Early production Japanese Type 1902 'Grandpa' Nambu pistol with russet leather holster and shoulder strap. The Type 1902 Pistol was the first successful Japanese designed self-loading handgun. Approximately 2400 Type 1902 Nambu Pistols were manufactured by the Tokyo Artillery Arsenal at Koishikawa, Tokyo, between 1903 and 1906. The pistol has a rust blue finish with 'straw' colored trigger assembly, magazine release, extractor and other small parts. The bolt is finished bright. The pistol has finely checkered walnut grip panels. The eight-round magazine has a plated finish with a wooden base with checkered sides. The grip strap is slotted for a shoulder stock and the pistol has a long-range tangent rear sight graduated to 500 meters. The pistol has the distinctive small trigger guard and fixed lanyard loop located on the frame just below the cocking piece. The right side of the receiver is marked with characters signifying "Nambu Type" above the serial number "275". The serial number is visible on the underside of the rear sight, trigger lever, barrel, underside of the bolt and on the spine of the magazine. All of the visible serial numbers match. The top of the receiver is stamped with Koishikawa-Tokyo symbol. The russet leather clamshell holster was made for a Type 14 Pistol and has an ammunition pouch designed for packets of ammunition and 1939 style flap latch. The holster is complete with a matching shoulder strap and a cleaning rod. Produced in limited numbers, the Type 1902 Nambu is a rare and desirable pistol. In "JAPANESE MILITARY CARTRIDGE HANDGUNS 1893-1945", authors Harry Derby and James Brown estimate that fewer than 150 'Grandpa' Nambu pistols are in U.S. collections.

Excellent. The pistol retains nearly 95% of the original rust blue finish. There is light holster wear on the forward edges of the frame and trigger guard. The backstrap and muzzle have some scattered and very light surface oxidation. The trigger and other small parts retain approximately 80% of the 'straw' finish. The checkering on the grips shows some minor handling wear but the grip panels remain in very fine-excellent condition. The magazine retains nearly all of the original nickel-plated finish and the wooden base is in fine condition. All of the markings and serial numbers are crisp. The holster is in fine condition; leather surfaces are smooth and the stitching is tight. This is an excellent example of a rare and historically important Japanese automatic pistol.