Page 280 - Demo

LOT 406 Exceptional World War II U.S. General Motors Guide Lamp FP-45 Liberator Single Shot Pistol with Box - Serial no. 11153, 45 ACP cal., 4 inch round bbl., phosphate finish, metal grips. Conceived, developed and manufactured in 1942, the “Flare Pistol, 45 Caliber” (FP-45) was intended to A) give the citizens of occupied nations a way to express their displeasure to the occupiers, B) not give the enemy anything worth salvaging, and C) be cheap. The Guide Lamp Division of General Motors was tapped to produce the firearm, a collection of sheet metal stampings and cast zinc components assembled around a smoothbore barrel. While inexperienced with arms production, Guide Lamp stepped up admirably and cranked out over a million of the deadly little contraptions in a matter of months. The pistol is correctly devoid of markings apart from a later-added electro-penciled “11153” on the left of the grip, with two oiler holes on either side of the frame, and a hollow grip for ammunition storage. Includes a correct style reproduction waxed box with Liberator pistol pictured and containing a smaller box with 10 rounds of .45 ACP ammunition and folding instructions. CONDITION: Excellent, retains 95% plus of the original phosphate finish with some scattered minor handling marks, the above mentioned added marking, and some storage grease residue. Mechanically excellent. The reproduction box is very fine with mild wear. Provenance: The Steven Preston Military Collection. Estimate: 4,500 - 6,500
LOT 407
Rare CIA American Machine & Foundry Co. “Deer Gun” Clandestine Single Shot Pistol - NSN, 9 mm cal., 1 7/9 inch round bbl., bright/blue finish, metal grips. A product of the Cold War, the Deer Gun started life when the Central Intelligence Agency realized that there was a niche for a cheap, disposable handgun that could be used as deniable armament for unaffiliated groups. In other words, they wanted the FP-45 Liberator, but all the stocks of Liberators were liquidated in the late 1940s. The Deer Gun was conceived as a successor, with American Machine and Foundry tapped to manufacture a 1000-piece pilot run in 1964. Originally eyeballed for use in Vietnam, the Deer Gun suffered similar issues to the Liberator; the nature of the game in Vietnam changed from clandestine action to open war, leaving the Deer Gun without a niche to fill.
The number of currently surviving examples
is unknown, with most believed to have been
destroyed in the aftermath of the Church Committee
in 1975. Built around a single cast aluminum
piece with an integral sighting groove, a storage
compartment in the butt (cap and contents absent), and a spring-loaded firing assembly with a screw-in single shot barrel. CONDITION: Good, showing mostly bright grey patina on the
frame with some extensive pitting scattered throughout, hinting
at the possibility of the gun having been hidden/stored somewhere damp, and most of the refinished blue on the barrel with some light pitting visible under the finish. The striker appears frozen in place.
A scarce piece that will not be found in many of even the most extensive collections!
Estimate: 5,000 - 7,500
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