Whatever you do, don't bring it to Washington DC. The guy who bought Ruby's Colt Cobra paid $220,000.00 at auction, and then he brought it to DC and got arrested for having an unlicensed handgun and the gun was confiscated and almost melted down. Luckily it got saved from the smelter.

Great story on the gun, and a great find.

But I want to know about this. The whole conspiracy thing fascinates me, though I don't believe any of it.

I mean really, the government can hardly deliver a letter on time, but they can keep a secret this long?

So, after all the build up, what happened? Last post from the guy that bought the gun was over two years ago. Did anyone ever see the gun, pictures or documentation? Tends to make you wonder if the second story was just about as sensational as the first. Bob

Hey this is the Internet where everyone is a beautiful 6'2" Amazonian warrior woman. Or is it a handsome 6'2" billionaire? I can't remember.

__________________
I type. Therefore I am.

Anything any more seems possible. I worked for the Resolution Trust Corporation in Dallas during the late 1990's. The RTC was the agency involved in shutting down savings and loans and selling their assets.

Lee Harvey Oswald's daughter worked there, as a government employee. She had been married and used her former married last name. However, once in a while when November would roll around, she sometimes gave television interviews.

Strange but true!

So did anybody ever get to see this gun or what? I thought the gun was a Colt Cobra? How did it end up being a Smith & Wesson?

Sure anything is possible. But the OP hasn't posted anything on this forum since 2010. Nothing. One of those things that makes you go Hmmmm.

__________________
I type. Therefore I am.

Somewhat related.

Last week I cleaned out a storage garage that we haven't used in years. One box contained old newspapers, Life Magazines, Look Magazines, etc. that my mother in law and my wife had collected over the years. There were newspapers reporting the death of FDR in 1945, some Life mags about Eisenhower, Truman, Ford, the moon shot, etc. Most of the papers and magazines were related to the JFK assassination; primarily the Dallas Morning News from the days of the JFK shooting, Oswald's shooting of Officer J. D. Tippit, and Ruby's shooting of Oswald. Full page pictures, first person interviews, etc.

I decided to take the lot down to the Dallas Mkt. Hall show last weekend and see if anyone had any interest. The accumulated items, closely stacked, covered more than an 8' table. I had no idea what to ask for the bunch so I inquired of a man who deals in paper. He suggested to ask $300 and see what response that I got.

Over Friday and Saturday I got lots of lookers and lots of "I remember that" or "I've got one of those somewhere" but no offers.

Late Saturday afternoon a young teenage boy came by with his dad. He was completely taken by the items and it was obvious that he was extremely knowledgeable of it. He wanted his dad to take his picture with the papers, and he had many other JFK assassination pictures on his iPhone. Like so many at that age, his mind was a sponge for things that he found fascinating. He could identify all of the detectives, etc. in the pictures and when I said that the picture of Ruby shooting Oswald was a Pulitzer Prize winner, he corrected me and said that the picture in the DMN showed Ruby shoving his revolver in the stomach of Oswald was a 1/2 second before the prize winning shot and the actual Pulitzer Prize picture showed Oswald bending over and grimacing in pain. The flash of the first picture actually triggered the exposure of second picture. One of the Life Magazines had still frames of the Zapruder film and he pointed out things that I had not known.

The Dad asked me if I would take $75 for one of the papers and I told him that I wanted to sell them as a lot. Since I had not had any offers, I was planning on taking them all down and giving them to the Sixth Story School Book Depository Museum on Monday.

The boys Dad wandered on off and I continued to talk with the young man. It turns out that Sunday was going to be his 16th birthday.

To shorten an already too long story, I ended up giving the entire collection to the young man. He and his dad left with both of them loaded down with history. It's been a long time since I've seen a grin that big and I'm pretty sure that young man didn't go to sleep that night.

Don't ever remember making a better deal at a gun show!!

Bob

Great story! I'm guessing you left there with a pretty big grin yourself...

Bob, that IS a great story. It may be true that no good deed ever goes unpunished, but I think that people like you know the punishment risked is more than offset in other ways. Bless your heart.

Bob, $300 could not buy the good feeling you must have after making that young mans day. Way to go!

__________________
Be obscure, clearly.

I love story's like this.
Good man.

Good going Bob. You made that young man's day and i'll bet he does the same for some one else one day.

Sorry guys about the two year delay in posting! Just wanted to give everyone an update on the "Ruby" S&W! One of these days I will make it to the show and have it on display!

