Cool 1950s Alps Rocket Repeating Pistol Group Find - With Trade Box

[Hymie]

I posted back a week or two that I had purchased --- or hoped I had purchased -- a group of six (6) 1950s Alps "Rocket" space guns on eBay for $15.00 total. At the time, I wasn't certain what I was actually buying, or that they would even show up. Incidentally, it seemed odd to me that six identical "penny toys" originally sold together in a trade box (presumably) would have stayed together for 70 years without a box, but there was no picture or mention of a box in the listing. Anyway, I risked around $21.00, with tax and shipping, and waited for the item(s) to arrive -- hoping that maybe, just maybe, someone who would sell six pristine vintage space guns for $15.00 would not know that the original trade box was worth mentioning and showing in the listing.

 

Well the guns arrived today, and not only did I get six minty 1950s Alps rocket space cap guns for my negligible investment, but sure enough, they were shipped in their original trade box (an extremely dilapidated trade box, I should point out, but a trade box just the same). Pictures below. Notice that the box graphics feature cowboys, but that (to cover all the bases, I suppose) there is an image of a sort of futuristic "rocket plane" streaking across the sky above them -- how wonderfully odd. Also notice that on the side panel, the gun is depicted as it actually looks (with the embossed rocket). And finally, the gun is called the "Rocket Repeating Alps Pistol" on the box -- a name oddly inconsistent with a cowboy theme. I'm not suffering under any delusion that this is some holy grail of space toy collecting, but I thought it was a pretty fortunate find, and at a ridiculous price. It also occurs to me that this might be a good update for the space gun database, since no trade box is shown with the gun at present.

 

One thing that strikes me about the pistols and the box is the prominence of the ALPS name and (in part) trademark. Since I'm primarily a robot collector with several ALPS-manufactured / trademarked robots and spacemen in my little stable, the guns and box complement my collection nicely.

 

 

[Andyman]

Nice score!

[zebedee]

excellent hymie , wonderful box graphics a crossover of western and space together, I wonder if it was sold as a ray gun or cowboy gun we will never know , but it's a great find and an excellent addition to your collection....

[zebedee]

I forgot to ask how do the caps load, or do they take single caps 

[Hymie]

"Magazine" swings up to load roll caps.

 

[zebedee]

Thats cool can you still get the caps I've not seen them for years..

[Hymie]

Oh yeah. You can search eBay for roll caps and find them. There's probably even a current manufacturer, though I've never searched.