Description

S&W M&P 38. 2” blue RB SN 604932

604932 shipped on Sept 5, 1935 to Von Lengerke & Antoine in Chicago.

The Von Lengerke & Antoine, or V L & A, Partnership was formed in early 1891, and quickly became a very prominent Sporting Goods Retailer in Chicago located ultimately at 335 Wabash Avenue in Downtown Chicago. The V L & A Partnership was formed as an extension of a New York Sporting Goods Retail Company known as Von Lengerke & Detmold which was started a short time prior to V L & A. At the same time, in New York, another prominent Sporting Goods Retailer was starting business in 1892 called Abercrombie & Fitch. The significance to this is for many years, from 1892 through 1928, these 2 retailers not only fought for market share catering to an upscale customer base, but both retailers also used the same motto “GREATEST SPORTING GOODS RETAILER IN THE WORLD”.

Like Abercrombie & Fitch, the Von Lengerke & Antoine products were from the finest manufacturers, and appealed to an upscale clientele. Here are a few of the product lines they sold: Payne, Garrison, H. H. Heiser, George Lawrence Company, Colt, and Winchester, among a large array of goods offered both through catalog ordering or by going to the retail store. 

Fitch retired from Abercrombie & Fitch in 1928, selling his interest in the company to his brother-in-law, James S. Cobb. In his first year at the helm, Cobb acquired Von Lengerke & Detmold, respected for its European-made sporting guns and fishing tackle, and Von Lengerke & Antoine, the Chicago branch, which became a subsidiary of Abercrombie & Fitch but continued until 1959 under its own name. 

In the late 1920s, with the coming depression Chicago was home to the Capone & Moran Gangs running liquor and crime in the city, and bringing with them a blood bath of murders during this time period. The Von Lengerke & Antoine or V L & A Chicago Company would have been on what was considered Al Capone’s turf, and with V L & A selling firearms, holsters, ammunition etc. the store was frequently shopped by Capone gang members, and maybe even Big Al himself. On February 14, 1929 the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre occurred at 2122 North Clark Street in Chicago, Illinois. 7 men were killed by machine gun fire by 5 of Al Capone’s gang members. They later found 2 of the machine guns used in the massacre and through ballistics testing these 2 Colt Thompson Machine Guns were proven as the weapons used in the massacre. Later through serial number research, they were proven to have been sold by Colt, and delivered to Von Lengerke & Antoine or V L & A Chicago.

Von Lengerke & Antoine became very famous for their reputation of their customers, those customers being members of the Capone gangs in Chicago. The company seemed to get much attention because the firearms were traced back to them and connected them with Al Capone. The company was known for selling Thompson submachine guns, which were very popular in gangs during that time period in Chicago. One newspaper source from the Daily Illini stated that the “von Lengerke and Antoine company occupied much police attention in 1929”. The guns were traced back to Von Lengerke & Antoine employees and there after ended up in the wrong hands such as ex-convicts.