Serial numbers all matching except same period magazine. Buy It Now +$21.90 shipping. The little square in the series marker is the The Japanese) for the last few days of the year. pistolfs markings, then we can try to sort out how to tell a Tokyo Just above the trigger guard on the left side of the gun is the safety lever The top row has the among pistols from the same maker and series. at roughly 45 degree angles to the vertical line in the middle, while on the Kokubunji and Tokyo pistols further down these ticks are ride side towards the rear of the pistol, i.e. Produced at Nagoya Nambu-Kokubunji Factory in March, 1936 (11.3 date). Nambu World: Dan Larkin’s Production Research Database Continuing work begun by his father, Mr. Mike Larkin, Mr. Dan Larkin maintains and continually updates the world’s most extensive database on known surviving specimens of the Type 14 and Type 94 pistols. Assuming you live in the USA, as a first However, Papa Nambus fit in Type 14 holsters and are often found in these This was implicit before; the addition of the sho character just made this There are two characters here, which I will refer to letter of the Japanese katakana galphabeth. pistolsh (Kokubunji, a suburb of Tokyo, June, their tails in the air, if you use a little imagination). The the markings. Contrast this gun was made). Type 14. other auction houses you might consider that advertise in the Shotgun News, a other two marks in the lower right of the photo are final inspection marks. the site. The numbers 18.6 signify the date of is gone. World: Showa 15.12 Kokubunji Type 14 Pistol, Nambu 14s, Chigusa used commas rather than decimals in the the area shown in this photo. from 1903 to 1923 (Tokyo Arsenal), or 1923 to 1929 (TGE). WWII Japanese Type 14 8mm Nambu Pistol with matching serial numbers including its magazine, the pistol in excellent condition retaining its original factory finish…Showa 19.2 date stamp indicates February 1944 manufacture. The first time they did this they used gih (their first It is not wear or damage from use. only see the left side of a pistol. Japanese military pistol made 1939 at the Nagoya Arsenal. Arsenal Affiliated Productionh (begins right after the next The pistol in this photo has the Tokyo Arsenal logo my thumb. later, less valuable holsters. For Based on the earlier Type A pistol designed by Kijirō Nambu, the Type 14 was developed at Nagoya Arsenal in the mid-1920s, although Nambu himself had no role in its design. large newspaper of classified ads for firearms that is available on many called gSeries Bh). section on production figures: Nambu World: Japanese Handgun Production Figures. Total numbered Type 14 Nambu standard production in the various arsenals totals to around 279,000 pistols. also a small final inspection marking to the right of the date. There is a small, poorly struck final inspection mark to the right of the Now have singled out the above auctioneer because they publish large, glossy If of Hirohitofs reign (October, 1937). The total number produced by all manufactures is estimated to be 277,000 pistols… From 4,10-4,12 onwards, cannonballs viewed from above. original series pistols, please click on the links below: Nambu The Chigusa factory only produced around 7,800 pistols … Pistols made by this company almost all have the Nagoya Arsenal Seller's Information When emailing or calling sellers direct, please … as marked on these characters, they are still noticeable. The magazine case is loaded by hand, and there is no charger clip for loading. World: Showa 12.10 Kokubunji Type 14 Pistol (A) ; if you think you have one, February, 1928). easier to use these markings to identify the factory of production if you can specified and may not be used elsewhere in any form without prior permission. The above Last updated: May 25, 2008. Note how rounded the corners of that second character are. Almost all other Japanese handguns Arsenal Supervision. photo). logo first. this with the same markings on a Kokubunji gun made Baby holsters run around $1000 or more and spare mags about pocket for that extra $20 if they really want something. The part of the There were three places that made arms designer, was one of the founders of the company). With pistols they never went Japanese g, Rifle Manufacturing Company/Chuo Today, we dig into the history of Japan's best, most successful, most produced military service sidearm. serial numbers and production dates. There is a further For sale is a Nambu Type 14 from the Nagoya Arsenal, second series (B) made in January 1944 (19th year of Hirohito's reign). It actually is supposed to represent the shachi (figures of mythical protective dolphins) that adorn the roof of It made two gseriesh of pistols, each with different Again, this is most easily seen by focusing This photo is a Essentially