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10-15-2009, 02:11 PM
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"Jack Ruby's other gun"?
I know that linking to an active auction is generally not kosher, but this one is so... interesting... that I can't resist.
Jack Ruby's Other Gun : Other at GunBroker.com
Let's see, a gun of unknown provenance (but "I Guarantee that this is The Real Deal."), a new seller with no feedback, a writeup with Random Capitalization throughout, a couple of poor pictures, only one of which is of the gun itself - yeah I'm convinced! Anyone wanna loan me $15K?
[EDIT to ADD original Text of the Gunbroker Ad:]
Text of the original Gunbroker.com auction:
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
Last edited by Tom K; 10-17-2020 at 09:50 PM.
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10-15-2009, 02:38 PM
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Well, as long as he guarantees it........
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10-15-2009, 02:53 PM
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I learned an expression in Italian from a Ferrari mechanic that roughly translated is, "You're so full of (stuff) you make my teeth hurt."
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10-15-2009, 03:35 PM
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Actually this is pretty darned interesting !! The most puzzling part is the COLT COBRA 38 actually being bought, and owned, by a Dallas cop. Why have we not known this before, saving the tax my sweet pink patootie !!!There is more and more stuff surfacing about the November 22, 1963 assassination now that retired G2 and KGB agents are beginning to talk [ "...so what are they gonna do, shoot us..? ]
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10-15-2009, 06:17 PM
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The guy doesn't know as much about handguns as he thinks he does -
The derringer used to kill Lincoln wasn't a flintlock, it was a percussion cap. No such thing as a flintlock "derringer".
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10-15-2009, 06:19 PM
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SWCA Member Absent Comrade
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Cool. I will trade my collection of Elvis gum wrappers for it (some even have used gum that Elvis' lips may have touched).
Charlie
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10-15-2009, 06:43 PM
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"Carbon Dating or whatever can be Done to Validate the Weapon’s Life Span."
Carbon dating?! Or even "whatever?!"
Wow, just wow!
It's gotta be real if it can be carbon dated to Ruby! If "whatever" can clinch the lifespan of its authenticity then this is a DEAL!
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10-15-2009, 07:55 PM
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I hope that the seller truly believes that story. There should be at least one person on this earth who believes him.
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10-15-2009, 09:47 PM
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"There's one born every minute" ... it will be interesting to see where this ends up.
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10-16-2009, 01:11 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MSgt G
Well, as long as he guarantees it........
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This leaves no doubt in my mind. Only $15K?
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10-16-2009, 01:49 AM
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Well, I put in a bid. Maybe 10 years from now I can sell the fact that I bid on Jack Ruby's other gun for $10,000.
__________________
James Redfield
LM #497
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10-16-2009, 03:40 AM
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ok i will make a bid,,, i believe it,,,lets say 100k and that is just a start
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10-16-2009, 07:22 AM
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Looks like the bids have jumped to $ 5.29. It may reach twenty dollars before the day is out.
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10-16-2009, 08:56 AM
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Yeah well there's one born every minute I guess. I like that bid. Maybe it will reach $10.00.
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10-17-2009, 06:57 AM
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I have Hitler's Hat some where in the basement, no really, I do, for sure.
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10-17-2009, 11:45 AM
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I hope the bid reaches at least $18.
That way the "other" gun will bring what Ruby saved in tax on the real gun. That was some steep tax rates back then, huh? $18.00 on a $62.50 purchase would be almost 30%.
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10-17-2009, 01:00 PM
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it looks like the current bid says it all, not even worth the story he came up with
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10-17-2009, 01:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Malysh
The guy doesn't know as much about handguns as he thinks he does -
The derringer used to kill Lincoln wasn't a flintlock, it was a percussion cap. No such thing as a flintlock "derringer".
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Not the gun that killed Lincoln, but defenatly Flintlock.
And of "Derringer type"
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10-18-2009, 12:59 AM
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I decided to play a little so here is the email question I sent and the evasive response that states there is no provenance because that is "part of the adventure." What the hell that means I have no idea.
Thanks for The Inquiry.
The Family Chose not to trace The Serial Number. They want to leave that Up to The Buyer. Part of The Adventure. Knowing what We know about Jack Ruby it is Highly Unlikely that His Name would show up anyway. Especially when You consider that he had a Detective Friend of His buy the Gun that killed Oswald just so he could save the 18 Bucks in Sales Tax.
Thanks Again.
-----Original Message-----
From: Firearms Unlimited < [email protected]>
To: AuntiEstablishment < [email protected]>
Sent: Sat, Oct 17, 2009 2:45 pm
Subject: Question regarding GunBroker.com Item 143295400
A message has been sent to you by a user of GunBroker.com, please scroll
down to the MESSAGE FROM USER section below to read the text.
