Ellis Props & Graphic, one of the oldest movie prop houses in Hollywood, has closed its doors. LMO was selected to sell off the machine guns and other Title II inventory; a job which which we have nearly completed.

One part of the project was the “Pirate Guns," which we had in stock. Our research has been completed, and yes, these were the very guns used in The Swiss Family Robinson filmed in 1960. What an exciting piece of history! The pirates charged up the hill time after time, and the brave family repelled their every attack. Who can forget this wonderful film...

We had a limited quantity of these. The magicians in the gun room at Ellis cut these down from Trapdoor Springfield rifles, either Model of 1873 or Model of 1884, and made these into “pirate pistols” with various prop attachments. They are for blank firing only, but are registered with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms as Short Barreled Rifles. This means that a Form 4(with $200 tax stamp) is needed for transfer to individuals. Class 3 dealers purchased these tax free on a Form 3.

There are four types, with minor variations:

A- “Dueling pistol” for those rogue tavern brawls. Barrels are approximately 6.5”, overall length of 17”.

B- “Blunderbuss” perfect for assaulting up long, arduous slopes, in order to take captives for ransoming their British Shipping Company sponsors. Barrels are approximately 6.5”, overall length of 20”.

C- What gentleman pirate wouldn’t look well dressed with this rimmed barrel “Pirate Pistol” in his belt? Barrels are approximately 7.5”, with an overall length of 18”.

D- “In the Belt pistols” Shorties for repelling boarders and forcing blaggards off the plank. Barrels are approximately 4”, overall length 18”.

Each “Pirate Pistol” was sold with a Certificate of Authenticity from Ellis Props, naming “Swiss Family Robinson- 1960” as the movie these were used in.

These were sold for $495 each, or one of each for only $1595! (Price did not include the transfer tax to individuals)