Posted by John Cameron on August 23, 2001 at 03:57:49:
First off I have to say what a great site this is. I'm new to collecting handcuffs, although I have been a collector of Canadian Military Police collectables for more than 20 years. I never had much interest in handcuffs, except as just another tool of the trade when I was a military policeman.
About a year ago, a friend showed me a pair of cuffs that he bought at a flea market. They were unlike anything I'd seen before, being used to the standard S&W or Peerless types. The unusual thing about them was that they were stamped with an arrow inside a letter C, indicating that they were Canadian Army issue. I got them from my friend on a trade and promptly forgot about them. A while ago I hauled them out to catalogue them. A search brought up this site and from that point on, I've been hooked. The cuffs turned out to be Bean Cobs made by the H & R Arms Co.
Since then, among others, I've picked up a Tower Double Lock, H & R Arms Co Super, and a pair of Hiatt Darbys. The Hiatts are interesting, stamped with the Hiatt mark, Warranted Wrought and the key and cuffs are stamped with 100. Can anybody tell me the approximate date of manufacture? They are attributed to the North West Mounted Police, which existed from 1872 to 1902. My latest acquisition is a pair of Peerless with the C Arrow mark, patent date 1912. I am interested in corresponding with anyone who collects Canadian/British military handcuffs.