Two Consecutively Numbered Cone Hammers

[alvin]

Thanks for the comments. I went to auctioneer's preview session, and saw two dozens of cone hammers for sale. The auction house locked #259 SYSTEM MAUSER and a few 20-shot C96s in a glass cabinet, but majority of them were simply put on a few open tables so it's easy to evaluate them. It's uncommon to see so many cone hammers for sale in one session. The seller had a few really nice cone hammers. #973 was his poorest one in shape, but it attracted me.

It's interesting to notice #973, #974 having unmarked hammers. No s/n on hammer, not even "m" inspection stamp. The rocker coupling is numbered though. That's reverse of later cone hammers. Also, they had bolt stop numbered, but not on its top side. The s/n is hiding in the slot on the bottom side. It's invisible until the bolt stop is taken out. Most weird, the grip screw is numbered. It's hard to guess what's in manufacturer's mind.

Finally, the firing pin is special. There is no screw-like structure at its head. The return spring is simply put in the front, not screwed on.