Steel Cartridge Gun Cane

Ca. 1900 All-steel cartridge gun cane with an attractively curved, nickel-plated crook handle and a slim, cylindrical 9mm barrel that has been coated black. The handle is threaded and separates to load the cartridge. A turn and pull of the attached ring cocks the gun, and pushed in the other direction, it sets off the built-in hammer that hits the edge of the cartridge and fires it.

This so-called rim-fire mechanism, invented by the Frenchman Flobert, is the forerunner of the center pin-fire setup, which is still in use today. The barrel's rim has two notches that make it easier to remove the shell. The handle is stuck with a “HC” for the maker and an "S.G.D.G.", which stands for Breveté SGDG, a French type of patent that ceased to exist in 1968.

The name was a common abbreviation for “Breveté Sans Garantie Du Gouvernement” (patent without government guarantees). In France, the law of 1844 states that patents are issued “without prior examination. According to its profile and superior mechanics, this cane must be a product of one of the storied firearm companies in Saint-Etienne, where numerous patent applications for various gun cane kinds were made. 100 by 1900 and another 50 by 1935.

Gun canes hold a significant place in spy culture; Ian Fleming's 1953 novel Casino Royale features a famous example, where James Bond faces a threat with one during his contest at the gaming table with Le Chiffre. The gun cane also appeared in the 1954 made-for-television adaptation of the same name, as well as in the 1999 Bond movie The World Is Not Enough. A musket ball firing front-loading musket style cane gun can be found in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Overall 34 ½”L, 5 ¼”H x 3 ¾”

Cisco’s has additional firearms in the Gallery post 1896. Call for itemized catalog.

PERIOD: Early 20th Century

ORIGIN: France, Europe

SIZE: Overall 34 ½”L, 5 ¼”H x 3 ¾”