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Vintage Law Enforcement Saps Including Bucheimer

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:70.00 USD Estimated At:200.00 - 300.00 USD
Vintage Law Enforcement Saps Including Bucheimer
Offered in this lot are three (3) Vintage Law Enforcement Saps, two are encased in leather, one is rubber. The terms blackjack, cosh, and sap refer to any of several short, easily concealed club weapons consisting of a dense (often lead) weight attached to the end of a short shaft, used as a bludgeon. In the 20th century, newer designs emerged that were shorter and predominately made of stitched or braided leather, with a flexible spring inside the handle. The slight flexibility and resilience of the handle gave these small clubs a whip-like action. Law enforcement sources from the mid-20th century preferred to divide these into two categories: "Blackjacks", which have a mostly cylindrical striking head, and "saps" which have a flat, usually oval-shaped head. The (unofficial) adoption of the sap and blackjack by American law enforcement began in the mid 1800s with the creation of the first professional police forces in Boston and New York, and peaked in the 1960s. The leather saps have integrated spring action handles, while the rubber sap has natural flexibility from its rubber construction. The smallest sap has a stitched leather holding strap, the manufacturer's stamp, "Bucheimer Made since 1884 Frederick, MD", 8.25"L; the rubber sap has a detachable rubber strap attached by screw, 9"L; the largest sap, "Texas 4 Ply Sap", has a rivet attached leather strap, 10.75"L. All three saps are in good overall condition, leather is supple with normal age/use related scuffing observed.