1936 Daisy, Buck Rogers XZ-44 Liquid Helium Pistol in Original Box
"The Daisy, Buck Rogers XZ-44 Liquid Helium in its original box". After 35 years of collecting antique toys it's only the second time I've located this incredible toy with its original box. However, this is the very FIRST time I've ever seen it with its original cardboard direction tag! The 3" x 1½" tag attaches directly to the plunger handle. The pistol is in spectacular near mint condition. The box beautifully compliments the toy by grading in excellent+ condition and has had one endflap professionally replaced. The tag grades excellent. What a combination! A museum quality piece. A beautiful example of art deco at it's best the Liquid Helium Pistol is basically a water ray gun. It's all pressed steel, not tin litho, with an internal leather bladder bag. 70 years ago you'd immerse the tip in water and pull back on the plunger handle. It was designed to shoot a 20 foot stream of water 15 times before reloading. Less than 500,000 were produced compared with several million of Daisy's disintegrator pistols. Eventually the leather bladder dried and cracked making the gun inoperable. Most of them rusted. Virtually all of the boxes were discarded. The direction tag, as previously mentioned, is the only one I've seen. The toy is brilliant mandarin orange and deep yellow. Lightning bolts shoot across the outside of the water chamber. The grip is pillow embossed on both sides. The barrel tip is gold enamel. Graphics on the right side of the bladder chamber include the name of the comic strip, manufacturer's name and address, a patent pending notice, and a small drawing of Buck Rogers. The left side has the name of the toy in columnar arrangement of four rows. Each row was printed using a different type face. The box, like the toy, represent art deco styling at its best. Orange, black, and white were the only colors used. Graphics on the two main panels show a large drawing of the Liquid Helium Pistol set against a wispy dark background. In the center is a small figure of an airborne Buck Rogers. The full toy name was divided into two sections. The upper half includes the Buck Rogers logo similar to the comic strip title. Along the lower edge includes the name of the toy, model number, and 15 shot ability. The side panels and both endflaps were illustrated differently. Both flash the toy name in bold text. Each has an illustration of Buck facing a space ship adversary. The drawings are different, but the theme of an alien and spaceship are identical. The endflaps include the pistol's model number and several space ships. The toy sold originally for 25¢. The directions tag is double sided. It's made from a thick cardboard, heavier than paper, but not as rigid as the box. The punch hole has it's original paper reinforcement on both sides. The top of the reinforcement was factory slit to attach to the handle so it is removable. One side is a short, but firm, instruction to pull the rod out without twisting it. A detailed set of instructions for filling the pistol were printed on the opposite side. It's also interesting to note that it includes directions for using the toy after the bladder has dried from "disuse". Size: 7" long, 5½" tall. Sold: Nov. 2007
Price Sold: $ 2325
