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Title:PISTOL, SEMI-AUTOMATIC -  GERMAN PISTOL SIMSON MODEL 1922 6.35MM SN# 1415
Maker/Manufacturer:SIMSON & CO.
Date of Manufacture:C 1923
Eminent Figure:
Catalog Number:SPAR 1961
Measurements:OL: 11.4CM 4 1/2" BL: 5CM 2" 13 oz.

Object Description:

GERMAN PISTOL SIMSON MODEL 1922 6.35MM SN# 1415
Manufactured by Waffenfabriken Simson & Co., Suhl, Germany - Standard Model 1922 Simson 6.35mm vest pocket semi-automatic pistol with blued finish, black checkered hard rubber grips. 6-groove rifling; right hand twist. Manual safety. Fixed sights. Weapon weighs approximately 13 oz. This is the rounded frame early production - not post 1927 version. Complete with 6-round detachable box magazine.

Markings:
Frame (left side): WAFFENFABRIKEN SIMSON & CO. SUHL/Simson trade mark. Crown/N.
Slide (left side): Crown/N. (Right side): SELBSTLADEPISTOLE SIMSON D.R.P.
Grips: SIMSON monogram.
SN# 1415 is stamped on the front strap of the butt.
Magazine: 1338.

Notes: "The firm Waffenfabriken Simson & Company of Suhl, Germany, came out of World War I in a lucky position. According to the terms of the Versailles Treaty, they were the only plant in Germany allowed to manufacture military rifles. With the assurance of profit, in 1922 the people of Simson undertook the manufacture of a small handgun which they properly surmised would be well accepted in Germany, where anarchy was the rule rather than the exception and where the average citizen needed a small concealable firearm just for his own protection. They made what they called the Selbstladepistole Simson, a small 6.35mm caliber vest-pocket size pistol, unusual because it has the ejection port located on the top of the semi-tubular slide, with the ejection being straight up. The original style issued in 1922 had a frame that was slightly rounded from the trigger on forward. In 1927 they decided to modify the frame slightly and change the contour so that it was flat for its entire length, eliminating the radius. In the early 1930s this pistol was discontinued." - Robert H. Balderson

References:
Balderson, Robert H. COLLECTOR HANDGUNS. House of Collectibles. N.Y., N.Y. 1996.
Hogg, Ian & John Weeks. PISTOLS OF THE WORLD. 3rd Ed. DBI Books, Inc. Northbrook, Il. 1992.

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