1935 Marx, G-Man Sparkling Pop Pistol in Original Box (#3)
This outstanding example of Marx's short lived G-Man Sparkling Pop Pistol is the last of a collection of complete Marx G-Man toys I purchased last year. It's in exquisite excellent+ to near mint condition and comes complete with its original box. Best of all it sparks beautifully! The entire line of Marx G-Man gun toys included cap pistols, rifles, machine guns, and target toys. They were all very popular, but produced for only a short time. The Sparkling Pop Pistol was the largest "hand-gun" from the series. It's all pressed steel and finished in baked on black enamel. The trigger is heavy gauge steel and it has no trigger guard. It weighs nearly half a pound. The toy features a large colorful decal of the publics conception of the perfect "G-Man". Clean shaven, hat pulled down slightly over his eyes to one side, black suit, and red tie. Tough, yet compassionate. The decal was applied only to the left side of the frame. The grips have stamped cross-hatching on the right half with some partial markings on the left. It's interesting to point out that the Marx logo was not stamped into the pistol although I've seen examples which did have the logo. The gray metal clip on the underside of the barrel near the tip is made from non-rusting zinc. It's used to keep the flint centered in place and is removable. As a result it's quite often missing. A squeeze of the trigger produces a single loud "snap" and a brilliant flash at the barrel tip. And it bears repeating that the sparkling mechanism works great! The box features a full-panel illustration of two young sprites firing their pistols at one another. The boy on the left wears a white shirt with red tie. The one on the right is dressed in a a child's sailor suit which was popular at the time. A red, white and blue striped design symbolizing the American Shield of Honor was drawn between the two boys. The manufacturer's name and address were also printed on the main panels. An extensive set of directions, listed in numerical order, were printed on one of the side panels. The remaining panel and endflaps include the name of the toy. This same box was also used for the non-G-Man version of the pistol which did not have a decal. Size: 8" x 4" x 1". Sold: May 2008
Price Sold: $ 218