I still have the gun and it gets talked about a lot here locally. After almost two years of planning, my father & I are about a month away from opening a gun store & range here in Columbus and several people had mentioned that I should put it on display at the store. Immediately after I received the gun a few years ago, I methodically went and obtained any type of document I could find in regards to its history including certified copies of the Dallas police report to references in the Warren Commission where the owners of the gun were talking about Ruby. There was even a few mentions about someone seeing him pistol whip someone to the point where he broke parts of his gun which would coincide with the broken hammer on the gun I own. I was never though able to pinpoint those stories with this particular gun. I also ran across stories on how this gun was buried in backyard of the owners house for months following the shooting of Oswald. Seems that everyone wanted to dis-associate themselves from Ruby at the time! I did try and match the mis-matched box of bullets I have with the same ones that shot Oswald. Interesting enough was that the day he shot Oswald, he had several different rounds in his gun just like in the box I have with the gun. Seems like he was not brand loyal, but just put in whatever he had at the moment! Since I am in law enforcement, I also tried to see if I could have any of the State crime labs pull any finger prints from the box of rounds. I thought I might be able to get a hit on matching Ruby, but apparently shell casings are hard to pull prints, especially after 50yrs!
I also reached out to the Sixth Floor museum in Dallas to see if they would want it for a temporary display. They said they would certainly take it as a donation, but had no immediate plans that could incorporate the gun. I would not mind having it on loan for while, but have not reached out to anyone lately. I also spoke to a few auction houses at the time to just get a general idea on value, but I do not have any intentions of letting it go! Maybe someday I can add his "other gun" to my collection!

.....One more addition that I am not sure if I previously shared. In getting the gun lettered, I fully expected to have it come back to some store in Dallas. To my surprise it came back to John Jovino's in New York City! I tried to get them to release info on the original purchaser for historical purposes, but they said those files are now in the hands of the ATF which will add a level of difficulty in obtaining. Would be interesting though to see who originally bought the gun!

From what I've heard from a friend that had a tour of the ATF offices a few years back, the offices were literally stacked to the ceiling with boxes full of 4473 forms. Hundreds of thousands of them. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack only probably harder.

Whats the story with John Jovinos? Didn't Ruby have some connection to NYC as well?

I am sorry that it took two years, but I have finally posted some pictures as well as a copy of the Dallas Police report that started it all....! They are now in an Album labeled Jack Ruby's Other Gun.









Eric
#2046

Some of those Cartridges - the Hollow Nose ones - look to me to be old re-Loads and not Factory Loads ( watch out if trying those! Who knows what they have in them ).

Anyway, love this Story and congratulations once again on your staying with it long enough, and looking into it enough, to realize the Revolver was indeed what it was said to be! Good 'Detective Work' there..!

Quite a prize!

Thanks for the update and the album.

We love history here.

Congratulations on your persistence and good luck with the new shop.

HEY! I found the original text for the auction. Grab so coffee as it will take a bit to read:


The Place - Dallas, Texas. The Date - November 24, 1963.

Two Days After The Greatest Tragedy and Murder of The Twentieth Century – The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Local Nightclub Owner, Wannabe Mobster, Cop Groupie, Dog Lover and All-Around Eccentric Nefarious Character, JACK LEON RUBY, slips into the Dallas County Jail unnoticed. Inside, it is a Freak Show and Total Circus starring Mobs of Law Enforcement, Reporters, TV Broadcasters, FBI, CIA and God-Knows-Who-Else.

“Sparky” as the Hot-Headed Ruby was known, was friendly with Police who often frequented His seedy Strip Joint – THE CAROUSEL CLUB. For the Past Few Tragic Days, Ruby was often seen haunting the Halls of The Dallas Police Station. Even passing Himself off as a Reporter at one point during an interview with Dallas District Attorney Henry Wade who was being questioned about Oswald’s background.

Ruby was usually always armed and on that Fateful Sunday morning He was carrying his Trusty snub-nosed Colt Cobra .38. Ruby had purchased The Second Most Famous Handgun in American History (Number One on that Notorious Hit Parade belongs to the Single-Shot Percussion Derringer that John Wilkes Booth used to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln) on Jan. 19, 1960.

