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New Peerless handcuff question

22 visible archived posts · 22 preserved total · topic ID 4461

Icman93 21 Nov 2011

Ok I sent an email to peerless handcuffs about my cuffs does anyone know of the value if their made in 11/20/1929?

Unknown / guest 21 Nov 2011

Ok heres the email from peerless.

Dear Mr Keiser

The following is the information we have on record for your cuffs:

Pair #1: Peerless Handcuff Company Chain Link Handcuff MASS Serial Number 76645

Manufacture Date: 11/20/1929

Sold to: Shreve Barber San Francisco CA

Sincerely,

Chris Gill

Peerless Handcuff Company

95 State Street

Springfield, MA 01103

Phone: 800-732-3705

Fax: 413-734-5467

Email: info@peerless.net

Anonymous 27 Nov 2011

Wow. Where do I start. These cuffs leave me with piles of questions. Saw the cuffs on ebay. First thing I see are round dimple DETENTS. I would have pegged these as late model 3 or pre-300.

No logo on cheekplate, so not early model 3.

As I understood it, the model 3 started around 1932.

5 digit serial is in the range for a model 2. Model 3 with dimple detents started approx 230000 serial up around the 1940s or 50s.

Yet PL dates them at 1929.

I think PL dated them wrong. Anyone else have info when the detents started?

Anonymous 27 Nov 2011

http://www.ebay.com/itm/280776958788

Anonymous 27 Nov 2011

maybe they are aluminum

Icman93 27 Nov 2011

Ok I just tested them they are not aluminum

http://handcuffs.org/gallery/gallery_n-r.html

Look at the peerless model 3 blued.

Mine are these ones. I had a collector email me that brought up the same question. I sent them the email from pl. They havent commented since then. The only that I can think of is what if their like a prototype or something like that. Feel free to contact peerless with the info above to see for yourself. It took 3 days to get a response from them.

Anonymous 27 Nov 2011

Just because Peerless states "blah" does not mean its gospel. Maybe they forgot a digit when stamping the cuffs. I too agree these are more like LATE model 3 or 300 before 300 were stamped; sometimes between 1945 and 1960's.

The serial is correct for about 1929, I think PL looked up a serial and what they looked up was the serial for a model 2 that has nothing to do with this cuff.

Blackburn 28 Nov 2011

I too believe peerless gave the wrong info. In my opinion that cuff was definitely 40's or later. Still odd with a 5 digit serial tho. How much do they weigh. Perhaps it is the lightweight 7 ounce thinner model. Still steel not aluminum.

Icman93 28 Nov 2011

Ok I took the cuffs off ebay so I coould do a little more research on them. They do weigh less than my s&w 100s so they might be the lightweights. But im going to p.o. tomorow so ill take these with me and see the final weight. Ill keep you guys updated. And theres no significent wear around the serial #. And blackburn if you still have what we were talking about give me a few more days and ill be able to buy ill do $65.

tim71 28 Nov 2011

#10

I'm agreeing with everyone else. Looks like a pre-300 to me after they moved the factory. The model 3s without the detents are thicker and just have an overall different feel.

Tim

IAN from the now REALLY FROZEN Nor'Woods 28 Nov 2011

#11

Even with my Hypothermia and Alzen-whatsits.... Seems I think I remember a coupla problems with/about Peerless Serial Numbers..from this Blog?
(a) Peerless Numbers are not necessarily Continuous or Unique ??? (b) That unique comment..Identical Numbers from widely separated Dates (c) Suspicions that specific "Production Runs or Orders" may have had their OWN Serial numbers ! As a General Comment, Peerless was Originally a "Marketing" Organization, with a number of Contracted Manufacures that may have caused erratic Serial Numbers at the Shop Floor. Just some thoughts!!...Hope everyone had a great weekend of Family, Turkey and Pig-Skin. Jon

Anonymous 28 Nov 2011

#12

I hear what you are saying Jon, good points. I saw some stuff on ebay about repair letters where Peerless was send S&W their cuffs for repair...

Anyways, in this case I will go with "special run, unique serials" and pre-300. Deffo not 1929.

Blackburn 01 Dec 2011

#13

well.... Dylan how much do they weigh? Did i hit the nail on the head?

Icman93 01 Dec 2011

#14

Ive been super busy with helping someone move.. Thats why I havent really been able to post the weight. Im going to try and see if the pawn shop my friend owns will let me weigh them there. Since the last time I took handcuffs to the post office I got so many dirty looks. So hopefully I can get up there tomorow depending on my schedule of course.

Anonymous 11 Dec 2011

#15

LOL Peerless said so, therefore must be true. Cuffs are now relisted exactly as before, made in 1929. hahaha LOSER.

Icman93 13 Dec 2011

#16

Ok sorry for the delay but they weigh 10 ounces

Unknown / guest 14 Dec 2011

#17

Correction 10.4 ounce.

Anonymous 14 Dec 2011

#18

nobody cares anymore. you are still selling them as 1929 cuffs because the gods at peerless told u so. we tried logic and reason based on years of experience.

lets try one more time. you have a uniquely serial numbered (probably a special run) of a pre-300 model cuff made somewhere in the 50's or 60's.

they have the round dimple on the cheekplate. they do not have a logo. they are a 10 oz standard cuff. they are NOT from 1929. peerless are not gods. they are wrong.

hello mcfly!!

Icman93 14 Dec 2011

#19

Ok I added it to description

Anonymous 15 Dec 2011

#20

The funniest part of your auction is "pre model 3". No such thing.
Try pre-model 300.

Dave Heady 29 May 2012

#21

Hello, i have several sets of Peerless hand cuffs, all with varied serial #s would love to know there age and aprox. value...one of interest, a pair marked, pat Feb.20.1912 Oct.19.1915 & Nov.23.1915 Pat.Pending. these have an early style key that appears to be org. Any info at all would be great, but i'm very interested in finding out about the old set. Thank you so much.. Dave Heady.

Larry 30 May 2012

#22

I have a pair of blued Peerless with no detents. They were dated 1948 by PL. I can say with a good deal of certainty that they were a policeman's first pair. He retired with pension in 1979, so the timeline checks out to roughly ~30 years of service which matches up pretty close.

Every aspect of them matches up with the knowledge we have via Franklin and others.

If your cuffs have detents, no trademark, and were manufactured in 1929, then these are the rarest Peerless cuffs on earth. You should charging 10X that amount.

Just kidding. From what I have been able to gather, they could not be older than the factory transition period (1949/1952-ish). I haven't been able to nail down the transition point exactly, and I have no evidence to rule out the possibility that the factory move and subsequent design modifications were not done at exactly the same time. I suspect they had either transported some raw or machined stock to the new place, changed the design over a short period, and were therefore producing some oddball cuffs using a mix of available parts (i.e.dimpled with the thicker guage steel, or thinner guage steel with the heavy duty swivels for example). Remember, steel was not something to be wasted in the several years after WWII, hence the minor design mods to reduce steel content and re-use all existing stock.