Iver Johnson's arms and cycle works

[M88]

I was given an Iver J breaktop a few years ago. 38 S&W black powder. Top break, large frame version of this revolver. Have taken it to gun shows and have had offers in the $150 range, but don't plan on selling it. It was made in Fitchburg Massachusetts by Iver Johnson Arms & Cycle Works between 1899 and 1901. On bottom of handle it has Pat June 16.96 and Aug 25.96. I like how when you break the top and open the gun the spent cases are automatically pushed out to easily extract. Approx. 950K of this Second Model were made. Back then, they were sold for $6 (about $150 in today's money). Even then, this was a relatively cheap alternative to more expensive revolvers. As the ad's above show, their claim to fame was that it was a "safe" gun to have around children or careless adults due to it's design! In Sep 1901, a .32 caliber version of this pistol was used to assassinate President McKinley. The assassin Leon Czolgosz bought it three days prior to the assassination for $4.50 at a hardware store in Buffalo NY where he shot the president. He apparently chose that revolver because earlier that year King Umberto I of Italy was assassinated with the same Iver Johnson revolver. In June 1968, an Iver Johnson 22 cal revolver was used to assassinate presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy. So these Iver's, although cheap and plentiful, do have some history. I've shot about 50 rounds of BP through mine so far, a very pleasant revolver to shoot even though it's on the small side. As said, sure you can still get 38 S&W, but of course supply and demand make it a little pricey.