Value
A nice CG can go for $200 - $250 and more. Value varies with
condition and variation. And, with the CG, there are variations of
variations. And, overall, all of the CGs are rare guns. Information
about them is even rarer.
100CG, 101CG: No factory records exist for the production of these
model numbers. Guns described as being a 101CG model are often found to
be .21 caliber (121CG) models. In the factory, a .22 caliber CG would
have been a model 122CG.
122CG: Referring to W.H.B. Smiths (page 208) That ain't no misprint.
There is no question that the gun pictured (x-ray'd) is a 122CG. The
first giveaway is that the rear sight is a standard-model-101 rear
sight. Notice also that the rear cocking knob is not the CG-style
cocking knob. In Smiths, what we are looking at is a 122CG prototype!
It's a standard off-the-shelf 101 that's sporting one of those
war-surplus CO2 tanks (no safety). I don't think that this particular
model ever saw production. When CG production started, it was as the
model 121CG.
Slant Tank models: Some CGs came with a slanted tank. The general consensus
has been that this was a later variation. I'm not convinced of this, one
way or the other. It wasn't until late-in-production that Crosman opened
up the sales of CG guns to the public. Even then, you had to be a member
of an organized shooting club to get one. The slant-tank 22 caliber CG
may have been a gun sold to the public via the shooting club program.
Or, the slant-tank models may also have been in reaction to requests
from gallery owners for a gun that could be used by shorter shooters.
Crosman was extremely anxious to get these pioneering CO2 guns in the
field and would take special orders. A slant-tank model usually adds
about $50 to the value. It should be noted that the slant-tank feature
is movable. There is no way of telling if the gun originally came with
the slant-tank feature or if it was added later.
121CG: As a modern .21 caliber pellet gun, the 121CG is unique. It is
unique in another way also, it is a commercial airgun. The 121CG was
intended to be used by commercial shooting galleries. This explains the
.21 caliber. The intention was to restrict the shooting galleries to
purchasing supplies from Crosman only, ie, a monopoly. A great idea,
only the entire Crosman Rifle Ranges Inc. idea failed and the .21
caliber guns quickly faded away. 121CG are probably the most common of
the CG guns found. There are some sub-variations of the 121CG that add
special interest and value. As stated before, Crosman took special
orders on these guns and any gun with unique features can command added
value. Some 121CGs have an extended bolt and a bent-metal tray to ease
loading. These features would have been helpful to patients in
hospitals, which was one of the intended markets. (Imagine if Hahn had
sold the Veterans Administration on the idea and every Vet Hospital
purchased a complete Crosman CO2 Rifle Range, using the exclusive .21
caliber pellets of course!)
102CG, 104CG: magazine-style CG guns were produced. In the
pictures of the Crosman CG Rifle Ranges, seen in The Crosman Rifle
1923-1950, it is clear that the CG guns being used are magazine fed. But
these are all removable magazines! Any CG gun equipped with a removable
magazine is extremely rare. Most 102CG guns appear to be little more
than standard 102/104 models in CG configuration. Values: I'm really
pressing here. These guns just haven't appeared for sale. So it is hard
to gauge what the actual demand would be. My guess is that any
repeater-CG model is going to be worth $300 - $400, maybe more. A
removable-magazine version would be worth much more than the plain-Jane
102CG.
102 CO2 'hose guns': In 1931, Hahn put together the first-ever CO2
rifle (and pistol!) gallery and took it to Camp Perry. Where it was a
sensation, of course. Unfortunately, PY Hahn left Crosman Arms shortly
after. It is one of the strange twists in the Crosman Arms story that
when PY Hahn left Crosman (he was fired by his own dad, Frank Hahn) he
took over the Texaco gas station directly across the street from Crosman
Arms. 'Fill Up with Phil' was his slogan, sounds sorta like 'Power
Without Powder' doesn't it. I can't help but wonder if it was these hard
years at the Texaco station (PY slept in the station many nights)
directly across the street from his, yes his, air rifle company
that gave him the inner drive and strength to make Crosman Arms into
what it became. Interesting, too, because Hahn rarely, if ever, talked
about the 'Fill UP with Phil" years. In the 1950s, Hahn always
described how he had 'purchased' the defunct company. Which sounds much
better than saying he had to pump gas for 8 years waiting for his father
to die and inherit the company after he had been fired. I'm sure that PY
would say that a good salesman (which he was) never let the truth get in
the way of a good story. So, what the heck does this have to do with 102
CO2 'hose guns?' Everything. I'm pretty certain that these 102 'hose
guns,' which are extremely rare, are from the 1931 Camp Perry
demonstration. There are no records of any other Crosman CO2 gallery
operations in the 1930s, although that doesn't mean that there weren't a
few. But, after PY was gone, at the end of 1931, all marketing
efforts at Crosman Arms came to a screeching halt. And absolutely no
marketing of anything like a Crosman CO2 gallery occurred before or
after Oct. 1931 Camp Perry demonstration of the Crosman Liquid Gas
Rifle.
The Crosman '1931 Camp Perry Liquid Gas Rifle' is the oldest CO2 gun
made in America. After which, PY Hahn, fired for his efforts, would
spend the rest of his life proving what a great idea CO2 really was.
How much value do you place on history? Hard to say. Somewhere
between $500 and $1000 would probably be fair. Add a Crosman flyer from
the 1931 Camp Perry demonstration and things might get more interesting.
