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LOT 3442
Excellent Documented Law
Enforcement Colt Thompson Model
1921 Submachine Gun, Class III/
NFA C&R Fully Transferable Machine
Gun - Serial no. 5535, 45 ACP cal., 10 1/2 inch
fluted bbl., blue finish, walnut stock. One of
the most famous submachine guns in the world,
the Thompson SMG rates as one of the truly
signature American weapons. While advancements in
manufacturing techniques and materials would allow
later designs to match or exceed the Thompson’s performance, none of them have managed
to do the job with the same level of style and craftsmanship. The Thompson, a product
of old-school hand craftsmanship, is virtually synonymous with the Roaring 20s and the
Great Depression, being found on both sides of the law during the “gangland” era of American history, and also serving on all Allied fronts of World War II, where it stood tall among its more cost-effective
stamped steel substitutes. The records in Herigstad’s “Colt Thompson Submachine Gun” (page 577 show this 1921 as having been shipped in “1921A” configuration as part of a ten-piece shipment to the
Simmons Hardware Company of St. Louis, Missouri, on April 18, 1928, with a listed forwarding destination of the Winchester Simmons Company of Toledo, Ohio. Established in 1922, Winchester Simmons
was a brief-lived merger between Winchester Repeating Arms and Simmons Hardware, intending to use Winchester’s surplus manufacturing capacity after World War I and Simmons’ network of retail
outlets to make a profit in the hardware trade; the partnership would fold and the companies separate again before the decade ended. At a later, unlisted time, this 1921 was part of a 13 piece group sold
to the Toledo Police Department by Auto-Ordnance agent E.E Richardson. It would later appear in the inventories of
John Vittie, Ronold Reik, and the Western Firearms Company. Blade front sight and folding Lyman rear sights, standard
1921 nomenclature and markings on the receiver, with the matching numbered trigger housing fitted with knurled
control surfaces and proper “FULL/AUTO”/”SINGLE” and “FIRE”/”SAFE” switch configuration. Internals are
proper 1921 pattern, with Blish lock mechanism, heavyweight recoil spring, and spring steel oiler. With dual
pistol grips and a quick detach buttstock with a small “anchor” stamp on the front. The marking “TP”, most
likely meaning Toledo Police”, has been stamped on the left side of the chamber, and on both sides of both
pistol grips, the buttstock, and the trigger housing.
CONDITION: Excellent, with 90% plus original blue finish, showing bright edge wear and light scratches and
handling marks overall, minor dings on the underside of the trigger guard, and a small amount of spotting
concentrated on the underside of the frame. The wood is very fine, with some scuffing and scratches.
Mechanically excellent. NOTE: This weapon is a National Firearms Act (NFA), fully transferable Class 3, which
is registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, (BATFE) that is classified as a
“Curios or Relic” as defined in 27 CFR, 478.11. These weapons are still subject to the provisions of 18 U.S.C.
Chapter 44 and 27 CFR part 479.
Provenance: Winchester Simmons Company; Toledo, Ohio Police Department; John Vittie; Ronold Veik;
Western Firearms Company; Private Collection.
Estimate: 30,000 - 45,000
Listed by serial number in Colt Thompson
Submachine Gun Serial Numbers &
Histories, Vol. I by Herigstad