W.A. Gibbs & Sons Price Guide

Antique Trap Price Guide by Robert Vance

Walter A. Gibbs, a retired railroad worker, bought a large marsh in Maryland for duck hunting and found that it was full of muskrats. He then set up a small factory for the production of a better for use in shallow water as to prevent losses. Gibbs's first trap was the "Jump-in-a-Jump" model, invented in 1915. The test models had black pans. One production was made of these traps and the pans were stamped #III and PAT.APPLD.FOR in the center of the pan.

In 1916, Gibbs had his second trap patented. It was a jump in a long spring but only test models were made. It wasn't until 1919 that Gibbs invented a trap he was looking for, the "Two-rigger". A full two page advertisement was placed in the June, 1919 issue of HTT magazine. The "Two-Trigger" became one of only three types of traps to sell over one million in a single year. Gibbs went on to invent many other fine traps as you will see in this price guide.

Gibbs bought out the Truimph trap company in 1933 that went bankrupt, and in turn was bought in 1936 by the Animal Trap Company.