the 38
caliber round at near-contact distance. After discharge, the soldier could either manually eject the empty shell and reload, or keep hitting the enemy with
the 1+ pound steel blunt instrument strapped to their hand. The glove itself is unmarked but, relatively consistent in style and
construction with other observed examples.
CONDITION: Excellent. The pistol has 95% of the original, dull blue finish with high-point wear and light scratches. The contact points have mostly faded to a plum brown patina. “YRS” is scratched on the side of the pistol action. Mechanically excellent. The glove is fair, and two of the rivets securing the pistol to the glove body have pulled loose from the glove. A rare and very unusual World War II military item seldom seen on the collecting market.
Estimate: 9,500 - 14,000