Milton Bradley ca. 1918 “Bradley’s Rapid Fire Cannon” Game #4218 in Box *SOLD*

Milton Bradley ca. 1918 “Bradley’s Rapid Fire Cannon” Game #4218 in Box

We have for you this ca. 1918 “Bradley’s Rapid Fire Cannon” game in box that was manufactured by Milton Bradley of Springfield, Massachusetts.

The Shapleigh Hardware Company of St. Louis put out a catalog in 1918 with the ad for Bradley’s Rapid Fire Cannon on pg. 2578. The ad states that the cannon, “Shoots 10 shots in five seconds; black finished wood breech and Japanned iron carriage; height 6 inches; length from muzzle to breech 7 ¼ inches; firing mechanism consists of a powerful tempered spiral spring, which is contracted and released as the crank is turned; projectiles consist of bullet shaped wood plugs 1 3/8 inches long, slotted to fit, the automatic feed will shoot as fast as the crank is turned; with four brilliantly lithographed soldiers and a liberal supply of ammunition.”

Ours is a working model with box included. The box is in excellent condition considering its age. The set includes 10 wooden projectiles some if not all of them have been professionally remade to restore this item to its complete set. There are 6 card board lithographed soldiers, 4 of them are attached to their block, 1 was reattached to his block, and one is headless without a wood block. This originally came with just four soldiers, but we had some extras to throw in to round out the set. The cannon itself has a tin carriage in red, and a wooden breech with a black finish. The barrel to the cannon is long missing so we had it professionally restored with a brass aged barrel. The barrel measures in at 4 ¾” from tip to breech.

Our example of this Bradley’s Rapid Fire Cannon is in excellent condition. This piece shows the usual dust, patina, chips, scuffs, scratches, surface rusting and wear that are to be expected from age and play. This is a very fun toy and we had a lot of fun with it here, but now it is time to find it the right home. We invite you to view the photos to further determine quality and condition.