Offered in this lot is this Vintage Leather Blackjack, circa early to mid 1900s. A blackjack is a short, concealable, and weighted cylindrical impact tool, usually with a spring running through the grip, and a lead weight cast onto the head, all wrapped up in leather. They’re harder to carry daily, but their sprung weight makes them extremely potent when striking. embraced by police officers and gangsters alike and could be found in the pockets of soldiers, sailors, cowboys, miners, duelists, bouncers, bikers, prostitutes, and common folk. Blackjack weapons appeared in movies, plays, and literature, and even graced the cover of the very first comic book. The origins of the blackjack weapon can be traced back to Renaissance-era fighting manuals, which depict the use of the sand club. The sap and jack as we now know them began to take form in the 1800s. Just prior to the Civil War, President-elect Abraham Lincoln was escorted to the nation’s capitol by his friend and fellow lawyer Ward Hill Lamon, whose personal arsenal consisted of two pistols, a pair of brass knuckles, a large Bowie knife, and a blackjack. The (unofficial) adoption of the sap and blackjack by American law enforcement began in the mid 1800s with the creation of the first professional police forces in Boston and New York, and peaked in the 1960s. This blackjack has a lead head and coil spring handle wrapped with braided leather. A woven leather hand strap connects at the bottom of the handle. Braided brown leather at the head and bottom flank the center braided black leather grip. Scuffing observed to leather, spring still strong. Measures 1.25"W x 7.5"L, weight 8oz.