THE "FROM" NAME ON THIS EMAIL IS THE SENDING USER'S GUNBROKER.COM USERNAME.
REGARDING ITEM: 143295400 Jack Ruby's Other Gun
Jack Ruby's Other Gun : Other at GunBroker.com
--- begin message ---
What provenance can you provide for the gun? Did you obtain a historical letter from Colt that indicates the manufacture date and original shipment information?
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10-18-2009, 04:13 AM
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My favorite part from the description, "...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. ..."
(I think the seller must be GatorFarmer. Who else could come up with a line like that?! )
How about Ruby's dachshund wife? Far out.
The seller has either done a lot of research, found somebody else's research, or has one heck of an imagination! I'll give him that!
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10-18-2009, 07:07 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Qball
Not the gun that killed Lincoln, but defenatly Flintlock.
And of "Derringer type"
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Here is John Wilkes Booth's Gun that was on display at Ford's Theatre in Washington... It was a Percussion Cap Model Not a Flint Lock Pistol.. Made by Derringer of Philadelphia. These were sold In Two dueling Pistol Cased allotments. It makes you wonder where the other one may be ? The seller of Jack Ruby's Other Gun, is almost as Theatrical as Booth was him self in his Inaccurate descriptions. Hammerdown
Last edited by Hammerdown; 10-18-2009 at 07:17 AM.
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10-22-2009, 03:45 PM
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Quote:
Knowing what We know about Jack Ruby it is Highly Unlikely that His Name would show up anyway. Especially when You consider that he had a Detective Friend of His buy the Gun that killed Oswald just so he could save the 18 Bucks in Sales Tax.
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The seller left critical facts out of this story to make it sound more mysterious than it actually is.
In 1959, Jack Ruby's friend, Dallas Police detective Joe Cody, purchased the Colt Cobra revolver for Mr. Ruby for $62.50 from Ray's Hardware & Sporting Goods in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas. Mr. Ruby went with him because there was nothing illegal about a "straw purchase" in 1959. (Aaah, the good old days. ) Ray's Hardware & Sporting Goods still exists today; the lion's share of their business is, and always has been, selling guns, and IIRC they still have the ledger on which the sale was recorded.
If Jack Ruby was trying to keep his gun purchases a secret, why would he accompany a police detective, of all people, to a legitimate and popular gun store where the purchase was going to be recorded?
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10-22-2009, 04:21 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by carguychris
If Jack Ruby was trying to keep his gun purchases a secret, why would he accompany a police detective, of all people, to a legitimate and popular gun store where the purchase was going to be recorded?
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It seems more likely to me that he wanted to get the LEO discount, which might have been substantial. Also note that there was no federally required "recording" of firearms purchases before 1968.
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10-22-2009, 08:08 PM
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Little does anyone know this, but Oswald bought TWO Carcanos from Kleins. I've got Lee Harvey Oswalds other Carcano. This is the one he didn't grab on his way to the schoolbook depository. He left it at his Mother's house and my friend Lou bought it from her from two weeks after the shooting. I'll let her go for just $10,000.
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10-22-2009, 10:32 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cowart
It seems more likely to me that he wanted to get the LEO discount, which might have been substantial. Also note that there was no federally required "recording" of firearms purchases before 1968.
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This is exactly my point.
1) The seller of the "other" gun is correct Ruby asked a police officer (Joe Cody) to buy the Colt so he could avoid an $18 state tax that LEOs weren't required to pay. Actually, FWIW it was reportedly Cody's idea for Ruby to get a gun because one of his business ventures at the time required him to take thousands of dollars in cash to the bank periodically.
2) There was no federal requirement for gun sellers to record sales in 1959, but Ray's Hardware did record sales. If Ruby wanted an "untraceable" gun, I would presume he would pick a retailer who didn't record the transaction; AFAIK they were abundant at the time.
Last edited by carguychris; 10-22-2009 at 10:36 PM.
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10-23-2009, 12:45 PM
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$18 in sales tax on a $62.50 pistol? What kind of tax rate do you have in Texas?
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10-23-2009, 01:27 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by walnutred
$18 in sales tax on a $62.50 pistol? What kind of tax rate do you have in Texas?
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I didn't think there even was a sales tax back then. Must be though because this guy says so and he'd never fib....would he?
Bob
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10-23-2009, 06:38 PM
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Texas Sales tax
IIRC, Texas sales tax started in the very early '60's @ 2%. Was gonna be only temporary. Nothing more permanent than a temporary tax.
Cary/LL
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01-10-2010, 02:57 AM
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Jack Ruby's Other Gun
Good evening,
I have been a part of this forum for several years and have always enjoyed the endless resources from individuals who know I lot more about S&Ws then myself. I am a police officer in OH and have a small gun business, and enjoy collecting firearms with any history and especially police history. I have re-started this thread from Oct because this is one place I can tell this story and know it will be appreciated!
