Below is some info that you may have seen. The typical Tobin here in Canada does not have that high of a value and can be had for around the $350.00-$550.00 price range. Of course a model with a higher level of engraving, such as the gun a few posts above, will bring more but the higher grades don't seem to be encountered often here. Also, most Tobins that I have come across have seen a lot of use and the opening lever being left of center is a common trait on a Tobin. That being said I find them to be a nice handling/pointing gun.
Album: Tobin Arms Mfg. Co.
Frank Major Tobin, Canadian by birth, was a gun salesman for several companies in the U.S. from the 1880's to after the turn of the century. He acquired the rights to the shotgun patent of Clarance Wollam of San Francisco and set up a company in Norwich, Connecticut, to manufacture the gun. Tobin operated there from 1904 to 1909. +++++ Tobin Arms Manufacturing Company, Limited, was incorporated on August 9, 1909, in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. The company produced the same line of Tobin Simplex Guns in 12- and 16-gauge; and in a variety of grades from $25 to $250. A hammer double using the same frame and bolting as the hammerless was added to the line at $20, and a simple .22 caliber single shot "Boy Scout Rifle" was added to the line of shotguns at $5. Advertising by Tobin Arms Manufacturing Company, Ltd. continued into 1916, but by then at least part of the factory had been taken over by the Arnold Thompson Tool Company. The generally accepted serial number range for hammerless doubles was 11,090 to 18,395, though lower numbers have been recorded presumably from Norwich inventory. Tobin Arms Manufacturing Company, Ltd. is not listed in the Woodstock City Directories after 1916, and its charter was surrendered to the Provincial Secretary and Registrar on December 19, 1921. Frank Major Tobin lived the rest of his life in Woodstock. +++++ The Tobin Arms Manufacturing Company gun was offered in 12- and 16-gauge and a variety of grades from $30 to $250 with options of ejectors and a single-selective trigger. Tobin also made guns for the trade that are not marked Tobin anywhere, but they can be confirmed by the patent stamp -- PAT. MAY 23-93 AND PATENTS PEND'G. Serials to a bit over 11,000 were made in Norwich, and above that in Woodstock. There is quite a bit of overlap as 16g guns have been found in the 9xxx range with the Woodstock address. +++++ A local gunsmith who had worked for the company, Gladstone Blake Crandall, bought the remains of Tobin Arms, and for many years billed himself as "Manufacturer of Tobin Guns (Successor to Tobin Arms Co.)." Crandall is believed to have assembled 551 Tobin Guns from parts, some as late as 1951. Crandall serial numbers reportedly range from 18,976 to 19,526. +++++ The 1908 A&F CATALOG has a page dedicated to their Tobin guns -- "We are carrying guns made especially for us by the Tobin Arms Company which we highly recommend as the very best guns on the market for the money." A&F's grades were -- No. 02 - $25, No. 03 - $37.50, No. 12 Special Trap Gun - $53.50, and No. 54 Featherweight Gun - $49, with ejectors were $13.50 extra. It appears that these equate to the regular Tobin No. 20 Standard grade, No. 30 Expert Grade, No. 21 Trap Grade, and No. 40 Featherweight Grade. +++++ Tobin guns have both a grade name and number, with an E, T, or ET appended when fitted with ejectors, single trigger or both. THE NORWICH CATALOG lists -- Model Grade, No. 60 $150, No. 60E $175, No. 60T $175, and No. 60ET $200. Model Grade, No. 55 $80, No. 55E $100, No. 55T $100, and No. 55ET $120. Special Pigeon Grade, No. 50 $70, No. 50E $90, No. 50T $90, and No. 50ET $110. Trap Grade, No. 21 $60, No. 21E $80, No. 21T $80, and No. 21ET $100. Premium Grade, No. 45 $55, No. 45E $75, No. 45T $75, and No. 45ET $95. Featherweight Grade, No. 40 $45, No. 40E $65, No. 40T $65 and No. 40ET $85. Expert Grade, No. 30 $40, No. 30E $60, No. 30T $60, and No. 30ET $80. Standard Grade, No. 20 $30. +++++ In 1907, the Jobber Price of the highest Tobin, a Model Grade No. 60ET was $109, with a net selling price of $160 and a list price of $200. The lowest Standard Grade No. 20 had a jobbers price of $18, a net selling price of $22.50 and a list price of $30.
+++++ AFTER THE MOVE TO WOODSTOCK, the grades were: Standard Grade No. 40 -- list price $40, Black Diamond Grade No. 55 -- list price $55, Trap Grade No. 70 -- list price $70, Pigeon Grade No. 100 -- list price $100, Model Grade No. 200 -- list price $200, Regal Grade No. 250 -- list price $250 +++++ Ejectors or single selective trigger were each $20 extra from No. 55 to 200 and $25 each on the No. 250. In Canada, Tobin offered a Leader Grade No. 25 for $25 that was a hammer gun. It used the same frame, but with a coil-spring driven hammer lockplate in place of the hammerless sideplate and frame-mounted hammer and V-mainspring. +++++ Collectors in Australia describe Tobin guns marked W.E. Ekins, Adelaide.
Last edited by gunsaholic; 04/10/15 09:55 PM.
