This Gill cuff on eBsy

Anyone else watching this Gill folding cuff on ebay? It's hitting serious dollars. Might be one of the highest sales I've seen on eBay in a while. Predictions?

Hi,
I have been watching it too. If it is someone on this site I hope they give us a few comments on how they came to appreciate this cuff. Is it because of rarity? Is it because there is a hole in their collection? Is it because of the person's name who used to own them? Is it because of some other reason so far only known to them? I have 4 or 5 sets that I bought for personal reasons that do not relate to market logic. 

The Gill folding cuff is considerably rarer than the solid Gill cuff and not many of them are seen in collections. I only have the solid Gill myself.
 
However, one side seems to have been opened for repair. Have a look at the rivets on the fourth photo, it's clearly visible from the backside. A repair would decrease the value.
Talking about values; there are many cuffs sold for considerably higher prices than this one.

Just have a look at some of the "Handcuffs of the year"

Lars

Regarding values, I'm certainly not saying they're the most expensive cuff ever. I'm saying that for a mid century cuff, it's rare to see active bidding exceed $1k on a public auction site.

I'm curious if this was out of an existing collection or a true "barn find." I'm actually finding this exciting. Ebay is usually filled with Mattatuck and tower and Bean and the like. Having an oddball like this get so much attention is a hoot.

The seller was an avid collector who had an uncanny ability to find some amazingly rare items.
He was very active in the handcuff collecting community but during the last few years, moved on to other interests.
I am not sure if this is a recent find for him or if he had it a while.
It is nice to see a quality item appear on eBay as the mundane has been the status quo for far too long!

My wife thinks I'm crazy but I watch auctions like this like it was a sporting event. It's the bottom of the 9th and a tie game kinda thing. Here's hoping someone gets paid and someone else gets their hands on a great piece.

Anyone want to make a guess as to the final price? Any takers for it getting near $2k?

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As of a hair before noon EST, the reserve hasn't been met.

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After reviewing the item, I do see evidence of some really bad repair work so I do not think this item is worth any more that the current price.
It is a shame that this nice piece had a very unprofessional repair done to it.
I believe talented people such as Bob Dix could make this piece whole again but it will not be an inexpensive task!

Speaking of professional.....  Watching handcuff auctions is more exciting and educational than watching professional sports right now.
It got so political and as it is a business, the team owners should never mix biz with politics, in my opinion.
College sports was wrongfully stopped.  Too bad, it was organized better than the shameful professional games.

This is a detailed photo from the back of one side.  Photo nr 4 from the eBay listing.
What do you see?

Definitely a re-rivet job in my eyes. Probably an effort to repair a stuck/broken key or a broken pawl spring? But it's over $1300 so somebody sees value in it.

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These have been in my collection for many years.  One big difference, other than condition, is the markings on the cuffs.  That's what caught my eye and interest.

Ron

Closed at $1725.00, yesterday. Thats a pretty big number for the condition that one was in, in my honest opinion. The obvious repair does hurt its value. But, at the end of the day, i guess it is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. I didnt think it would go over $1500. I wonder who was the lucky winner?
-Richard Knip-

Wow! $1725 was a very high price for a repaired set! Ron's set is by far nicer despite the wear.

Lars

I'm thinking the buyer had some behind the scenes negotiations with the seller regarding the reserve. There were multiple bidders and then at one point, there was a $300ish jump that met the reserve and that was that. The price didn't budge the last few hours.

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It would be interesting if the new owner would post pictures of the cuffs so we can see the condition of the finish.  A picture of any cuff can made to look good by any of the photo apps that are available.  Hopefully the finish is as good as it looks in the photos of the listing.

Ron

I am happy to have a Gill Folding Handcuff in my collection (it is ex. Stan’s / Damon collection) and is the set illustrated in Alex Nichols Book.
It is in virtually mint condition and I have just looked at the markings:
EBAN W KRESSE
DETECTIVE BUREAU
Also stamped 1931 (? Year of manufacture).
Not sure if the key is original, they do not double lock. I know they are rare how many do we know of in collections?

Photos

There are a few differences between the Peace Officer Equipment Company version and the Gill cuff and seen above.
The factory cities are located near each other but not the same.  The key is a little bit larger in the P.O.E co. and one is slightly slanted.
The major difference is that the P.O.E. Co. is quite a bit thicker or more robust than the Gill.  Similar to a patrol and prison model.

The Peace Officer Equipment Company was founded in the 1920's by Newton S. Hillyard. Hillyard was the president of the Hillyard Chemical Company of St. Joseph, Missouri. This company was founded in 1907. Hillyard received more than 50 patents, mostly related to cleaning products. The Peace Officer Equipment Company sold black jacks, handcuffs and tear gas grenades as well as other law enforcement products.  Merle A. Gill, the inventor of the folding handcuff above also received a patent on June 2, 1936 for a "firearm" designed to fire a tear gas cartridge. This patent was assigned to Newton S. Hillyard. In addition, one of the very few women to patent police equipment, Stella Francis Gill, received a patent on November 4, 1930 for a "manacle", one which was similar to an Irish 8 in design. This patent was also assigned to Newton S. Hillyard. Hillyard himself received a patent on October 11, 1932 for a "manacle"  This one was also like an 8, but swiveled from the center. Stella Gill was the wife of Merle A. Gill.  Neither of these Gills were related to James Milton Gill, the President of the Peerless Handcuff Company.

Matt

One of Ian McColl's replica of the Hillyard Cuffs.  Its a neat design, but would probably be too difficult to apply to a struggling prisoner. Still an interesting piece made from one of Hillyard's patent designs.
-Richard Knip-

Does anyone know if the Gill folding handcuff was ever patented? I can find no record indicating it was.

Matt

Fred Pittella wrote: ↑

Sep 12, 2020

Gill Folding cuff#.jpg

Was looking this was all I had