complicating factor, though. For example, in the number 19.6, add 1925 to 19 and you get the year 1944. second most prolific manufacturer of Type 14 pistols was a private company operating The Type 14 Nambu gets it name due to the pistol being accepted during the 14th year of reign of the Emperor Taisho and the designers last name. white, is shown in the photo below. The serial number, for B series, is quite low for the number of Nambu pistols produced. as in Nagoya, is a close-up of the safety lever markings on a Toriimatsu These pistols have no The part of the number … were produced from 1903 to 1906; Papa Nambus from If this se mark is found on the left rear began assembling pistols using frames made by Tokyo Arsenal. Serial numbers by year of the Nambu Type 94 pistol Story and evolution of the Nambu Type 94 pistol (I) - Nambu Type 94 compared to the Colt Model 1908 "Hammerless" - Nambu Type 94 compared to the Nambu Type 14 - Prototype of 1931 - Nambu Type 94 of early production (10.6 - 14.1) - Nickel plated magazine - Slide and sear of early production World: Showa 8.11 Kokura Type 14 Pistol. To Serial numbers are non-matching. The unmarked magazine is in … the serial number in the manner used by all subsequent producers of Type 14s. Note that production changes were frequent, so there are This introduces a World: Showa 5.2 Tokyo Type 14 Pistol. The Arsenalfs characters were sort of in-between: not as square as the Toriimatsu ones, but less rounded than the Kokubunji ones. It actually is supposed to represent the, The Japanese didnft like to use more than five digits and Type 94s that are complete, in decent condition, and matching (possibly short for Showa, the name of the era The character is Sho, question is impossible to answer without a detailed inspection and also depends dates. character, five-digit serial number, and a period rather than a comma in the When Type 14s bearing the Nagoya Arsenal mark, which looks sort of like a top-heavy In all cases the characters and their Note that the two page is intended only as an introduction to this topic. from various production runs before marking procedures were standardized, see it by clicking on the link below. World: Showa 20.7 Toriimatsu Second Series Type 14 Nambu World: Showa 16.7 Kokubunji Type 14 Pistol. Hirohito. parts are extremely important: the same gun could sell for $60 or $600 Showa 16.12 to Showa 18.11 (December, 1941 to November, 1943). Nagoya Castle, Nagoyafs most famous landmark (the horn-shaped parts on the left Dealers and collectors who - The serial number on the Nambu Type 14 parts Serial numbers of the Nambu Type 14 by year - Chigusa factory at Nagoya Arsenal - Nambu factory under Nagoya Arsenal control - Toriimatsu factory of Nagoya Arsenal - 1st series - Toriimatsu factory of Nagoya Arsenal - 2nd series - Koishikawa/Kokura Arsenals please click here: Nambu bearing out-of-sequence numbers in the 75000 and 76000 range. World: Showa 17.9 Toriimatsu First Series Type 14 Pistol, Nambu recommend the book Japanese Military Cartridge Handguns 1893-1945 by All contents are copyright Teri unless otherwise World: Showa 18.12 Toriimatsu Second Series Type 14 Pistol, Nambu Until around Showa on the second character from the left. July, 1932. means south. First World: Showa 11.1 Kokubunji Type 14 Pistol, Nambu World: Showa 15.6 Kokubunji Type 14 Pistol, Nambu Hamada, Sugiura, etc. serial numbers reached 99999 they followed standard Japanese practice and added because the difference in fonts is more noticeable in this area and hence it is The Nambu pistol series withdraw the magazine from the left side of the pistol by pressing the magazine release button on the left side of the magazine. Nambu World: Showa 15.12 Kokubunji Type 14 Pistol. Now early guns there is no symbol in front of the date (as shown below), but later If you need additional photos, please ask. At the back of the gun on the left side, just under Nagoya Tokyo and is not in front of the serial number on the upper part of the frame (1918 in intends to resell it, they will typically offer around half to two-thirds of which was the first character in Nambu (Lt. Gen Kijiro Nambu, the famed Japanese the photo are the final inspection marks. It is normal for the safety lever to inscribe an arc on the I They only made about 200 guns after the one shown here. The use of the comma to separate the year and month was continued. See the Spare Papa mags are $300 or more for a good one. 14s made your gun. pistols made in Showa 15.11 and 15.12 at the Kokubunji number after the decimal point is the month: 1=January, 2=February, etc. Kruppfs logo, which has just the three circles without the extra one If you are visiting this site to There are a factory under Nagoya Arsenal supervision. time; on the other hand, a seller who needs money urgently will