As many of you may remember, there was a auction on Gunbroker which apparently listed an old S&W once owned by Jack Ruby. I too saw the listing and needless to say was very skeptical about the story. Well, just a few days before this past new years, I looked for the auction out of curiosity to see if it ever sold. I was surprised to see it still listed and upon looking at the history saw that the price had continually come down over the past 5 months. The current buy it now was now showing $1,500. I reached out to the owner and found some additional information that actually lead me to think there was some validity in the story. I decided to ask their bottom line price and thought for $1,000, maybe I would take a chance. While waiting for a reply that night, I looked around on the internet to see if I could come up with any of the names this gentleman had given me in our conversation. I was surprised to find some of these names in the Warren Commission and became further interested, although I figured I could never be 100% sure if Jack Ruby really ever owned the gun. Without going through the details and still at this moment to my ultimate surprise, I then ran across a police report from the Dallas PD, from 1954. In this report, Jack Ruby was arrested in a bar fight and later charged with CCW. The report went on to say that in his right front pocket was a S&W 38spl and the serial number was an exact match to the auction!!! I think I pushed my enter button through the keyboard hitting the "buy it now" and am happy to say it arrived today and appears to be legitimate. There is much more to the story that further validates the history, but I wanted to share this with the group since I thought many would appreciate the history, regardless of actual value. Thanks for giving me the forum to share the story!
Eric Delbert
#2046
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01-10-2010, 05:00 AM
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Eric;
I recalled the original thread, and the outcome you describe is utterly fascinating. This sounds like the perfect SWCA Annual Meeting display when you get the documentation. A historical letter from Roy seems a must. Congratulations on doing the research and on your find!
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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220
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01-10-2010, 05:31 AM
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Congrats, Eric. I think the SN nails it. Wow!!!
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01-10-2010, 06:20 AM
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I remember this thread well. Way to go Eric.
How about some pictures?
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Dave
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01-10-2010, 09:39 AM
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Jack Ruby's other gun?
Congrats! Not only do I like to see other LEO collectors out there... I love it when one acquires a gem like this. Congratulations on the buy of a lifetime! RPR
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01-10-2010, 09:54 AM
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Thanks for all the support everyone! I will take some good pictures as well as include some of the extras that are being sent. I think the grips are "stag" grips and they look real vs imitation. Are they something that would have come from S&W or was that just an aftermarket item?
Eric
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01-10-2010, 12:49 PM
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Eric,
Holy **** that is incredible. Well deserved as it looks as though you have done some serious research. What's that like a 1000% instant return on your investment?
What was the process you used to come across that police report? I am very intrigued on your research process as it was obviously very successfully done.
Thanks for sharing the story, very cool.
Last edited by dacoontz; 01-10-2010 at 12:56 PM.
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01-10-2010, 01:30 PM
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Wow! Please let me retract my previous cynical post!
Thats incredible! Congratulations!
I'm hoping you will grace us with further pictures of both the gun and the police report.
Looks to me like if the seller dug a little deeper he would have gotten a lot more out of this auction. His loss is your gain. Congrats again.
I'm now green with envy!
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01-10-2010, 03:30 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hayesd01
Thanks for all the support everyone! I will take some good pictures as well as include some of the extras that are being sent. I think the grips are "stag" grips and they look real vs imitation. Are they something that would have come from S&W or was that just an aftermarket item?
Eric
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Eric;
Anything is possible with the S & W factory for a price, but more likely the stag stocks (they look real to me too) are aftermarket. Historically special-ordered stocks would usually but not always have the S & W medallions. The factory letter would tell you which stocks came with the gun.
In re-reading the gun's listing on GB, it is small wonder there were so many cynical posts on this thread...but again, what an amazing find!
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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220
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01-12-2010, 08:13 PM
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Wow.
Just wow.
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01-12-2010, 09:25 PM
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That is a stunning outcome to this story. Congratulations. The documented S/N from the earlier police report is all the evidence I need to take this gun seriously.
Way to go! And thank you for reporting back on this gun. Like the other original posters in this thread, I was completely suspicious of the original GB listing but never bothered to add my disbelief to the heap. Perseverance pays off! Good on you.
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David Wilson
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01-13-2010, 10:29 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom K
I know that linking to an active auction is generally not kosher, but this one is so... interesting... that I can't resist.
Jack Ruby's Other Gun : Other at GunBroker.com
Let's see, a gun of unknown provenance (but "I Guarantee that this is The Real Deal."), a new seller with no feedback, a writeup with Random Capitalization throughout, a couple of poor pictures, only one of which is of the gun itself - yeah I'm convinced! Anyone wanna loan me $15K?
