INVINCIBLES - Page 3

Bruce Day · 08-31-2009, 07:59 PM

Larry Baer, Vol. II, p.47.

Its a story that was killed long ago but keeps rising from the grave in true B movie fashion.

Dean Romig · 08-31-2009, 08:07 PM

George, there were only ever three made and they are all secure and accounted for.

Robert Delk · 09-01-2009, 01:03 PM

Bingo! Bruce is right it is in Baer,but I also think that "Forest & Stream" might have first carried the "purloined" Invincible story first at the time it happened.Might be "Field & Stream" now that I think about it. I still have some bound copies of both circa 1911 to early 1930's when Field and Stream took over from Forest and Stream.

Bill Murphy · 09-01-2009, 01:30 PM

I sure would like to hear an early account of the "lost Invincible". Of course, Peter Johnson described the gun as "lost" when it actually was safe and sound about ten miles from where I am right now. It remained "lost" for a couple of decades after the Johnson book was published when it was still safe and sound in the hands of a couple of trapshooter/Parker collector types. It was finally outed by Tony Galazan.

Dean Romig · 09-01-2009, 02:43 PM

Robert, if you or anyone else can lay their hands on that issue of Forest & Stream (or whatever publication it appeared in) and can scan the article and post it here much like Drew has done with the Sporting Life archives it would be a great read for us all.

Robert Delk · 09-01-2009, 03:12 PM

I will try and find the article but I have to dig through 3 years worth of magazines (1929-1931).Forest & Stream,especially, had a lot of "chat" in some of their columns.I read through a lot of stuff just to find out some interesting bits.I read about the Custer Massacre the week it happened in 'Forest & Stream".I bought them through a broker in Queens in 1985 for a little over $700,along with some bound Field and Stream, from the Cincinnati Public Library.Sold most of them the next year.The ad for their sale came out in the "Shotgun News" the same day my youngest son died.You can imagine that I did not act rationally during that time and I have no idea of where most of them ended up.I haven't looked at what I have left the same way since.

Gill Frye · 09-01-2009, 04:00 PM

So sorry about your son....I can't even begin to fathom your pain...keep the faith.
The stories of the lost Invinceable really keep the mystique going, you just never know whats up there in the attic.

Scott Groff · 09-01-2009, 06:19 PM

I'm sure someone with great skill will make up a "Lost" Invicible someday. and no doubt a fool will get suckered into buying it.

Not that anything like that has ever been done mind you.

George Lander · 09-01-2009, 06:52 PM

More can be read about it in Ed Muderlak's Book "Old Reliable" Pages 132-134 wherein he states "Larry Baer's story of the mysterious disappearance of "PP Super Fine" SN 200,000
is in itself a mystery now that the gun is present and accounted for". In Larry Baer's Volume II Pp. 47 Copyright 1976 it, apparently, was still among the missing. BTW if anyone has an extra Volume I of Larry's 1976 edition I would love to purchase it.

Also, BTW, Since the Bo Whoop controversy was resurrected by someone here, if anyone still wants a copy of the Callahan letter on the gun I would be more than happy to send them a copy. Just give me your mailing address.

Best Regards, George

Bruce Day · 09-01-2009, 07:04 PM

It wasn't lost, Larry Baer just didn't know where it was. Many collectors are private and don't want the world to know what they have, so they keep quiet and their holdings are known only to a few close friends. All the more so when there is some tale, true or not, of the gun being stolen at some time. The last thing a person who owns an expensive gun(and may have paid a lot for it) wants is for the heirs of the owner who reported it stolen to come calling with a claim on the gun. That is presently happening with stolen art work from WWII.

Its like the President Harrison AH grade. While it was lost to the public, his great grandson was shooting quail with it just a few miles from here.

But Scott is correct. Somebody may miraculously come up with an Invincible whose SN is in the missing records. Probably be a small bore and in extremely high condition, the long lost and fabled fourth Invincible finally found.