RM Vivas
US Veteran
So, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I was cruising the internet, minding my own business, when a Colt OP round butt jumped out at me. Although I already had a Colt OP RB I figured another one couldn’t hurt.
The seller had a small gunshop in an area that is heavily populated by City cops, active and retired, and their families.
We chatted for a bit about guns and I mentioned that I was always on the look-out for Trophy Guns. Well, it turns out he had one for sale!!!
So, we made a deal for the OP AND the Trophy gun. Much to the sellers credit, it shipped VERY quickly. So fast, that I was quite surprised when it showed up today!
What did I wind up purchasing?
Smith & Wesson Chiefs Special #64668.
On the face of it, unremarkable. Typical 1950’s vintage S&W Chiefs Special.
Once we flip it over, however,…….
Hello Trophy Gun!
So let us break this down……..
Nice grips with matching numbers.
Barrel and cylinder are a match.
Serial number identifies it as a gun that shipped to NYPD in 1955
Part of a 10-gun shipment.
The gun does appear in the Book 52-55 Series C Off-duty logged out as KEELER TROPHY.
The engraving confirms it is indeed a KEELER TROPHY.
Of the myriad of Trophy Guns awarded, the KELLER TROPHY was available from about 1948 to 1972 and was awarded for “Highest Mental Average”; basically, the kid with the highest academic grades. Keep in mind, your overall place in the class was determined by academics AND marksmanship AND physical skills.
As an amusing an aside, some background……….
Frank J. Keeler was Vice-President of Chase Manhattan. Chase Manhattan was a major bank in NY through the 1980’s. Amusingly, the company, which was founded in the late 1700’s, started out wanting to be a bank but was hamstrung by Alexander Hamilton who had pretty well locked all banks out of NYC except for his. The Manhattan Company (later Chase Manhattan) found a little loophole in state banking laws. The law said no new banks in Manhattan, but it DID say that if a water company existed in Manhattan and had EXCESS capital, it could use that capital for banking. American ingenuity being what it is, two million was raised, one hundred thousand went to a mediocre water system and the remaining $1.9 million of EXCESS was used to start a bank.
The Chase Manhattan logo is actually a cross section of the original wooden pipes that were used as part of the early water system.
I digress……..
Probationary Patrolman ROBERTS was one of 7 Trophy Gun winners in that class, as shown here in the October 1955 issue of SPRING 3100.
He must have made a good impression because here he’s getting bumped up a grade as Detective.
I haven’t done much digging on ROBERTS yet. I think he was a CPT in Public Morals in Queens in 1976 but it’s hard to find data. I’ll work on it.
Anyway, scored another Trophy Gun!
Best,
RM Vivas
The seller had a small gunshop in an area that is heavily populated by City cops, active and retired, and their families.
We chatted for a bit about guns and I mentioned that I was always on the look-out for Trophy Guns. Well, it turns out he had one for sale!!!
So, we made a deal for the OP AND the Trophy gun. Much to the sellers credit, it shipped VERY quickly. So fast, that I was quite surprised when it showed up today!
What did I wind up purchasing?
Smith & Wesson Chiefs Special #64668.
On the face of it, unremarkable. Typical 1950’s vintage S&W Chiefs Special.
Once we flip it over, however,…….
Hello Trophy Gun!
So let us break this down……..
Nice grips with matching numbers.
Barrel and cylinder are a match.
Serial number identifies it as a gun that shipped to NYPD in 1955
Part of a 10-gun shipment.
The gun does appear in the Book 52-55 Series C Off-duty logged out as KEELER TROPHY.
The engraving confirms it is indeed a KEELER TROPHY.
Of the myriad of Trophy Guns awarded, the KELLER TROPHY was available from about 1948 to 1972 and was awarded for “Highest Mental Average”; basically, the kid with the highest academic grades. Keep in mind, your overall place in the class was determined by academics AND marksmanship AND physical skills.
As an amusing an aside, some background……….
Frank J. Keeler was Vice-President of Chase Manhattan. Chase Manhattan was a major bank in NY through the 1980’s. Amusingly, the company, which was founded in the late 1700’s, started out wanting to be a bank but was hamstrung by Alexander Hamilton who had pretty well locked all banks out of NYC except for his. The Manhattan Company (later Chase Manhattan) found a little loophole in state banking laws. The law said no new banks in Manhattan, but it DID say that if a water company existed in Manhattan and had EXCESS capital, it could use that capital for banking. American ingenuity being what it is, two million was raised, one hundred thousand went to a mediocre water system and the remaining $1.9 million of EXCESS was used to start a bank.
The Chase Manhattan logo is actually a cross section of the original wooden pipes that were used as part of the early water system.
I digress……..
Probationary Patrolman ROBERTS was one of 7 Trophy Gun winners in that class, as shown here in the October 1955 issue of SPRING 3100.
He must have made a good impression because here he’s getting bumped up a grade as Detective.
I haven’t done much digging on ROBERTS yet. I think he was a CPT in Public Morals in Queens in 1976 but it’s hard to find data. I’ll work on it.
Anyway, scored another Trophy Gun!
Best,
RM Vivas
