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A set of Hiatt nippers is on it's way to me... Info?...

5 visible archived posts · 5 preserved total · topic ID 6815

jimmy.jimenez.65 10 Sep 2019

These Hiatt nippers are on their way to me.
I am again sharing a photo of it I downloaded from the website I purchased them from.
And, I am again seeking to see if folks here may have any insight to offer about them, such as average value, model, and circa?
Thanks in advance :)

djhalfdead 10 Sep 2019

That is a Hiatt Nipper that would have been made in the UK. It looks to be the newer design, which they stopped making in the 1980s, according to A Guidebook to Handcuffs by Alex R. Nichols. The didnt have a model # that I am aware of. Just that they were called Nippers or Snips. Im not sure on how to accurately date them? I have made my judgement to referring to the available pics in the aforementioned book. Joe Lauher is the English handcuff guy in the group. Hopefully he can shed some more light on these. As far as value, they jump all around. Depending on condition and age. Yours are in excellent shape! Which also leads me to believe that they are a newer model. The pivot point in the center of yours doesnt have the markings that the older models do. On Ebay, they are frequently listed. They range from $40 on over $100. Generally, you see them in the $50-$60 range. With yours being very good condition, i would think they would pull over the $100 mark, easily.
-Richard Knip-

jimmy.jimenez.65 10 Sep 2019

djhalfdead wrote: ↑
Sep 10, 2019
That is a Hiatt Nipper that would have been made in the UK. It looks to be the newer design, which they stopped making in the 1980s, according to A Guidebook to Handcuffs by Alex R. Nichols. The didnt have a model # that I am aware of. Just that they were called Nippers or Snips. Im not sure on how to accurately date them? I have made my judgement to referring to the available pics in the aforementioned book. Joe Lauher is the English handcuff guy in the group. Hopefully he can shed some more light on these. As far as value, they jump all around. Depending on condition and age. Yours are in excellent shape! Which also leads me to believe that they are a newer model. The pivot point in the center of yours doesnt have the markings that the older models do. On Ebay, they are frequently listed. They range from $40 on over $100. Generally, you see them in the $50-$60 range. With yours being very good condition, i would think they would pull over the $100 mark, easily.
-Richard Knip-
Click to expand...

Thank you! :)
I have noticed something while I've been buying some of these items online... That is, handcuffs are found in pretty high numbers, (although some models of them are extremely rare).
But, nippers/come-alongs, all seem pretty sparse in their availability. It does make total sense... Handcuffs were, and are, used by so many, and I'm guessing that for every nipper/come-along thats out there, there are probably thousands of handcuffs.
I mean, nippers and come-alongs are being offered for sale on the online auctions, but so very few pop up in the searches when compared to the handcuffs.
My lately obtaining more of these nippers/come-alongs, is exactly because I'm drawn to their being so much less common overall in the restraint world. It works well with my unique tastes in my eclectic collecting of "interesting objects" :)

Unknown / guest 10 Sep 2019

Btw, I base my finding that nippers/come-alongs are pretty scarce overall on my online searches for them. As an example, when I search either "come along handcuffs" or "nipper handcuffs", the results wind up being like 10 to 12 overall offerings at best. Where as when I search standard "handcuffs", vintage handcuffs", or "antique handcuffs", the search results of what one more commonly thinks of as handcuffs or leg cuffs, are pretty high in number, (with a tiny sprinkle of the come-alongs/nippers thrown in with those results).
I find them all quite neat, and am enjoying them as additions to my collecting hobby, which again, is very eclectic and diverse in nature.
I want to thank all of you again for the assistance you have been giving me in my learning curve :)

Unknown / guest 11 Sep 2019

I hope nobody minds my asking again some questions concerning these Hiatt nippers...
Being that it seems this style of nipper was made for many, many decades by them, is there any way of roughly knowing which decade any particular specimen is from based on possible subtle things, like their markings and such?
Also, were the Hiatt nippers ever much of a product offering to USA customers, (law enforcement and such)?
Thanks in advance, guys :)
I have sought out different interactive online sources for items like these, but to no avail. It seems that restraint specific forums are a very rare to almost non existing thing.
I find that it's cool to own unique & rarely collected items, but it does make it hard to find online sources to interact with other collectors of such items.