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1921: An extremely rare low numbered Thompson Submachine Gun, No. 142, donated to the Cork Brigade,
Currency:EUR
Category:Collectibles / Historical Memorabilia
Start Price:9,000.00 EUR
Estimated At:10,000.00 - 15,000.00 EUR
Auction Date:2011 Apr 16 @ 13:00 (UTC+01:00 : BST/CET)
Location:The Freemasons Hall - 17 Molesworth Street, Dublin, Dublin, ., Ireland
1921: An extremely rare low numbered Thompson Submachine Gun, No. 142, donated to the Cork Brigade, IRA in 1921 by an Irish American Sheriff
Early 1921 model Thompson submachine gun, one of a small number imported and used by the IRA during the War of Independence. The receiver is marked "Model 1921" with the serial number "142", Thompson markings and five line patent dates, along with inspector’s mark directly behind the ejection port. With the rare and desirable early style of finned barrel (to aid in cooling when fired in a full-automatic mode), the adjustable Lyman tangent rear sight with sight protectors that graduates from 100 to 600 yards, walnut vertical foregrip and detachable walnut buttstock.
The Thompson Gun began production with serial number 1; the first 40 were all prototypes, making number 41 the first gun to be sold. The serial number of this particular gun is 142, the one hundred and second Thompson Gun to be sold and is very rare with such a low three digit serial number. It is estimated that somewhere in the region of 15,000 sets of the 1921 model parts were produced, with the majority of those being used to produce the later M1928A1 model of the weapon making this complete 1921 model extremely scarce.
Colt records show that this gun, numbered “142” along with serial number “143” were dispatched by the Colt Company to a Mr M. Sheehan of San Mateo, California. Sheehan was in fact Sheriff Michael Sheehan, a prominent sheriff based in the San Mateo district of San Francisco. Sheehan was born in Mountcollins, County Limerick on 2 February 1861, had emigrated to the United States with his brother in the 1880s and became Sheriff of San Mateo in 1916. He was a member of numerous Catholic organisations including the Knights of Columbus and lived for some time in Tilman Street which was only three blocks from the address the guns were delivered to, at 316 B Street, which was a US Post Office in 1921. The San Mateo sheriff's office never ordered Thompson Guns during the 1920s so there is no possibility that the weapons were for official use.
In many ways the new gun was considered to be ideal for guerrilla warfare with its rapid fire of high calibre bullets and a removable stock: it packed a powerful punch whilst also being easy to conceal. The IRA was destined to become one of the first customers for the new machine-gun, after Michael Collins was contacted by the financier Thomas Fortune Ryan. With a high price of $225 per gun the IRA placed an order for 653 weapons, becoming Colt's only customers at this time. The guns were to be sent to Ireland in May 1921 through New York but US Customs impounded 495 of them leaving only 158 which were eventually smuggled to Ireland. The first three arrived in Dublin in May 1921 and were test fired a few days later by Tom Barry at a meeting attended by Michael Collins and Richard Mulcahy. The IRA were also the first in the world to use the machine-gun in combat, when a group led by Oscar Traynor, used one in an ambush against members of the Royal West Kent Regiment near Drumcondra, County Dublin.
The Thompson or “Tommy Gun” later went onto achieve world fame when it was used by both law enforcement and criminal gangs during the era of prohibition in the United States making it one of the most iconic weapons ever produced.
It is not clear exactly how the gun was brought into Ireland but it is known that Sheriff Sheehan did make trips during this period to Ireland returning to San Francisco from Queenstown (Cobh) Co. Cork via New York
Auction Location:
The Freemasons Hall - 17 Molesworth Street, Dublin, Dublin, ., Ireland
Previewing Details:
At our galleries
38 Molesworth Street
Dublin 2
Wednesday 13 April 10am to 6pm
Thursday 14 April 10am to 6pm
Friday 15 April 10am to 6pm
Saturday 16 April 9.30am to 12noon
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
20% |
Additional Fees:
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