Ruby bought the .38 for $62.50 at Ray Brantley’s Hardware and Sporting Goods, a bright yellow building on Singleton Boulevard in the Industrial Section of Dallas. Jack had bought the gun as Protection for Himself and the wads of Cash he carried on him from The Carousel as suggested by a Dallas Police Detective Buddy – James Cody. He also suggested Ruby buy the infamous Colt Cobra because it was so lightweight and wouldn’t drag his pants down. Detective Cody even actually made the purchase for the Historic Gun with Ruby’s money because Police Officers paid no Sales Tax. This saved Jack
Ruby Eighteen Dollars (it has been suggested that this possibly was the Law Enforcement Officer's discount).

The Time is 11:21 Central Standard Time.

Accused Assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, handcuffed to Detective James Lavelle with Detective L.C. Graves on his left, is being escorted through the basement of The Dallas Municipal Building. Oswald is being transferred from The Dallas Police Headquarters to the nearby County Jail.

The plan is to put Oswald in the waiting Police Car for the short ride up the Garage Ramp. He will then be put in the waiting Armored Car which was too big to enter the Underground Garage for the short trip to the County Jail. But before The Accused Assassin even makes it to the first vehicle, Jack Ruby jumps out and Fires a Fatal Shot into Lee Harvey Oswald’s stomach.

Like many reading this and Millions of other Americans, This Writer also watched Oswald’s Murder by Jack Ruby Live. I was Six years Old. Time Definitely Stood Still. “Oh!” - The Horror and Pain on Oswald’s Face will remain etched on The American Psyche forever. Ruby was jumped on before He could get the Second Shot off.

Lee Harvey Oswald was Pronounced Dead at 1:07 P.M. He died at Parkland Hospital, the very same hospital that President Kennedy had died two days before.

Jack Ruby had Silenced and Destroyed the Biggest Piece of Evidence in what has become The Greatest Crime and Mystery of The Twentieth Century.

Ruby’s Reasons for Killing Oswald – to help the City of Dallas “Redeem” itself, to spare the Widow Jackie Kennedy from having to appear at Oswald’s Trial, and to avenge JFK whom he considered a Friend of The Jews (Ruby’s Real Name was Jacob Rubenstein).

Later on Jack Ruby would change his tune a little saying that His Murder of Oswald was not premeditated. It was a spur of the moment thing and the opportunity presented itself. The always packing Ruby and his .38 snub-nosed Colt Cobra Acted. According to Ruby, there was No Secret Black Ops Agenda.

Not exactly The Story a Conspiracy Enthusiast like myself wants to buy. But there it is.

One Major Point backing Ruby’s claim that He Acted on a Whim is that He left his favorite dachshund Sheba in his car when He murdered Oswald. Not quite the action of a Man who was obsessed with Dogs and lived with a dozen of them, had better Relationships with Dogs than People and referred to his precious Sheba as “His Wife”.

The Initials M J that are scratched on the Gun belonged to a Dallas Detective that handled the .38 investigating Oswald’s Murder.

Jack Ruby’s .38 that murdered Lee Harvey Oswald was kept in a Dallas Bank Safety Deposit Box for 20 Years. In August 1991, Earl Ruby, Jack’s Brother, was awarded possession of the Colt Cobra when He won a long Court Battle for Control of His Late Brother’s Estate. Earl Ruby immediately put the Colt Cobra up for Auction.

Jack Ruby’s Infamous Gun was sold for $220,000 to eccentric Florida Real Estate Developer and Pop Culture Collector, Anthony Pugliese. This is a Man who had a Reputation for wearing Alligator Shoes with the Alligator’s Eyeballs still attached.

Other Popular Jewels in Pugliese’s Collection included Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch of The West Hat from THE WIZARD OF OZ , Beatles Suits, a Jacket Orson Welles wore in CITIZEN KANE, a SUPERMAN costume worn by the late Christopher Reeves, Oddjob’s Hat, Chaplin’s canes and Harrison Ford’s INDIANA JONES Bullwhip.

While in Pugliese’s Possession, The Killer .38 continued to have Adventures. In 1992 a Friend of The Developer brought The Gun to Washington, D.C. and offered to show it to Speaker of The House, Thomas Foley. But before that could happen the .38 was seized by The D.C. Police. Because of D.C.’s very strict Gun Control Laws , Ruby’s Colt Cobra was almost melted down until Pugliese’s Lawyers intervened.

On November 24, 1993 , The 30th Anniversary of The Shooting, Pugliese had Brother Earl Ruby fire a 100 Shots with the .38. Each Spent Shell was then put up for Sale for $2,500 each.

