Peerless Model 2 "Sample Model"

Another item I acquired from attending my recent symposium, is a Peerless Model 2, Factory, "Sample Model".
This came out of the Smith & Wesson Factory and I was lucky enough to get this from Smith & Wesson's long time employee / historian.
This is a highly polished Model 2, lacking any serial numbers and the rear side of the left cuff body, is stamped: SAMPLE MODEL.
I consider this pair, to be a highlight of historical value, to my collection.
Dave

What a fantastic find and piece of history to own

k20-on-tec,
I have several handcuffs that were used as samples / models, but this is the only pair that is actually stamped, 
"SAMPLE MODEL".
Dave

Very cool! I need to meet with the Smith and Wesson Historian! LOL! Looks like he has very really nice history pieces! Very impressed with your latest finds.
-Richard Knip-

Richard,
I met Roy about 30 years ago, and over the years have developed a good friendship.
If it wasn’t for Roy saving all the history, paper, examples, prototypes, etc. when he first stated working for S&W many years ago (he is in his 80’s now), all this S&W history would have been lost. Like any 
other company, S&W was only interested in making a profit, not writing history books.
Dave

I thought I might piggy-back onto this thread with comments about  an "Unknown" nipper that recently sold on EBAY. This was indeed a unique nipper design and sold for more than $2,000 dollars. If you followed this auction you might have recognized the nipper as having been invented  and patented on July 20, 1915 by John J. Murphy of Norwich, Connecticut. In my 30+ years of collecting I have never seen one before and don't know if it was ever manufactured or if this one was a model. Based on my research of the Peerless Handcuff Company I do know that on August 21, 1924 , James Milton Gill (President of Peerless) was the owner of both of Murphy's nipper patents (1,147,423 - July 20, 1915 and 1,199,100 - September 26, 1916). On that date Gill sold, assigned and transferred these patents to the Peerless Handcuff Company.

It was a really cool looking Nipper! Something I had never even seen a drawing of, let alone the real deal. Thank you for the information with it. Here is a pic for reference. I wonder who ended up with it?
-Richard Knip-

This is the second one of these I have seen for sale. 
Joe Tanner had one listed many, many pre-internet years ago on his xeroxed lists.  Of course it may have been the same one.
In any case a rare item.
Joe

I did some further research and now believe that this nipper was manufactured. There is an article about it in the February, 1916 (Volume 88) issue of Popular Science Monthly (page 211) discussing the virtues of this new "handcuff" including photographs of the nipper in both open and closed position and a photo of a police officer applying the nipper to the ankle (if you can believe it) of a suspect. Both of these men are crawling on the ground. 

Matt

Matt, I think I found the Popular Science Feb. 1916 article you mentioned.
I also noticed that John J. Murphy assigned one-half of his patent to R. C. Plaut.


United States Patent Office, 1915
Index Of Patents, Alphabetical List
P. 448
Murphy, John J, Assignor of one-half to R. C. Plaut, Norwich, Conn. Police Nippers No. 1,147,423; 
July 20 GAZ Vol. 216, p. 898.

Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office
https://books.google.com/books?id=Ww1LAQAAMAAJ
July 20,1915 - Patents
1,147,423. POLICE - NIPPERS. JoHN J. MURPHY, Norwich, Conn., assignor of one-half to Rutherford C. Plaut, Norwich, Conn. Filed Mar. 29, 1915. Serial No. 17747

In your research did you find anything on these two gentlemen of having any experience of manufacturing?

You mentioned in your first post, that James Milton Gill, owner of the Peerless Handcuff Company, owned thee patents in August of 1924. At this time, March 1924, Smith & Wesson was manufacturing the Peerless Model 2, Version 3 handcuffs for Peerless. The contract for 15,000 pairs of handcuffs with the first 136 being delivered to Peerless between June 2 & 28, 1924. the last shipment of the contract ending April 4, 1925.
In your research of the Peerless Handcuff Company, did you run across any indication of Peerless doing anything with the manufacturing of these at any time?
Dave
Attached:
1924 Popular Science article
Official Gazette July 20, 1915
Peerless Model 2 Version 3 handcuff of the 1924 contract
Smith & Wesson Sample Model of the Peerless Model 2 handcuff 

How were you fellows able to find something like that published back in 1915, I think that’s remarkable.

Dave

I found nothing that indicates Peerless manufactured Murphy's nippers, but then Peerless has never had manufacturing capability and has always farmed out manufacturing to S&W, Winchester, Bemis & Call, Barney & Berry etc. What Peerless does have are detailed manufacturing drawings of Murphy's 1915 nipper patent. Those drawings are dated June 14, 1915, more than a month before Murphy was issued his patent. It seems likely that Murphy had contact with Gill at a very early stage and it is possible Gill had these nippers made by some manufacturing company in Springfield, MA. 

Matt