The fur trade in North America was largely a booming business from the time the first Hudson’s Bay Trading Post (Fort Charles) was built in Canada in 1668 until the 1950s, almost 300 years, at which point the bottom veritably dropped out of the market. Around the turn of the 20th century, though, fur trapping was still a profitable business in much of the United States, and any inventions that could make trapping easier and more effective were in high demand. “Set guns”, or “trapper guns”, had been used for hunting since the 1700s, but those were mostly home-built devices, and were usually constructed using damaged or obsolete firearms. In the 1900s, when fur trapping was still at its zenith, well known companies began mass producing high quality trapper guns, and one such company was the Getsem Gun Company of Lincoln, Nebraska. Operation was simple: drive the legs of the weapon into the ground using the thick metal stakes at each side, adjust the angle of the weapon depending on the animal to be hunted (racoon, possum, mink, coyote, etc.), put a bait item on the hook, cock the weapon, pull the safety, and go hide from a short but safe distance. When the animal takes the bait, the spring-loaded hammer is set off by the trigger rod being pushed backward, the trigger discharges, and the animal is usually shot in the head. That one well placed point blank shot ensures there is as little damage to the animal’s pelt as possible. These trap guns were in fact advertised as the “humane way” for trappers to get their furs. The larger the caliber of the set gun, the bigger the animal for which it was designed. These guns continued to be sold for $3 to $4 each until the early 1930s, when the new Federal Firearms laws of 1934 made them illegal to own, as they had no stock or hand-grip and were therefore classified as sawed-off shotguns. These days, however, these items are deemed as historic relics and collectors items, and it’s fully legal to possess them as such. This Vintage Early 1900s “GETSEM GUN CO” Lincon Nebraska Fur Trapper’s Set Gun is in Good condition, missing the firing pin, and with moderate bending to the trigger rod, and with some overall patina and age wear evident. Most interestingly, it features an approxiamtely 8” barrel capable of firing approximately .410 bore to .45 caliber blanks and which can be unscrewed from the frame to load, retains a good amount of the original darkened finish on the barrel and stakes, and carries its maker, “GETSEM / GUN CO”, as well as their location, “LINCOLN / NEB”, molded into the right side of the cast iron frame. It bears “PATS / PENDING” molded into the left side of the frame, exhibits the original trigger rod, hammer, and spring system, and is a fine example of a very rare, original Vintage Early 1900s “GETSEM GUN CO” Lincon Nebraska Fur Trapper’s Set Gun.