In March of 2008, Pugliese put his entire Americana Pop Collection on the Auction Block at The Palms Hotel & Casino in Sin City. The Developer planned to use the profits to finance His Dream Real Estate City - Destiny. Located in Central Florida, the Plan is for Destiny to be the largest Green Eco-Sustainable Community ever built.

The Star of The Big Auction was of course Jack Ruby’s .38 Colt Cobra. It had a Million Dollar Reserve and Pugliese hoped to sell it for $2.25 Million. The highest offer during the Auction was $750,000 and another after it closed for One Million. The Developer rejected the Bids, saying He was in no hurry to part with such a profound piece of History.

What did sell during The Palms Auction was The Toe Tag that identified Lee Harvey Oswald’s Body along with a lock of His Hair sold for $66,000. The Hat that Jack Ruby wore when he Killed Oswald, a Cavanaugh Fedora, sold for $50,000.

Anthony Pugliese has stated that He will now donate the proceeds of the Auction to The Sierra Club. It is not known if His Destiny Dream is still in the Cards.

JACK RUBY’S OTHER GUN

Now that You know most of what there is to Know about Jack Ruby’s .38 Colt Cobra that he used to Murder Lee Harvey Oswald it’s time to Tell The Tale of The Other Gun.

This Story doesn’t quite have the Historical Power of The First Weapon (What Would?) but it is Fascinating just the same.

An Employee at The Carousel Club in Dallas is given a Gun by Ruby – A SMITH & WESSON .38 SPECIAL.

The Employee is A-Jack-Of-All Trades for The-Jack-Of-Ruby – Gofer, Booking Agent, Bouncer, Musican’s Union Rep and sometimes even The Carousel House Emcee and Comedian.

The Gun insures that The Employee can act like Jack Ruby when Jack Ruby isn’t around to be Jack Ruby. Essentially, He is Ruby’s Bag Man – Collecting Money, Debts, Loans and whatever else needed to be Collected.

Jack’s Bag Man’s Wife was a somewhat well known Nightclub Singer and TV Celebrity. She had also dated Bugsy Siegel at one time and it was this type of Mob Celebrity that Ruby was a Total Sucker for.

Both Husband & Wife were interviewed by The Warren Commission and their Statements appear in it. The Daughter of The Wife vividly remembers visiting The Carousel as a Young Girl and spending time in Jack Ruby’s Office. Ruby even gave Her a Collection of Stripper Doll’s He had personally made of The Carousel’s Girls.

Now if only that had Survived! Wow! Talk about a Collector’s Dream!

When Ruby gave His Bag Man the Gun it was wrapped inside a EMPIRE STATE BANK BAG with a box of Ammunition. Exactly how Jack Ruby carried the .38 Colt Cobra that Murdered Lee Harvey Oswald. Ruby was known to have carried the Gun, whether in his Car or in his Jacket, wrapped in a Bank Bag that often also contained The Carousel’s Cash Receipts. The Empire State Bank was located at 108 Main Street in Dallas.

Bob Larkin, Jack Ruby’s Doorman at The Carousel Club remembers, “He carried a lot of money … that’s why he kept a gun in the bank bag … whenever he was carrying money he kept his piece handy.”

For Sale is Jack Ruby’s Other Gun – The .38 Special Smith & Wesson comes complete with Holster. The Holstered Gun is still in an Empire State Bank Bag. The Tip of the .38’s Hammer is Broken Off but it is still fully functional. Ruby told The Bag Man that he did it while Pistol Whipping Someone. From all the Stories about the Hot-Headed Ruby/Sparky beating Guys Up all the time it is a Story that certainly tracks.

Also included is a Partial Box of Smith & Wesson .38 Caliber Ammunition that belonged to Jack Ruby. It makes You think , did the BULLET THAT KILLED LEE HARVEY OSWALD COME FROM THIS BOX?

The Five .38 Caliber Bullets that came straight from the Smith & Wesson are separated from The Box of Ammo. Four of The Bullets are S& W .38’s. One Bullet is Copper Jacketed and marked W-W.

The Final Sale Piece is a Mini Sheriff’s Pin Badge that reads DEPUTY SHERRIFF – DALLAS COUNTY – TEX – SPECIAL. This is exactly the Kind of Badge that A Cop Groupie like Jack Ruby would have been given by his Dallas Police Buddies to get out of Traffic Stops, Parking Tickets or whatever else. The Typical Boy’s Club Stuff.

