Cuff of the Day for April 8. Thumb Cuff Day

Today's theme is thumb cuffs.  But if you don't have a thumb cuff to show, then then show anything cuff you like.  We
welcome all submissions, they don't need to be rare or unusual, just something you like.

The cuff below is thumb cuff from Russia.  It is very heavy for a thumb cuff and has a separate locking mechanism for each side. 
I do not know how old it is, but I think I bought ii from Joe Tanner back in the 90s in that ancient pre-internet era.

Joe

Thumbs up! These have been banned now over here. The French type from the last century comes to mind, though.

Russian Thumbcuffs a Later model. still available at Handcuffwarehouse.   Both sides open simultaneously by turning key once.

John A

Thumb cuffs!  This is not a big section in my collection but here are two Gill thumbcuffs. One is marked  and one is unmarked.

Lars

A very rare of Peerless thumcuffs that once belonged to Houdini

Lars, you beat me to it with your exquisite Gill examples.
Original keys, I may add.
Here is my entry.
There were pre patent and post patent markings on these cuffs.  These show the Lions share of how these were marked, I know there are more variations out there and I welcome pictures from anyone who has any.
The Flash Action Manacle is very hard to find and they made a handcuff that resembles this thumbcuffs at a much larger scale.
The toothless version is also very rare.

Mark - I always thought is was so interesting that when Gill switched to the Flash Action Manacle designation for both the thumbcuff and the handcuff, they changed the orientation of the cuffs.  Which direction is up?

Fred - So who made the Peerless thumbcuffs.? Did they ever have anything to do with the Peerless handcuffs company

Fred,

Give that one back too
Well, today we learned that Houdini had at least 2 of these Peerless (no relation to the mega manufacturer) as I won one of them at the Radner Auction in Vegas a few years back.
I think mine came with a key but yours does not ring a bell.  I will take a look later.

Here is a nice Thumbcuff that came out of the Brogan Collection.  He told me that it was Russian but Russian cuffs are typically large and bulky.  By contrast, this is very small and petite.  I am not sure what the small hole at the top was used for.

Sorry, not one of my better pictures

Joe,
I think Gill was ahead of his time and made these for rouge astronauts so that there could not be an up or down.
I don't know who or how these were known as Peerless.  I asked the owners of Peerless about this at an IACP convention (cop equipment trade show) and they never heard of it.  I BELIEVE it was made by and for magicians and never for law enforcement.

Lars what great condition your cuffs are always in! Here is a little something to go along with your Lion Tamer's. Mark I haven't had the opportunity yet to get a Lion Tamer  in the box great piece!

A couple of years ago I researched all of the Peerless Handcuff Company's early records, which were quite extensive. Peerless had a file cabinet filled with these records from 1914 - 1950's or so, but had never gone through them. I organized them chronologically for them and made copies for myself. There were no records that suggest Peerless made a thumb cuff. There were however detailed blueprints and black and white photos of the Murphy mechanical nippers, including photos of a police officer applying the nipper to a suspect. I am therefore convinced Peerless made these nippers.

Joe not sure of the manufacture this pair came way of a family member

It seems Gill wasn't the only person who couldn't make up his mind when stamping his cuffs

Fred,

What a cool sheet! When looking in the drawers I found a George F. Cake thumbcuff. And there was an Ace too  LOL

Lars

                                                                                                    FISHER  THUMB CUFF

 Fisher Thumb Cuffs made for magicians. No teeth on the inside of the bows.

I love thumbcuffs! You can collect a lot more in the space it takes to collect handcuffs! LOL! At last count, i was over 50 pairs that are either marked differently or are a different design. These little guys go along with the Chinese Brass cuff convo on an earlier thread. The are a design of Chinese Brass Thumbcuffs. That is about all i know about them. They are quite a bit thicker and heavy than a key chain would be. They also have a lock that uses a key. So, I dont think they are a key chain? But the unwelded rings do make me question them.  Unfortunately, the lock mechanism on them is shot. Its on both sides, so i am led to believe that maybe the person who sold them to me was a little rough while trying to fit a key to them? But of course, i will never have the answer to that. Im not even sure when these would have been made or who would have made them? Last two pics are a comparison with a cheap, well known, key chain.

-Richard Knip-

My favorite set of thumb cuffs in my collection are the Tower Lyon's. 

My 2nd favorite are the Gill Lion Tamers. I have most of the original box. It's missing a few pieces though.

Gordon, 
How rare are those Fisher's. I've only seen photos of them and I've never seen a set come up for sale anywhere. 

They were never intended for law enforcement use, only magicians?  Are they tricked or is it just the lack of teeth that makes them set up for escapes?

I forgot about these, in a compleytely different drawer; the "Manila thumcuffs".

I just noticed the small hole on Joe's Russian Cuff.
It holds the key chain.
My small cuff also has the same type of hole which does give the theory of it being Russian, a bit more credence.

thenarsian wrote: ↑

Apr 08, 2020

Gordon, 
How rare are those Fisher's. I've only seen photos of them and I've never seen a set come up for sale anywhere. 

They were never intended for law enforcement use, only magicians?  Are they tricked or is it just the lack of teeth that makes them set up for escapes?

   Lars
  The Fisher thumb cuffs are strictly for escape. I have a bit of paper work on Fisher  somewhere. If I remember
 correctly he was from Germany, maybe a magic dealer and made the cuffs himself. I think the number ~ 30
made.  When I find the paper I will let you know.
                                                         Gordon

Thum Cuffs was another well know magician's prop. This was made strictly for stage use and not for corrections or arrests. They use a severely thinned down, old style Peerless key.

-Richard Knip-

I always thought the Thumb cuffs were sold as a magic trick intill I read the advertisement for them seems they were made for detectives

I stand corrected. I had no idea and likely wouldnt have believed it, had you not had shared this picture. WOW! These are a horrible design for use as a restraint! Now, for the life of me, i cannot remember where i read that they were magician's props? I will look around and see what i can find on that. Thank you for setting the record straight!
-Richard Knip-

It appears as though the info may have come from Yossie's Handcuff Page at Blacksteel.com . Although, he doesnt definitively say that they are magician's props...just that they are believed to be. As you had said, you had thought they were magician's props too, until you saw the ad for them. Very interesting. This may be where my info came from? Not sure 100% on that.
-RK-

I understand I either read it somewhere or somebody had told me they were magic props

I meant to share the screenshot of his page.
-RK-

Matt, can you post a picture of the Murphy’s?

I’ve only seen patent drawings and would like to see the finished product. I suspect they never went into wide production.

Of the two inventor’s models I posted the other day I wonder if one is a Murphy. They came together so maybe there would be some clues there.

Thanks,
Brad


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Thought I’d just post pics of the thumbcuffs and handcuff paired up next to each other.

As Joe pointed out, when he switched from Lion Tamer to Flash Action, he turned them upside down.


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A little literature.


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Some Chinese Thumcuffs

Interesting little critters, Mark. I have a little of that stuff but never went after it like I should have. Glad you got a bit of a collection.

So what does “Salvation” mean? “End of pandemic for us, Yankee.”


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