There’s no more iconic firearm that fully embodies the rough-and-tumble underworld of Prohibition Era America than the Thompson Submachine Gun. Often called the Chicago Typewriter, it’s a gun that was widely used on both sides of the law during the 1920s and 30s.
In the January Collector’s Elite Auctions, you have the chance to bring home a genuine piece of history from that era: a Colt Thompson Model of 1921 Submachine Gun. This was the first Tommy Gun model to enter full-scale production with 15,000 of them being made by Colt for Auto-Ordnance.
Make no mistake, this is a real deal. This is a fully automatic and fully transferable Tommy Gun. Bearing serial number 8171, the gun was originally sold to the Jefferson County, Ill, sheriff’s office. Sheriff W. F. Groves received it on April 28, 1931. At that time, Prohibition had been in effect for 11 years. It still had another two to go. The gun would eventually go on to be used by the Ohio State Department of Corrections, eventually ending up in the Jack Meador collection.
Tommy Gun of the Ages
This particular Chicago Typewriter has been engraved and inlaid as a tribute to Williamson County, Ill., a place so notorious for its deadly violence during that era that it became known as “Bloody Williamson.”
Williamson County was the site of the Herrin Massacre in 1922, the Klan War between 1924 and 1926, and the Birger-Shelton Gang War of 1926. These events earned national attention for their brutality.
The custom engraving and inlay work, done by Jeff Flannery in 1984, includes approximately 30 feet of 24K gold wire inlay. This completes the borders of the receiver, each barrel flute, six different working parts of the gun, and 13 significant names and events. These include S. Glenn Young, Earl & Carl Shelton, Sheriff Jim Pritchard, Baby Face Nelson, John Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly, the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and more.
The engraved names link this Thompson Model of 1921 Submachine Gun to infamous gangsters and crimes of the era. They also cement its place in the broader narrative of Prohibition, organized crime and law enforcement’s struggle to maintain control.
This Tommy Gun comes with everything a collector could want; it is truly the complete package. Housed in a custom Pelican case, the gun comes with a serial matching factory letter from Auto-Ordnance Company, a Certificate of Engraving Appraisal signed by Jeffrey W. Flannery, and a whole host of other paperwork, books, and accessories. All this enhances the understanding of the historic events to which this gun pays tribute.
While the gun has not been fired since it was restored and engraved in 1984, it is indeed fully functioning. The new owner who takes it home at the end of the January Collection auction can certainly fire it if desired. The previous owner even took this into consideration. The gun comes with a “shooter’s bolt” to use while shooting so as not to risk damage to the original bolt.
