|
Centennial was a trade mark used by the Hood Fire Arms Co. for a line of "suicide specials" in 1876 (the centennial of the Declaration of Independence). While normally those guns were inexpensive ($1.50-2.50 being the normal range), if the gold plating is factory, it would certainly have cost more and that would be reflected today. IF the plating is factory, and IF the gun is in new condition, it could go for $400 or more, much greater than the average price of a suicide special. (I doubt a gun like that was ever fired; if it has been, the value is considerably reduced.)
It seems to me like something that would have been presented to someone at about that time (1876) for some kind of service, maybe as the head of a local lodge or club, as organizer of a local centennial celebration, as a local law officer, or something like that. (Someone more prominent would likely have rated a more expensive gun and it would have been suitably engraved.)
If you can do some research on your family, you might come up with information on the original owner, and that kind of information, with good documentation, could increase the value of the gun significantly.
Jim
|