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As the original poster - color me shocked! Congratulations Eric, and I'm happy to have inadvertently led you to an historical artifact. Who'd a thunk it? Not me, obviously. What a difference a bit of digging and some provenance makes.
Oh, and let us know how it shoots!
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01-13-2010, 12:06 PM
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A suggestion on added provenance
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hayesd01
....
Well, just a few days before this past new years, I looked for the auction out of curiosity to see if it ever sold. I was surprised to see it still listed and upon looking at the history saw that the price had continually come down over the past 5 months. The current buy it now was now showing $1,500. I reached out to the owner and found some additional information that actually lead me to think there was some validity in the story....
.... I think I pushed my enter button through the keyboard hitting the "buy it now" and am happy to say it arrived today and appears to be legitimate....
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Eric, I'd suggest that while the original auction is still up (and all the subsequent relistings) you should at least take screenshots of them to illustrate the seller's descending price. (There are ways to capture the entire webpage as well, either as a sceenshot or html.) While not necessarily historically relevant, it does add interest to the gun's overall story.
Again, congratulations!
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01-13-2010, 12:18 PM
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Congrat's on a really neat find. I read somewhere that the owner of the Ruby/Oswald gun would sell fired cases out of it. Five empties out of that puppy on here would be a great karma!!! Just a thought.
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01-13-2010, 02:00 PM
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Congradulations on some great "follow up work" and your new piece of history.
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01-13-2010, 02:27 PM
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Eric,
Congratulations!
I don't know if it might open up another door to research but I will correct a slight error that an earlier poster made. He referred to Ray's Hardware where Ruby's other gun was purchased as being in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas. That business is not in Oak Cliff but is actually on Singleton Blvd. and has been there since the late 1940's-early '50's. It is an area which is known as West Dallas and is kindly described as a "transition" neighborhood. It is still owned and operated by Ray Brantley's daughter, Pam, her husband and their son.
There were several other active gun stores in Dallas in the 1950s (the one in Oak Cliff was Smitty's; there was also Padgetts, the Buckhorn, Cullum and Boren, etc,) where your gun may have been purchased but they are all closed now. Ray's is the only one remaining and it is still about the largest firearms dealer in this part of the southwest.
The manager there (Chuck) is a friend of mine so I just stopped in a few minutes ago to chase a few "rabbit trails" for you. He told me that Ruby purchased several guns from them over the years. The store does still have records of sales from that era but, unfortunately, they are just in boxes and boxes of spiral notebooks and when one book was finished they started another one and there is no way, without a huge amount of man hours, to retrieve the data. For privacy reasons they are also reluctant to open the records up for searching since many folks still living would be in the files.
Chuck did suggest another thing to try though...sort of a backdoor approach to the search. He told me that during that era Ray bought most of his guns from one of three distributors: Huey & Phillips, Schollkopf, or Higginbothem Pearlton (Don't hold me to the correct spelling of those). If you get a letter on your gun and it was shipped to one of those distributors, it probably was purchased from Ray Brantley by Jack Ruby. Of course, it is always possible that the gun was acquired second hand by Jack. If it predates the beginning of Ray's Hardware Store, it was purchased someplace else, perhaps even during his Chicago residency.
Bob
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01-13-2010, 04:11 PM
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Thanks so much for the information Bob! That was actually my next step once I get the S&W letter. I am now waiting for a return call from Dallas PD archives on getting a certified copy of the report and any other information. I think the gun showed a ship date of 1952 and it would be really neat if it lettered back to the store. I wonder if by narrowing down the purchase date, I could narrow down the file that would show the purchase. Thanks again and I will let you know when I get the letter.
Eric Delbert
#2046
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01-13-2010, 05:04 PM
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wow thats awesome, i too at first thought the seller was full of baloney
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01-13-2010, 05:50 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Malysh
The guy doesn't know as much about handguns as he thinks he does -
The derringer used to kill Lincoln wasn't a flintlock, it was a percussion cap. No such thing as a flintlock "derringer".
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and i would add...lincoln was not killed in 1960 as the poster states
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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO
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01-13-2010, 06:56 PM
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Great story. These forum posts along with all the screen shots showing the buy it now price going down to the final $1,500 amount would make a nice addition to a display about the gun and how it was "found". I admit I was also skeptical and was about to contact the seller to probe for more information but when I clicked through to the final page on GB where it was sold for $1,500 I thought, "that guy Hayes is crazy". Well I guess he is... like a fox!! Good Score!! Keep us posted on any more developments.
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04-07-2012, 09:03 PM
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I sure would like to see some images of this S&W..!
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04-07-2012, 09:57 PM
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Wow, what a story! Has there been a follow up in another post?
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Tags
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38spl, ccw, colt, detective, flintlock, lock, smith & wesson, smith and wesson, stag, swca, transition |
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