Flare Gun from 1883? Interesting Find

[tomdillinger]

Hey guys, new to this forum. I was garage saling today and happened upon this flare gun which really interested me.

It is stamped :

"ORD. DEP. U.S.N.Y.W
   1883
anchor symbol
J.A.H"

i assume the JAH was the name of the owner. I got it from an old man who said it was his grandfathers when he was in the navy. I tried finding information online about antique flare guns but i cant find anything like this piece. What do you guys think?
Here are some pictures, thanks.

[regularjoe2]

Welcome to the forum , tomdillinger .

You've got a neat , old & rare signal gun .

Originally produced by the Washington Naval Yard , in 10 gauge (usually) .

Inventor was Lt. Edward Wilson Very (1847 - 1910) , a Naval officer .
These were AKA "Very (or Verey) Pistols" .

It's a 'keeper' (but don't try to fire a signal from it) !

"Very" nice find !

[Skinny]

This is cool, what a great find! Nautical collectables are very sought after.

[waywardangler]

J.A.H. is "JAH John Howell Cdr USN M1882 Navy Signal Pistols"

U.S.N.Y.W. is United States Navy Yard Washington

Prices for this type of flare gun range from $150-$500+ depending on condition. I do not know what type of demand there is but I would think an arms collector would be interested in this type of pistol.

from Robert Welcome, NZ. Edward Wilson Very invented a "new and useful improvement in Pyrotechnic signal cartridges...".  US Patent 190263 dated 1 May 1877. Very is predated by one Benjamin Franklin Coston, but Coston's gun retained the flare & was really only an ignition device and the "gun" was waved at arms length. Very's gun discharged the flare in the way we know today. In a quirk of history, Coston's son actually invented the first aerial flare launching cartridge, but his mother, jealous of the invention, lobbied against it being accepted by the Navy. Therefore Very got the credit for inventing the pistol & cartridge.  Very's invention was accepted in 1882 by the US Navy & by 1900 Very pistols & cartridges were in use throughout the world.   From...http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-weapons/signal-pistols.htm  A number of flare guns are pictured on this site.

[regularjoe2]

John Howell was the Navy inspector for these items , as well as other ordinance "items" .

[tomdillinger]

cool, great info guys. Thanks!

[regularjoe2]

There's more history about Very as well , if you're interested .

He started a foundation for burn victims (from the profits of his invention) , oddly enough .

[KC]

NIce piece you have there!

Great work ya'll!!!!

[rfsedgley]

Hello, I am a flare gun collector who has just joined this forum.

The 1883 Flare pistol is a model of 1882. It actually has a value of ~ $1,000 in its condition, assuming the wood grips are nice, and it is mechanically in good condition. Do not clean it up, as you can ruin the value.

Good Collecting, Signalman

[mart]

Hi there and welcome to the group !!  Every time I think of flare guns I think about the finds on Storage Wars !!   Hope you enjoy it here and join in the discussions !! We havent had many flare guns posted and the one you bumped up has not been back I don`t think !! But we would love to see your finds !!