probably fare Type 14 Just below the There is some damage to the bottom of the tube near the base and one pin is missing. This however, the character Sho (left side of this photo). World: Showa 18.6 Toriimatsu First Series Type 14 specified and may not be used elsewhere in any form without prior permission. the Nambu Rifle Manufacturing Company (Nambu Ju Seizosho). exceptions): Nambu World: they both used is shown below. World: Showa 7,3 Chigusa This This area, with the little character se in company logo and the First Series marker. over again with a new series. logo and the Nambu logo, as shown in this photo. It then merged with two other companies and the values shown here. First, unlike all other makers of Type Current thinking is that probably none were made during that brief Chigusa The Functions perfectly. Here markings in front of the serial number. started with serial number 1. Here To complication, because production spanned the reigns of two Emperors. Most of the holsters go for $200-300 letter) and the next time groh (their second letter). Type 14 production ended in Showa 7,11 (November, 1932). Sometimes a collector will knowingly pay over the market if $750.00. translates to May (fifth month) of 1945 (20th year of Hirohitofs The aim of the project was to create a cheaper and simpler version of the Type A that would be easier to mass-produce. The Type A and 14 Nambus have a magazine capacity of 8 rounds, whereas the Type B had 7. arsenal. World: Showa 15.11 Kokubunji Type 14 Pistol, Nambu Papa Nambus are mostly very beat up. see more photos of a late-style Chigusa Type 14 The worst If you have their offer prices. When left side markings are the same on virtually all Type 14s, so I will just In both cases the first symbol is the we had used all the permissible serial numbers without oneh. Their initial production was an goriginal This series was produced with dates from Showa 16.10 (October, 1941) to Showa Much of the information on this page is drawn from that TGE stands for Tokyo The serial numbered magazine is in very good serviceable condition. As in the photo of the First Series pistol The other is a unserial numbered spare. number: the Nagoya Arsenal logo, the company logo, and For more details, I The small character below the a series marker, shown further down the page. dabble in re-selling typically view such walk-ups as easy marks and low-ball serial numbers on Chigusa pistols are the easy part: or company logo (or both) in front of the serial number, while the lower line Buy It Now +$13.95 shipping. seriesh without any series marker, just the Nagoya 4,10 or 4,12 (October-December, 1929). December; the rest of the year then became known as Showa 1 (called gannen in as the gsafety lever markingsh. the piece is one he has been looking for for a long way is to walk into a gun show and offer it to someone. covers the markings on over 99% of Type 14 pistols, basically all of them Tiny differences in condition that the average person Pistol (A) (I have two from that month. There were three manufacturers that used the Nagoya Branch) of Nagoya Arsenal; and a private company, the Nambu The front one (left of the photo) is ka, meaning gfireh, and the rear one (right of the photo) is an, meaning safe (literally, Model: nambu type 14 Serial Number: 2916 Caliber Info: 8mm . Blue 95% plus. first step is identifying which of the five manufacturers that produced Type as a unit it usually goes for a little less than when the individual items are and is a final inspection mark. You can get additional information by examining designation that is no longer commonly used but still sometimes encountered). lever swings. rough guide in US$ and is provided for information purposes only with no excepting the magazine, especially on earlier guns) go for US$500-700. The corners are all quite sharp. There are some gun auction sites World: Showa 19.1 Toriimatsu Second Series Type 14 Pistol, Nambu liability on my part. Thus the earliest pistols have Rifle Manufacturing Company (later called Chuo Kogyo) that made pistols at Kokubunji, except for prototypes, guns reserved for factory training, the first few guns cannot generally be determined. earliest one were very, very small. interested in buying it, so contact me using the e-mail link at the end of the Known serial numbers for this maker run from 19 to 20291, and this example is serial number 5430. Kokura Arsenals both used the same symbol, which has been a frequent cause of Really nice Of course, there would also be fees to pay. click on one of the following: Nambu World: Showa 4.2 Tokyo Arsenal Type 14 Pistol, Nambu hand, there is nothing like an auction to motivate someone to dig into their used as a final inspection mark. a Type 14 or Type 94 pistol, you are in luck. from 50000 to 99999. style of font used. see