By John Hackett

This month we have another prime example of a “brand” name or “trade” name gun. Brand guns were made with only minimal markings on them. Usually they were only 1-word markings like “Smoker”, “Atlas”, “Brutus”, “Retriever”, etc. In other instances a fictitious company name was used.

This top break revolver is from a little later time period than the other past couple of brand name revolvers we profiled on NWIO. This.32 S&W 5-shot revolver was made about 1910 by Iver Johnson Arms & Cycle Works Fitchburg MA for the Edward K. Tryon Co. Philadelphia PA. What makes this gun a bit interesting is that you had one iconic American gun maker contract with another icon to make guns under a fictitious company name.

The Tryon name in the gun making business started with George W. Tryon in Philadelphia. Tryon was well known for his gun making prowess. A skill he passed down to his son Edward, and latter his grandson Edward Jr. The “Tryon” name was synonymous with firearms in Philadelphia from 1811 to final closing in 1964. The company went through various names changes over the 150 years of operation.

All of the Tryon gun manufacturing plants closed in 1872, but they remained a major seller of guns branded with their name made by other firms. In comes another American gun making icon in Iver Johnson. His company Iver Johnson Arms & Cycle Works of Fitchburg MA made handguns for, then known as, Edward K. Tryon Co. using the trade name of “U.S. Revolver Co.”.

Collector interest in brand name revolvers is very limited. Prices garnered for these firearms reflect this also. These types of revolvers generally sell in the $50 to $100 range, depending on condition.

This revolver is clearly marked U.S. Revolver Co. Finding information about this gun company would be like trying to pull hen’s teeth . . . because neither one exist!