All of these Historic Treasures have been buried in a Southern California Garage for the past 10 Years that belongs to The Daughter of The Bagman’s Wife. Before that, it was in The Bag Man’s sole Possession.

Can it be Proved? Sure. But there is No Certificate of Authenticity from The Late, Not-So-Great, Jack Ruby. Sure, there’s a Serial Number. It can be Checked & Traced to see if it was bought through the Proper Legal Channels – # 11432. But knowing what We know about Jack Ruby, What are The Odds that it was ever Registered in His Name?

Exhibit A - The .38 he Killed Oswald with was bought and Registered to a Dallas Detective to save Sales Tax. Taking that into consideration, Who knows Who Number 11432 will be traced to? Carbon Dating or whatever can be Done to Validate the Weapon’s Life Span - Same for the Bullets, Ammo Box, Empire State Bank Bag and Mini Sheriff’s Badge.

But all of This Research is for YOU TO DO. On Your Own Time and Own Dime. Part of The Great Sherlockian Mystery & Adventure. I Guarantee that this is The Real Deal.

Here’s Your Chance to own a Piece of Infamous American History. A Tiny Piece to The Puzzle that is still, today, The Greatest Crime and Mystery of The Twentieth Century.

The Transaction will be Handled by a Los Angeles Attorney.

Serious Inquires Only

__________________
Dave

Share some pics please!

I have personally seen the police report its for real and Eric is an honest stand up guy.

__________________
Len

OMG!!!!!

Detective Cody made a "straw purchase" LOL!

that is am amazing story. thanks for that. i watched as Ruby pulled the trigger on Oswald on TV. we were all watching. I was in 7th grade at the time.

I agree this is a fascinating story and seeing the police report w/serial number would seal the deal. I remember someone telling me when you buy something (a car), pay for what you are seeing and not for the story that comes with it. The report would be game on.

Very interesting thread!

Looks like Jack Ruby had been arrested at least one other time for UCW before the 1954 report above.

http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/16/1614-001.gif

Edit to add: I used to eat at the Lucas B&B with my dad often. Small world indeed. Seems the club referred to in the 1954 arrest report was a few doors down from the B&B.

Edit to add: Interesting to note from the 1954 arrest report that he only had four shells in the cylinder. Could be some mistakenly carried S&W revolves with no cartridge under the hammer like the old SAA's or does this gun not have the hammer block safety?

__________________
Centennial Every Day

I don't get it. What more than the above picture of the police report do you need? Are you considering purchasing this gun? I didn't see it offered for sale.

Buy the gun not the story is a great idea. Until you see the story laid out in black and white.

What was your point?

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

__________________
Dave

Is the front sight ramp smooth or serrated? The early variation is interesting too, round trigger guard with a ramp front sight. I think that we see more photos posted of the half-moon, round front sight blade with the round trigger guard. The SCSW puts the SN to 1952.

__________________
Geoff. Since 1960.

You know, I realize this is a gun forum, but I have to say I’m kind of disappointed, not in you guys but in the human nature of the fascination of tragedy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not on my high horse, I’m the same. It’s just, that I’ve been to the Presidents library in Dorchester MA on more than one occasion, and although he was assassinated before I was born I’ve learned to appreciate his work. The stuff I’ve read on the guy, the balls on the guy. I just wish he was more remembered for his work and politics, as opposed to his death by the hands of some half-wit.
Sorry guys love him, or hate him, he was OUR President, and they took him from us.

Well... which is it. An individual or "they" did it?

__________________
Centennial Every Day

Yes it has the post hammer block safety. The Chiefs Special was introduced in 1950 and by that time all Smith revolvers had the safety. But like you said, probably it was done mistakenly. I 've come to realize not all gun shooters are necessarily gun savy.

__________________
Jim
S&WCA #819

This isn't about the death of a great president. This is about the death of that great president's alleged assassin. And even so it's not even really about that...this is simply a gun owned by the killer of the alleged assassin. What is there to be upset about?
Either way it's a part of American history and therefore fascinating.

I remember when I first saw this and the auction listing a couple years ago. I think the guy wanted like $10,000 for the gun. I was very skeptical of the story. I'm betting that seller is going to be kicking himself someday for not doing the research himself on this gun. One day you will probably see this gun at at auction and it just may pull the $10,000 he originally was asking.

Well said twaits.

__________________
I type. Therefore I am.