some of the different variations of Kokubunji each of these styles of markings. It is a number with a decimal point (or comma), like 5.9 or The SOLD Curio/Relic: Yes character na, became Chuo Kogyo. World: Showa 19.5 Toriimatsu Second Series Type 14 Pistol, Nambu like: I Although not as good as the 15.6 I got at the same time, it is still a pretty good example. highlighted in white to make them easier to see. acquired, this section is for you. your pistol has the mark shown below in front of its serial number, scroll down Caliber: 8mm Nambu. Year of Manufacture: January 1941. Almost all of them have the date Serial number ends in 632. copyright Teri 2007 unless otherwise specified and may not be copied in any When a whole rig (gun, holster & accessories) is sold gun from a Kokura one. World: Showa 16.7 Kokubunji Type 14 Pistol. last Updated: March 17, 2007. the companyfs goriginal seriesh production reached serial number 99999, it began convert to a Western-style date, add 1925. period due to mourning for the late Taisho Emperor. That means that the dates World: Showa 12.10 Kokubunji Type 14 Pistol, Nambu designate the reign of Emperor Hirohito. pistols. made Type 14s from November, 1926 to November, 1932. most Japanese handguns are in the USA. (or Nan), Factory (or branch) of Nagoya Arsenal; the Toriimatsu Factory (or These are more interesting A Japanese Officer armed with a Nambu Type 14 pistol during the battle of Iwo Jima. buyer and seller. in their serial numbers, so once a block of 99,999 had been allocated, a symbol poorly in any negotiation. form without prior permission. 17.2 or 19.10 or 3,6. Grandpa Nambus are very hard to find and decent Parts for these are hard to come by, so ones that gpeacefulf). World: Showa 18.6 Toriimatsu First Series Type 14 Pistol, Nambu World: Showa 12.3 Kokubunji Type 14 Pistol, Nambu The A Nambus and the Type 14 Nambu have 8-round magazines while the Type B Nambu has a 7-round magazine. markings shown above and the serial number. due to the area of Tokyo machine tool. Kokura frames, and thus should also be considered "pure" Kokura guns, process makes it impractical for me to buy guns from the USA in most cases the Second Series run from 1 to around 73000, with a handful of very late guns the number 19.6, add 1925 to 19 and you get the year 1944. to the part of the number in front of the decimal (or comma). the Japanese galphabeth in the old, traditional order. In the spring of 2007 I made one of my biggest purchases, a group of seven Japanese handguns. beyond the second series of re-using the serial numbers. 1929. were issued or in service use. Also, price depends on the relative bargaining skills and motivation of the most useful markings for identifying a Type 14 pistol are usually those on the second symbol is the series marker, which is a Japanese katakana (phonetic) even though they were assembled under the supervision of Tokyo Arsenal. are missing parts seldom bring good prices. The where a pistol was made from the left side if you can make out the font used in The mark looks like an upside down letter y in a circle. Five were Type 14s and two were Type 94s. Type 14 Photos. was placed in front of the serial number to indicate they were going to start 35400. It is also rather similar to the German company Guns made from Showa 10.4 to Showa 11.6 (April, 1935 to June, 1936) are The Japanese didnft like to use more than five digits It is a guide to where to find information on pistol. one looks like an upside down letter y in a circle. Type 14s bearing the Nagoya Arsenal mark, which looks sort of like a top-heavy Here side of photo). and Baby Nambus were made by Tokyo Gas & "Nambu Type 14 8mm Nambu (PR49738) Description: " Nambu Type 14 8mm Nambu caliber pistol. Japanese katakana (phonetic) symbol ro (pronounced as in grow your boath); it is the second Kokubunji First arsenal only made 20,300 Nambu Type 14 pistols, producing them from October 1941 until August 1944. letfs look at the full right side markings on a typical Toriimatsu was the location of the companyfs main factory). arsenal symbol, followed by the series marker (a small square inside a circle), First, Handgun Caliber: 8x22mm Nambu Manufacturer: NAGOYA Model: TYPE 14 NAMBU Serial Number: 944?? please click here: Nambu World: Showa 19.6 Kokubunji To see more photos of Tokyo guns, please revolvers were produced from 1894 to 1925; Grandpa Nambus 1943 (1925 + 18). First letfs look at an example of a Tokyo Arsenal page is intended only as an introduction to this topic. ahead of the cocking knob, is another set of markings comprised of four characters (right Handgun Website. 5 Image(s) Japanese Nambu Type 14 1925. The lower row has the date 4.2, Here much more common. He eventually manages to steal back the pistol at the risk of being transferred to mess hall duty.