VINTAGE 1930s HUBLEY “DANDY” POLICE .38 REVOLVER DIECAST TOY CAP GUN ~ NICE!

Description

VINTAGE 1930s HUBLEY “DANDY” POLICE .38 REVOLVER DIECAST TOY CAP GUN ~ NICE!
This week on Ebay we are offering up this rather rare and early Hubley Cap pistol. This is a nice example of the “Dandy” .38 guage Police revolver and is in well used, well loved, condition.
This gun is a rare One Star, ‘Dandy’ repeating cap gun and it used standard ‘roll’ caps which fit inside the swing-out Cylinder door.
The size of this toy cap gun is approximately 6” long and the weight is quite heavy, just like the real ones. It feels ‘right’ in your hand and has a great authentic feel and look to it.
This was found, dusty and dirty, at the back of a shelf, in an old basement, at an Estate sale here in Northern Maryland, not far from where it was made many years ago. I’ll admit when I first found it, tucked away, I assumed it was a ‘real’ .38 pistol. It’s quite an accurate reproduction toy. Hubley made them very well back in the day.
I’m rather certain that this early cap gun is Pre-War and possibly made as early as the late 1930s.
Due to War shortages of Iron, Hubley switched over to Zinc blends early on, but I’m pretty sure this one is Cast Iron. Zinc toys have a ‘grey’ look to them. This one is bold and bright, suggesting it is Iron.
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CONDITION:
This rare cap gun looks very ‘real’ and very ‘vintage’ but does have some issues.
First off, I should say that the trigger doesn’t work and it does NOT shoot caps. I’m not sure why. The trigger is not ‘frozen’ and it moves well. From the photos, you can see that the internal mechanism looks to be OK and, from my perspective, everything seems to be there, it just doesn’t do anything when you pull the trigger. Nothing seems to be rusted or ‘frozen’. The little piece that forwards the barrel is there and all the ‘guts’ seem to be there. It acts like the trigger is not ‘connected’ to the inner mechanism. I don’t know much about these vintage toy guns, but hopefully it’s a simple fix or adjustment. I would love to see someone get this cool vintage toy working properly again.
The other obvious thing is that the spur has broken off the hammer. This seems to have been a common problem on this particular model. From the look of the metal ‘stump’, this happened a long time ago. There is also some wear and oxidation to the inside chamber as you can see in the pictures.
The cylinder turns freely by hand and does slightly advance when the trigger is pulled back all the way. The small piece that forwards the cylinder does move into position when you pull the trigger.
The external features look great. One side of the pistol is in better shape than the other. The ‘patent’ side has slightly more oxidation and wear than the ‘Hubley’ side. This would be the side against the hand when used by a right handed shooter. I did not clean this gun or mess with it other than washing off dirt and cobwebs with warm water and mild soap. I assume, with a proper cleaning it will look much better than it already does.
The engraving all seems to be deep, sharp and beautiful. On one side, it is clearly marked “-HUBLEY-“ above the trigger, “POLICE .38” on the barrel, and “Dandy” in an arc at the top of the grip handle.
The handle is nicely ‘checkered’ and there are other excellent details built into the casting. The flip side of the gun has Patent Numbers “PT’D 1993916 OTHERS PEND” Both sides are marked “Dandy” on the grip and both sides have a single Star on the grip. The ‘patent’ side has a very familiar looking ‘Colt’ built into the casting.
On the ‘patent’ side grip, there is a small recessed square. I’m not sure of the function of this other than as a receptacle for the screw that holds the grip together. Again, I’m far from an expert on these old cap toys.
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Please look at all of the high-resolution pictures I included. They are all my own and are of the actual item up for auction. The pictures are part of the description and may show some details and condition points that are difficult to put into words.
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This vintage TOY is NOT a firearm as classified under US Code Title 18, Section 921 of Federal Law.
"This replica gun contains the colored markings required by law, including a permanently attached orange plug."
In compliance with Ebay and Federal rules I must also inform you that this is a TOY cap gun and cannot fire or be modified to fire any real ammunition.  This replica toy cap gun also contains the colored markings required by law, including a permanently attached bright orange plug in the barrel. In addition, it can only be sold within the United States and to individuals who are over the age of 18.
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The Hubley Company produced some of the finest Cap Guns ever made.
Bank teller John Hubley launched the Hubley Company in Lancaster, PA in 1894. He started out by making toys for his own children but soon started a foundry and made high quality cast-iron toys for others as well as parts for real electric trains. The Electric Train era came to an end and he switched over to toy production. His metal toys were very popular and he started selling Circus wagons, Mechanical Banks, Carriages and Vehicles. Eventually, they were among the largest makers of cast iron toys in the Country. Early Hubley toys, as well as their rare metal Doorstops, are highly prized by collectors today.
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THE EARLY HISTORY OF TOY CAP GUNS
The first cap guns date back to the 1860s, immediately following the end of the American Civil War, when firearms companies experimented with toy guns, instead of real ones, in order to stay in business.
These cast-iron weapons used paper strips of ‘caps’ or little packets of gunpowder for ammo. Many early cap guns were produced as novelty items with odd shapes and little resemblance to actual weapons but that soon changed.
During the Great Depression, gangster and mobster shoot-outs were common on both the radio and in the comics and young boys wanted their own guns. Many companies started making toy cap guns to fill that demand. Some of the most popular companies back then were Nichols, Halco, Stevens, Esquire and Daisy, but the big makers, Hubley and Marx controlled much of the market.
The popularity of Western Themed radio shows helped fuel the demand for toy replica guns.
By the 1940s, realistic looking, replica cap guns became linked with popular Cowboy Movie characters such as Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and Hopalong Cassidy. Once TV became popular, fans of "The Lone Ranger," "Gunsmoke," "The Rifleman," "Maverick," and "Bonanza" wanted their own versions of the guns these characters used on the show. Replica toy cap guns were everywhere in the 1950s.
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This is a very nice example of an early Hubley “Dandy” Police .38 One Star repeating cap pistol. It would make a great addition to your collection.
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