Rick Cicciarelli is not only an entomologist and biology professor who studies bees, he’s also a realtor, president of the Spark Plug Collectors of America, and an avid collector of antique mouse traps and early trap shooting throwers.
“I believe the mouse trap is the most patented invention in the U.S.,” he says. “At one time, I had a full set of copies of all the patents for animal traps and there were more than 6,000 patents. The spark plug is the second-most patented item.”
Rick’s interest in antique mouse traps was kindled at an early age, but his fascination with throwers came later in life. His parents were antique enthusiasts who routinely took him and his sister to shows. “I learned rather quickly it was more fun to be dragged to these antique shows if there was something I was looking for,” he says.
Unusual features of the antique mouse trap
In his youth, Rick’s favorite uncle was a trapper. As an adult, his uncle collected antique steel traps, bear traps and mouse traps. “It was the antique mouse traps and rat traps that seemed to catch my attention,” Rick says. “I thought the designs were neat. I was about 11 years old when I decided I wanted to start collecting those. At the time, you could find a fair number of mouse traps in the $10-30 price range. It didn’t seem like there was much competition. There were more people collecting steel traps so prices were more accessible to me.”
His uncle took Rick to trappers’ conventions where he found items to add to his collection. “With mouse traps, especially with the live-catch traps, there are different types of cage designs, doors, counterweights and mechanisms that were balanced,” he says. “Neat stuff.”
Antique mouse traps vary greatly in size and weight. Some “snap traps” may be as small as 1 to 2 inches long. Others, including traps complete with water buckets built in to drown the rodent, can be up to 2-1/2 feet long and wide. Cage traps can measure 2-3 feet long.
An antique mouse trap with wheels
One of Rick’s favorite designs, a toy wheel mouse trap, dates to the 1860s-1920s. When the mouse entered one side of the trap, a simple spring-loaded door jiggled the bait hook, closing the door behind the rodent. A wheel on the other end of the trap gave the mouse something to do. “It was a novelty item,” he says.
Another unusual trap design features one main wheel with two smaller wheels. Once trapped on the wheel inside, the mouse propelled the trap across the floor. The trap was patented in 1903.
The oldest piece in Rick’s collection is a rat trap patented in Brooklyn in 1847 by Job Johnson, who was perhaps better known for a spring-loaded fishhook he designed and sold. Old handmade mouse traps may be even older. In general, rat traps were approximately twice the size of mouse traps. Major trap manufacturers include Woodstream, Newhouse and Lovell.
Traps, boxes, ads, flyers and brochures
Rick’s collection of antique mouse traps has dwindled over the years. At its height, it totaled 300-400. That may seem like a lot, but there’s always somebody with more. “I’ve known of collectors having several thousand,” he explains. “Most veteran collectors tend to focus more on 1930s and earlier, but people like stuff from the 1950s and 60s, and even new designs you can find at the hardware store.”
In addition to the traps, Rick enjoys the related packaging, advertisements, flyers and sales brochures. The better the condition of the containers and boxes, the more valuable they are.
“When you catch a mouse today, a lot of people just toss the mouse and trap into the garbage,” he says. “It was the same back then, so it’s a rarity to see them in good shape with original packaging.”
- When it comes to cleaning vintage traps, less is more, Rick says. He advises collectors to take care:
- Make sure to not rub off any original finishes, especially anything with a “japanned” finish.
- Handle paper labels delicately.
- Never use tape on loose labels. Instead, use archival white glue to gently glue the label in place.
- Dusting and hand-cleaning is preferred.
- Use caution when handling springs or cast iron traps, which can break easily.
Rick picks up mouse traps at yard sales, antique shows, engine shows and flea markets. He also gets some from other collectors, and from contacts on his website.
The appeal of glass target balls
A few years ago, Rick got interested in skeet shooting. “I got into the history of the sport,” he says, “and found that most people who collect historical pieces from shooting sports also collect the targets.”
Before clay pigeons came out in the 1880s, exhibition and trap shooting enthusiasts took aim at glass target balls. The target balls were about the size of glass Christmas ornaments. Rick says it’s not uncommon for collectors to find glass target balls mixed in with Christmas ornaments in antique stores.
“Target balls, being glass, were meant to break when you shot at them,” he explains. “They can be beautiful, with different patterns and in all sorts of colors. Prices on those can get outrageous. They peaked 10-15 years ago, when a rare individual target ball could bring $20,000-30,000.”
Those high prices encouraged Rick to pursue target balls in the $200 range instead. More common, less expensive varieties include unmarked balls in shades of amber and blue. Any target ball with a name or patent date will be more costly. He says the more common amber-colored Bogardus balls can be found in the $300-500 range.
Fascinated by target throwers
At one point, Rick had about a dozen of the more common target balls, but he came to realize it was the mechanical nature of trap shooting throwers that really intrigued him. The throwers were equipped with a spring-loaded arm to hold the balls or targets. Those made for glass balls were manufactured in the 1870s and ’80s.
“Not too many people collect those,” he adds. “The guys who collect the glass target balls may have one or two throwers, just as part of their display, but they take up more space and tend to be heavy.”
Throwers are often made of wood or cast iron and measure 2 to 3 feet long and are just as tall. After 1900, glass ball throwers got heavier and bulkier, Rick says, and more “industrial looking like they are today.”
He also collects the clay pigeon throwers dating to the 1880s. “In addition to them not looking as industrial, they were more decorative,” he adds. “Clay ones throw in a different fashion, so the arm design throws more like a Frisbee than a catapult design.”
Targets produced in volume, but throwers built in small numbers
Like mouse traps, equipment used for trap and skeet shooting was meant to have short-term usefulness. “Target throwers may have ended up in a barn, tossed up in a loft,” he says. “Glass balls were made in the thousands, meant to be broken, and are more likely to be around now. But for every tens of thousands of those glass balls, they made one thrower.” Typically made of metal, many throwers likely ended up in World War II-era scrap metal drives.
At one time, Rick says, he had the largest collection of pre-1900 target throwers, but he’s since sold most of them. “There’s a small group of us who are into the throwers.”
He gets a lot of inquiries about Cleveland Empire throwers. “They have an early patent date on them so people think they have something rare, but they’re pretty common,” he says. “They sell for $50-75.” Units with double arms (designed to throw two targets at once) can fetch thousands of dollars each.
Only rarely do collectors find a target thrower with a pristine original finish and intricate paint design. Rick is careful to treat all of his collectibles gently. “I avoid heavy wire brushes. I just use steel wool to get the flaky stuff off and maybe put a coat of protective oil on them,” he says. “I use the same oil I use to clean my shotgun for trap shooting.”
Those interested in collecting target throwers should network, he says, looking for clubs or groups of collectors with similar interests. “Antique glass collectors tend to be excellent sources of information on glass target balls,” he says. FC
For more information: Rick Cicciarelli, phone: (607) 229-7140; email: Mousetrapboy@hotmail.com: website: rickcicciarelli.com/AntiqueTargetThrowers.html
Sara Jordan-Heintz is an award-winning writer, editor and historian. Follow her on Twitter: twitter.com/SaraEliz90 or contact her at: rose111@netins.net.
